Palacio Nacional
Palacio Nacional, Mexico City. Begun as Cortés' palace between 1521 and 1530 on the site of the Aztec Casas Nuevas de Moctezuma. It was remodeled as the Spanish Viceroy's palace in the 18th century. The third floor was added in 1929. The Palacio Nacional served as Maximilian I's palace. Today it houses the presidential offices, the treasury, and the Archives. Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución).
On the E. side of the Plaza de la Constitucion stands the huge Palacio Nacional, 675 ft. long, containing many of the governmental offices (interior open to visitors)."--Baedeker 1909.
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The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst... ... read more 
