National Palace, Baroque palace in Plaza de la Constitución, Mexico City, Mexico
The National Palace is a Baroque structure on the eastern edge of Plaza de la Constitución in Mexico City, serving as the seat of the executive branch and stretching along the entire length of the square. The facade combines red tezontle and grey limestone across three stories, with a central balcony above the main entrance and two lateral courtyards behind the arcades.
Hernán Cortés began building the structure in 1522 on the foundations of Moctezuma II's residence, incorporating parts of the Aztec layout into the new design. The current form emerged through several expansions during the 17th and 18th centuries, after a fire in 1692 destroyed much of the original palace.
The eastern courtyard displays scenes from pre-Spanish life and the conquest, while the central staircase shows the full sweep of Mexican history from the Aztec empire to the revolution. Visitors follow a set route through the public rooms, where the murals show episodes such as the Tlatelolco market and the arrival of the Spanish.
Entry is through the main door on Plaza de la Constitución, where security checks and bag inspections take place. The murals are located on the first floor and accessed via the central staircase, while some areas of the building remain closed for official government work.
The Empress Stairway, built by the brothers Juan and Ramón Agea, was once said to be unstable. To prove it would not collapse, a full battalion charged down the steps while the architects stood underneath. The Treasury Room, built by Manuel Ortiz Monasterio and Vicente Mendiola, is no longer in use.
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