La Moneda Palace Guard (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Guardia de Palacio de la Moneda'') is the ceremonial escort to the

President of Chile The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...

and also assists with physical security at

La Moneda Palace Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secreta ...

. It is an operational component of the

Carabineros de Chile ( en, Carabiniers of Chile) are the Chilean national law enforcement police, who have jurisdiction over the entire national territory of the Republic of Chile. Created in 1927, their mission is to maintain order and enforce the laws of Chile. Th ...

History

The earliest recorded instance of a force of guards for the executive residence was during the government of Manuel Bulnes in 1851. The Carabineros became responsible for defense of La Moneda in 1932 and the guard contingent at the palace assumed its current name, the Palace Guard, in 1996. Te Deum Ecuménico (5012621591)

In addition to

public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has ...

, the Palace Guard also has practical security responsibilities for the defense of La Moneda. In 2016 Carabineros assigned to the Palace Guard physically detained a group of student protesters who stormed the courtyard of the palace before its gates could be sealed. During the

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, a 300-man force of the then-named Presidential Guard, and other carabineros, fortified the perimeter of La Moneda against the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...

. They remained at their posts until 9:00 a.m. the day of the putsch, withdrawing after being informed that Gen. César Mendoza had thrown his support to the newly declared

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. Female carabineros joined the Palace Guard for the first time in December 2001. The Guard Group, since 2012, also has a full horse guards troop, carrying lances in state ceremonies. The Guard Group reports to the Directorate of Special Services and Border Security of the Carabineros, and a specialized company is assigned to secure the

Palace of Cerro Castillo The Palace of Cerro Castillo (Spanish: ''Palacio de Cerro Castillo'') is the official country retreat and summer residence of the President of Chile. Constructed in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it is located in Viña del Mar and is ...

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

Drill and ceremony

A changing of the guard ceremony occurs every 48 hours at 10:00 a.m. During it, two Carabineros mounted units and the Central Band of the Carabineros escort the incoming guard detachment to La Moneda, and the outgoing detachment from it. The current drill for the changing of the guard was instituted in 1936. Both the old and new guard detachments have an infantry company and a cavalry platoon, with two buglers, while the old guard detachment has a drummer attached. Each Monday since its inception the Guard has provided two, ten-man squads, a drummer and a bugler to form a cordon of honor for the entrance of the President of Chile into La Moneda at the start of the work week. If the President is outside the capital, the drill is performed instead for the Vice President. The guard of honor platoon is made up of infantrymen from the Guard's infantry component.

References

{{commons category, Guardia del Palacio de La Moneda Protective security units Ceremonial units and formations Guards of honour Carabineros de Chile Military units and formations established in 1932