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Palacio de los López (Spanish for Palace of the López), officially titled Palacio de Gobierno (Palace of Government) is a neoclassical manor in
Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
,
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, that serves as a workplace for the
President of Paraguay The president of Paraguay (), officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay (), is the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, serving as both head of state and head of government according to the Constitu ...
, and as the seat of the government of Paraguay. The president does not reside in the palace, and is instead housed at Mburuvicha Róga ( Guarani for ''House of the Chief''), some 2.5 km to the southeast. Located in the center of Asunción, overlooking Asunción Bay, Palacio de los López was built by order of
Carlos Antonio López Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) was leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Under his presidency, he undertook a process of economic and political modernization for Paraguay, and ended the isolationist poli ...
, the first Paraguyan
head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "
he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
to hold the title of President, per the constitution of 1844. The dictator envisioned a López dynasty, and he intended for the palace to house his son and designated successor, General
Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...
, which gives rise to the palace's name. Ultimately, Solano López never resided there. Construction of the palace began in 1857 under the direction of the English architect Alonso Taylor, and was substantially completed by 1867. The War of the Triple Alliance compelled Solano López to seek refuge with the government in
Ñeembucú Ñeembucú (; Paraguayan Guaraní, Guaraní: ''Ñe'ẽmbuku'') is a Departments of Paraguay, department located in the south of the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The capital is Pilar, Paraguay, Pilar. The department is almost entirely rural, and ...
. Brazilian and Argentine forces sacked Asunción in January 1869, damaging the palace's exterior and looting ornaments and furniture. The allies housed troops there throughout their seven-year occupation of Paraguay, leaving the building derelict by 1876. President Juan Gualberto González, on taking office in 1890, strove to restore the palace and complete what had been left undone in 1867, but a coup halted his progress. Juan Bautista Egusquiza finally finished the work in 1894 and became the first head of state to establish his administration and residence there. The palace remained the official residence of the president until the mid-20th century. November 1942 saw the move to Mburuvicha Róga by decree of President Higinio Morínigo. ''Palacio de los López'' continued on as the seat of government throughout the latter 20th century under the despotic rule of President
Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general and Military dictatorship, military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 19 ...
, until the restoration of democracy in 1989. No president since that time has served for longer than a single five-year term, and presidential reelection (even in non-consecutive terms) is today strictly prohibited by constitutional reforms ratified in 1992. Current president
Santiago Peña Santiago Peña Palacios (; born 16 November 1978) is a Paraguayan politician and economist who is the 52nd and current president of Paraguay since 2023. In addition to his political career, Peña has served on leadership boards for the Central ...
was inaugurated on the palace grounds in August 2023.


Style and Appearance

The materials for the construction of the palace came from several places inside the country. These included stones from the quarries of Emboscada and Altos, woods and odrajes of Ñeembucú and Yaguarón, bricks of Tacumbú, and iron pieces molten in Ybycuí, among others. Various European artists came to Paraguay to handle building decoration. In 1867, with the palace nearly complete, there remained missing a few finishing details. Ornamentations included statuettes of bronze and furniture imported from Paris, and large and decorated mirrors for the halls. The building is kept brightly illuminated at night, showing off its color and architectural features.


External links


Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay

Bienvenidos / Welcome / Bem-vindos / Bienvenus
Buildings and structures in Asunción Government buildings in Paraguay Government of Paraguay Presidential residences Neoclassical palaces {{paraguay-poli-stub