Fodor's Expert Review Palacio de Gobierno

The imposing Presidential Palace was guarded by tanks and machine gun-toting soldiers until 1982, when the constitutional government was restored following a 1979 coup and three years of military rule. Presidential guards now watch the front door instead. In front of the palace is a statue of former president Gualberto Villarroel. In 1946 a mob stormed the building and dragged Villarroel to the square, where he was hanged from a lamppost. The structure, which is closed to the public, is also known as Palacio Quemado (Burned Palace), because it has twice been gutted by fire.