Palacio de López (Spanish for Palace of the López) is a palace in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) 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 o ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, that serves as workplace for the

President of Paraguay The president of Paraguay ( es, Presidente del Paraguay), officially known as the President of the Republic of Paraguay ( es, Presidente de la República del Paraguay), is according to the Constitution of Paraguay the head of the executive bran ...

, and is also the seat of the

government of Paraguay Politics of Paraguay takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. The National Constitution mandates a separation of powers in three branches. Executive power is exercised solely by the President. Legislativ ...

. Located in the center of Asunción, looking at the bay, this building was built by order of

Carlos Antonio López Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) served as leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Early life López was born at Manorá (Asunción) on November 4, 1792, as one of eight children. He graduated from Real C ...

, to serve as residence for his son, the General

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. ...

, there the fact that the building name is "Palacio de los López". His works began in 1857 under the direction of the English architect Alonso Taylor. The materials for the construction of the palace came from several places inside the country, stones from the quarries of Emboscada and Altos, woods and odrajes of Ñeembucú and Yaguarón, bricks of Tacumbú, iron pieces molten in Ybycuí, etc. Various European artists came to Paraguay to handle building decoration. In 1867, during the

War of the Triple Alliance The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

, the palace was almost finished, although were missing finishing details for completion. The ornamentation was statuettes of bronze and furniture imported from Paris, and large and decorated mirrors for halls. The building also has extravagant night lighting.

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