Palacio de la Moneda (Moneda Palace)
Once the official mint, la Moneda became the presidential residence in 1846. While Chile’s head of state no longer lives on site, the building’s presidential offices are still used. The bombing of Moneda Palace by air force jets during General Augusto Pinochet’s coup against Salvador Allende’s Marxist government in 1973 remains an enduring image of the 20th century. Allende took his own life in this building with a gun given to him, according to local legend, by Fidel Castro. Visitors can stroll along the courtyard that runs through the middle of the building, and can arrange to visit the interior with an advance booking. On the south side of the Moneda Palace, on (or rather under) Plaza de la Ciudadanía, is the modern Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda, which has a series of exhibition spaces and some first-rate exhibitions. There is also an excellent shop selling traditional Chilean handicrafts.
