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A Rare Glimpse of La Moneda, Chile’s Presidential Palace

Santiago is pretty generous with residents and tourists. Admission is free to many great museums—including the Museo Historico Nacional, the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, the Museo de Artes Visuales (MAVI), the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos—and parks are open to the public until late at night.

Few places are off-limits in the capital, except, quite understandably, the Palacio de la Moneda, the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile and the functional headquarters of several ministries. You can’t miss it, though—it occupies an entire block of downtown Santiago between Moneda (North Side), Morandé (East), La Alameda (South) and Teatinos (West).

You’re welcome to enjoy the many free activities and exhibitions in the Centro Cultural de la Moneda, located under the Plaza de la Ciudadanía, on the South side of the palace, but the Guardia Palacio de la Moneda won’t let you get too close to the massive white building at ground level.

A tour of the Palace has been on top of my to-do list for a few years for two reasons: first, I like to visit places that are usually off-limits; second, this is where the 1973 military coup took place and President Salvador Allende was overthrown.

However, I never had the chance to go because the only way to visit the palace is to apply online well ahead of time and hope to be invited for a scheduled guided tour.

Since I knew I would be around Santiago for a while this year, I filled out the form shortly after arriving in Chile. It took a few attempts—the first time, it didn’t get through because I was stating I was alone, not part of a tour group, then it refused to accept the fact I don’t have a Chilean “RUT” (the local “SIN”).

Eventually, it got through.

“Comprobante solicitud Visita Guiada”

For days, I received regular formal emails informing me that the (free!) visit was still scheduled as planned.

“Cambio de Estado Solicitud Visita”

On Monday, I showed up with my passport and the email confirmation. I was half-expecting to be turned away—Chile is pretty bureaucratic, maybe I was missing a crucial document, some authorization, a piece of ID—but after a close passport inspection, the guard let me in.

Right in front of the main door, another guard called the roll—just like at school!—, collected our passports and gave us a visitor pass. They were ten of us, an eclectic group representing Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and me, Canada.

“Alright, I won’t use Chilean slang, promise,” the guide said.

The tour started with Patio de los Naranjos, named for the orange trees around the fountain. Next, Patio de los Cañones is named after the two canons by the door—“El Furioso” and “El Relámpago”. This is where the president and dignitaries enter the palace, and the president’s offices overlook the patio. Finally, Patio de los Canelos has Mapuche totems and a sacred canelo tree. This is the part of the palace that was heavily damaged during the coup, and Allende committed suicide in one of the rooms overlooking the patio. His body was carried out of the palace through a door in the small room attached to the patio, and Pinochet then sealed this door. The door was eventually reopened in 2003, 30 years after the coup.

Salón Montt-Varas, named after Manuel Montt, former president, and Antonio Varas, a politician, is where press conferences and state dinners are given.

Salón Pedro de Valdivia, named for the Spanish conquistador founder of Santiago, is the official waiting room of the palace. Salón O’Higgins, named after the founder of independent Chile, is where the president greets official guests and ambassadors.

We spent close to 90 minutes exploring the three patios and the downstairs rooms, being quizzed about Chilean history and comparing our respective political systems. The guards were remarkably friendly and smiling and overall, the atmosphere was very relaxed.

Definitely a cool Chile experience.

Palacio de La Moneda, plaza de la Constitución, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, plaza de la Constitución, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, plaza de la Constitución, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, plaza de la Constitución, statue of Allende, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, plaza de la Constitución, statue of Allende, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, plaza de la Constitución, statue of Allende, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, Teatinos side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Patio de los Naranjos, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Patio de los Naranjos, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Patio de los cañones, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Patio de los cañones, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Morandé 80 – During the 1973 coup, President Salvador Allende’s body was removed from the palace through Morandé 80, and the door was later sealed, then reopened after Pinochet
Presidential coins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Presidential coins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Patio del Canelo, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Morande 80, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Montt-Varas, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Montt-Varas, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Montt-Varas, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Pedro de Valdivia, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Pedro de Valdivia, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Pedro de Valdivia, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Pedro de Valdivia, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón Pedro de Valdivia, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón O’Higgins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón O’Higgins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón O’Higgins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón O’Higgins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Salón O’Higgins, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Patio de los Naranjos, Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Palacio de La Moneda, south side, Santiago
Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
América, tierra de jinetes, Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
América, tierra de jinetes, Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
América, tierra de jinetes, Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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