Located in downtown San Salvador, this architectural marvel from
the nineteenth century has witnessed some of the most important
events in the political history of El Salvador. The first
national palace was built from 1866 to 1870 but a fire wiped-out
the structures on December 1889; years later the government of
Pedro José Escalón (1903) conducted a public contest for the
design and construction of the new palace. The winner of the
contest was José Emilio Alcaine, engineer and master builder
Pascasio González Erazo. Considered the first building of the
Republic, it was also called “The Coffee Palace “, because a
legislative decree taxed coffee exports to pay for the
construction. 1 Columbus per 1 Quintal (100 kilograms) was
charged, in total 50 thousand Colones were collected. The main
portal is composed of six towering columns that are accompanied
by the statues of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabel the
Catholic, donated by King Alfonso XIII in 1924. The Palace has
an eclectic style, with Ionic, Corinthi