Palacio de Los López

The Palacio de Los López is a palace and the official residence of the President of Paraguay, located in Asunción, Paraguay's capital city. It is one of the most beautiful historical sites in Paraguay. In addition, the Palacio de Los López is the official seat of the national government and one of Asunción's cultural assets. It is in excellent condition today since it serves as the nation's administrative center, and the beautiful lighting at night makes it well worth a visit to this little South American country's capital.

General Francisco Solano López gave his name to the Palace, which is located in the heart of the capital city, overlooking the Bay of Asunción. He is the son of Carlos Antonio López, Paraguay's president from 1841 to 1862, who ordered the palace to be erected as a dwelling for his son. Alonso Taylor, an English architect whose work began in 1857, is the architect in charge of the building. All of the materials used to construct the Palace are from Paraguay: stones from the quarries of Emboscada and Altos, woods and overages from Eembuc and Yaguarón, Tacumb bricks, molten iron pieces from Ybycu, and so on.

The Palace is in the shape of a letter U, with two floors and a four-story tower on which the Republic's flag is displayed. There is distinctive ornamentation throughout the structure, as well as a little garden in front of the entrance, which welcomes international delegations who come to see this magnificent architectural marvel. Despite the fact that several European painters traveled to Paraguay to work on the building's décor, the López Palace was nearly completed in 1867. That was the year the War of the Triple Alliance broke out, and the Brazilian-Argentinean alliance bombed and looted the palace.