The National Palace of El Salvador is located in the historic center of the capital city of El Salvador.[1] It is a two-story building, of a predominantly neoclassical style, although it has some Renaissance and, to a lesser extent, Gothic decorations. Its gates and other bronze and iron decorations are in the art nouveau style. For all these reasons, it would not be unreasonable to say that its architecture is eclectic in nature.
It was originally built to house the three organs of power of the Salvadoran State and their respective dependent offices. Over time, the building became too small for its original functions and each body abandoned it, the last being the Legislative Assembly to withdraw in the 1970s. In 1980 it was declared a National Monument.[2] It belongs to the Ministry of Culture of El Salvador "Ministerio de Cultura (El Salvador)"); and until 2023 it housed the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)") of that country (in that year said archive would be removed from its facilities to later be transferred to the BINAES).[3].
History
Background
After the conquest of what is now El Salvador, a population of Castilian character was established in the territory with the title of town and the name of San Salvador by order of Adelantado Pedro de Alvarado. The objective was to dominate the land for the sake of both the natives of the region and the claims of Pedro Arias Dávila, who sought to extend the jurisdiction of the government of Nicaragua to the current Salvadoran territories. Although the town was founded around April 1525, it would remain permanent until 1528, at the site that is now known as Ciudad Vieja "Old City (El Salvador)"). Here a town hall would be built with three pavilions arranged in a straight line and parallel to the main square and in a relatively elevated location with respect to the square. This constitutes the first Western-style government building founded in what is now Salvadoran land.
In 1545, San Salvador was moved to the Hamacas Valley, at the foot of the San Salvador volcano, a site it occupies to this day. At that time, always following Castilian norms, the square of the main square was drawn and, to the south of it, the block was designated to house the town hall. This is where the different ordinary mayors would have their offices (there being two, which were the first vote mayor and the second vote mayor) and other members of the city council; as well as, since 1579, the mayors (appointed by the king to govern the jurisdiction) and the rest of the royal officials of the Mayor's Office of San Salvador (which did not include the current departments of Sonsonate and Ahuachapán, which until 1824 formed the mayor's office of Sonsonate) until 1785.[4][5].
National Palace (El Salvador)
Introduction
The National Palace of El Salvador is located in the historic center of the capital city of El Salvador.[1] It is a two-story building, of a predominantly neoclassical style, although it has some Renaissance and, to a lesser extent, Gothic decorations. Its gates and other bronze and iron decorations are in the art nouveau style. For all these reasons, it would not be unreasonable to say that its architecture is eclectic in nature.
It was originally built to house the three organs of power of the Salvadoran State and their respective dependent offices. Over time, the building became too small for its original functions and each body abandoned it, the last being the Legislative Assembly to withdraw in the 1970s. In 1980 it was declared a National Monument.[2] It belongs to the Ministry of Culture of El Salvador "Ministerio de Cultura (El Salvador)"); and until 2023 it housed the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)") of that country (in that year said archive would be removed from its facilities to later be transferred to the BINAES).[3].
History
Background
After the conquest of what is now El Salvador, a population of Castilian character was established in the territory with the title of town and the name of San Salvador by order of Adelantado Pedro de Alvarado. The objective was to dominate the land for the sake of both the natives of the region and the claims of Pedro Arias Dávila, who sought to extend the jurisdiction of the government of Nicaragua to the current Salvadoran territories. Although the town was founded around April 1525, it would remain permanent until 1528, at the site that is now known as Ciudad Vieja "Old City (El Salvador)"). Here a town hall would be built with three pavilions arranged in a straight line and parallel to the main square and in a relatively elevated location with respect to the square. This constitutes the first Western-style government building founded in what is now Salvadoran land.
In 1545, San Salvador was moved to the Hamacas Valley, at the foot of the San Salvador volcano, a site it occupies to this day. At that time, always following Castilian norms, the square of the main square was drawn and, to the south of it, the block was designated to house the town hall. This is where the different ordinary mayors would have their offices (there being two, which were the first vote mayor and the second vote mayor) and other members of the city council; as well as, since 1579, the mayors (appointed by the king to govern the jurisdiction) and the rest of the royal officials of the Mayor's Office of San Salvador (which did not include the current departments of Sonsonate and Ahuachapán, which until 1824 formed the mayor's office of Sonsonate) until 1785.[4][5].
In 1785, by royal decree of Charles III of Spain, the mayor's office of San Salvador became the Mayor's Office of San Salvador, and, once again, the mayors would occupy the same town hall of San Salvador as their office. Although Baron Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet, when he was appointed mayor of San Salvador in 1789, had the plan to build a palace to house the mayor's office on the site now occupied by the Western Portal, to the west of Plaza Libertad. In fact, the 5th Baron of Carondelet promoted the construction of roads, wells, public washing places, among other works, since, upon arriving in San Salvador, the city seemed more like a town than a city. But to the misfortune of the town, Carondelet was removed from office in 1791 to become governor of Louisiana and Florida, where he would also leave his mark in construction. And later, in 1799, in the Royal Court of Quito, with the palace that still serves as the seat of the government of Ecuador today and that still bears his name, the Carondelet Palace.[4][5].
On May 8, 1821, by decree of the Spanish General Cortes, all intendencies became provinces led by a superior political leader who was helped by a provincial deputation; Therefore, the mayor of San Salvador becomes the Province of San Salvador, where again the council of San Salvador is also the seat of government.[4][5].
On September 15, 1821, the Kingdom of Guatemala signed its independence from Spain, and, around 1823, it was decided to create a federal republic, making the other Spanish provinces five States, with the exception of Chiapas. Each State would have its own authorities and, therefore, its respective buildings to house them. In the case of the nascent Salvadoran State, the first constituent congress met in the Franciscan convent of the city of San Salvador in 1824, located in the place now occupied by the Excuartel Market. Here, the deputies representing the Province of San Salvador and the Mayor's Office of Sonsonate decided to unite their territories and form a single State under the name of Salvador, and draft their first constitution as a federative entity of the Federal Republic of Central America. However, in 1826, the federal republic was immersed in a series of civil wars that would lead to its dismemberment in 1838. And although in 1834, San Salvador was chosen as a federal district of the Central American union, among so much battle, there was never time to think about the construction of government buildings.
In 1841, two years after the Central American federal collapse, the State of Salvador was the only one that still officially belonged to the federation, so on February 2 of that year, a new constituent assembly met to declare the sovereignty of the Salvadoran State and draft a new constitution as an independent state. Here the need to have government buildings appeared again, however the burden that the Central American wars had left behind, the external debt, the practically zero economic dynamism and the war against the filibusters that forced all of Central America to get involved again in fratricidal battles in the 1850s, made it impossible for the Salvadoran government to even undertake the construction of government buildings.
Construction of the first National Palace
Towards the end of the 1850s and, above all, at the beginning of the 1860s, during the short-lived presidential terms of Captain General Gerardo Barrios, serious thought began to be given to the construction of a government palace. Because the main square - today Plaza Libertad - had all its surrounding blocks occupied: to the east of it was the Cathedral of San Salvador (today the Church of El Rosario); to the south the Mayor's Office of San Salvador, what was once the town hall; and to the west and north the portals of commerce; Gerardo Barrios designated as the construction site of the government palace, the western property of Plaza Santo Domingo, today Plaza Gerardo Barrios, where a series of houses with a dilapidated appearance were located, according to the views of the time. It should be said that Plaza Santo Domingo was rather a large atrium of the Church and convent of Santo Domingo, which were located to the north, where the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador is today. This decision by Barrios would change, over time, the configuration of the political and geographical center of the city of San Salvador.
Despite Gerardo Barrios' plans to build a government headquarters, the person who had the privilege of inaugurating the works was President Francisco Dueñas, on the property that Gerardo Barrios had previously chosen, demolishing the houses that were there.
Work began on January 15, 1866 under the direction of José Dolores Melara" and Ildefonso Marín"). A foundation of stone and mixture two yards deep was made and, according to the project, this building made practically entirely of wood and sheets consisted of two floors, with a front of 96 yards, divided into three sections and directed towards the then Plazoleta de Santo Domingo. On January 19, President Dueñas addressed a speech to the Legislative Body where he mentioned the construction of the National Palace and said "The work will be worthy of the Capital."[6] By September, a part of the front of the palace that looked towards the square had begun to be roofed; Mr. Marín believed he could present that part of the palace in a state of service within three or four months.[7] By January 1867: the roofing was completed and the main interior works continued.[8] By February, the entire front of the upper floor was entirely covered; At this time it was recommended to hide the roof of said front with a half yard of planking and placing pillars as balusters at a proportionate distance.[9] In the report of the Minister of the Interior, Finance and War, Juan José Bonilla, presented to the Legislative Body on January 28, 1868, it is mentioned that due to a new contract with the construction businessman, the building was going to extend over the entire block purchased by the government and that the total cost of the work was of 130,000 pesos.[10] By July, the main façade was almost completed.[11] By the end of August, the three façades that had been built in front of the three doors that face the Plaza de Santo Domingo had been completed, the front façade would be finished within two weeks; 50 yards on the south side were also being roofed and another 50 yards on the north side began to be roofed in September.[12] On December 21, El Constitucional announced that lithographed views of the National Palace made by Manuel José Letona"), professor of drawing and painting, will be sold at the Government Printing Office and the Hotel América for two pesos.[13].
In one of the spacious rooms of the National Palace that had been prepared, a banquet was held on the afternoon of February 1, 1869 in celebration of the inauguration of the new presidential term of Francisco Dueñas; More than 200 people attended. On the next day at 9:00 p.m. m. A dance was held in the hall.[14][15] On February 14, another banquet and dance was held as a gift to President Dueñas.[16].
By September 1869, the front and side platforms were being worked on.[17] The work was completed and inaugurated on January 19, 1870. It was an architecturally beautiful construction, and for its time it was the most modern and important building in the republic.
The extinct National Palace, which preceded the current one, was made up of two levels. The lower one made of masonry and the upper one made of wood and sheet metal. It had three bodies of frontal columns. It was built between January 15, 1866 and January 19, 1870. According to testimonies from the time, the Reception Hall and the Office of the President were notable in that architectural complex, although the reports do not highlight the session hall of the Legislative Branch.
However, the so-called San José earthquake, which occurred on March 19, 1873, caused disastrous damage to the building, which is why it was subjected to comprehensive repair during the administration of Field Marshal Santiago González Portillo. At the beginning of 1875 it was fully operational again.
The night of November 19, 1889, was a mournful date for San Salvador and the nation in general, since, during the presidency of General Francisco Menéndez Valdivieso, a raging fire reduced that architectural jewel to rubble and ashes. The fire started around 12:00 a.m. m. from November 20 on the west side on the upper floor; In a few moments, the entire building was set on fire; In two hours, the entire palace was destroyed. The authorities and individuals only managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the neighborhood houses and national buildings that surrounded the palace.[18].
The archives of all the Government Ministries, those of the Supreme Court of Justice and Chambers of 2nd and 3rd Instance, that of the Chief Accounting Office, the General Court of Finance, that of the Courts of 1st Instance of the department of San Salvador, that of the Property Registry office, the Federal Archive and that of other government offices, were reduced to ashes. The General Treasury was the only one that was able to save an important part of its archive.[18] El Salvador lost its valuable historical archive, which contained the colonial archive of the Mayor's Office of San Salvador, that of the Municipality of San Salvador and part of the archive of the federation. The little that remains of those documents can still be consulted today in the Burnt Fund of the General Archive of the Nation "General Archive of the Nation (El Salvador)"), in the current National Palace. Its name is due to the memory of that incident. Also lost were invaluable and irreplaceable art objects, such as sculptures by Pascasio González Erazo and oil paintings by the renowned painter Francisco Wenceslao Cisneros, both artists of indisputable merit. Added to this tragedy was the death of President Francisco Menéndez and other adverse political events that occurred as a result. All this prevented the successive governments led by Carlos Ezeta, Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez and Tomás Regalado from carrying out the construction of a new National Palace.
The Real Property Registry office was reestablished on November 22 in the house of the person in charge of the office, Teodoro Araujo.[19] Because many postage stamps had been lost when the Comptroller of the Treasury and some individuals saved part of the stock in deposit, the general director of the Post Office, S. J. Carazo, was instructed not to accept species in payment for the postage of letters except with a counter-stamp prepared; Consequently, merchants and other individuals who acquired stamps during the year had to present themselves to the post office or the General Treasury so that they could be stamped. 1st and 2nd Courts of 1st Instance of the department of San Salvador.[22] The Government of the department of San Salvador was provisionally installed in the General Hall of the Municipal Palace.[23].
After the fire of the first National Palace, the Legislative Branch began to meet on the second level of the first National Theater of San Salvador, which preceded the one that can be seen today in Plaza Francisco Morazán. That was built between 1866 and 1879, with wood and die-cut sheets by the German architect Augustus Hegel. The interior decorations are by Manuel J. Letona, its construction had the support of the contractor Ciriaco González and three Marianos: Luque, Pinto and Guzmán.
Current National Palace
Construction
On March 1, 1903, Pedro José Escalón took office as elected president, making the construction of the new building the main focus of his management. To do this, he put out to competition the iconographic plan of the future Palace, and the project developed by Engineer José Emilio Alcaine, an eminent university professor and member of the commission that, chaired by the engineer and lawyer Santiago I. Barberena, created the new map of El Salvador, was the winner.
Construction work began in 1905, under the direction, supervision and control of José Alcaine, with the execution of the work by the Office of Engineers and Officers of the Salvadoran Army, the direction of works by Pascasio González Erazo, drawings by D. O. Polcheck, supervision by Engineer José María Peralta Lagos, installation of floors by the Venetian architect Alberto Ferracuti and balconies created by the Spanish architect Ignacio Brugueras Llobet.
The materials used in the construction were brought mainly from Europe. The die-cut sheets of the false ceilings, the ironwork elements such as balconies, railings and wrought iron parapets came from Belgium. From Italy, the beautiful hand-cut crystal chandeliers; the frames, steps, plinths, mosaics, pedestals, balconies, balustrades and ornamentations made of Carrara marble, as well as the granite columns for the interior of the main entrance.
The mural paintings that were made on all the interior walls of the 105 rooms that the building has were painted by Salvadoran artisans, as was the painting of the printed sheets of all the false ceilings. These works were directed by a Salvadoran painter whose last name is known to be Sánchez. The plaster decorations that still adorn the main rooms were made and directed by the Italian Gugliemo Aroni.
Architecturally, the Palace belongs to the composite order, that is, to a harmonious combination of the Hellenic, Ionic and Corinthian orders, to which features of the Roman order were added, with grace and ingenuity. The art combined in the structure of the National Palace is considered eclectic, being reminiscent of the neoclassical style. Mixture of Greek and Roman classicism.
The approximate cost of the building was ₡3 million colones "Colón (currency of El Salvador)"). ₡ 1 million for the building and ₡ 2 million for the decoration. To cover the expenses, through a Legislative Decree it was stipulated that for each quintal of coffee exported, ₡ 1 colon would be used to build the work.[24].
In general terms, on the lower floor there are Ionic columns with their capitals decorated with scrolls that recall the antlers of rams. On the upper floor or main gallery, slender frosted columns stand displaying showy capitals with stylized acanthus leaves, typical of the Corinthian order, which becomes more evident in the majestic colonnade of the peristyle, in the central portico of the building. The Roman order can be seen in the beautiful arches of the exterior doors and windows crowned with caryatid heads of suggestive allegory, which seem to have been torn from the Erechtheon.
It is important to mention that the construction system of the building called Ploubalette is unique, since its mezzanine load-bearing structure based on bolted metal rails, with their respective horizontal and vertical tensioners, has provided the building with great resistance and stability against earthquakes. Indeed, it has successfully overcome the violent tectonic shocks of September 6, 1915, June 7, 1917, May 3, 1965, October 10, 1986, January 13 and February 13, 2001.
After its construction
In 1912, there were still some works and small details such as the ceilings of the ground floor and doors; For this reason, the carpentry, blacksmithing and masonry workshops continued in the palace grounds, under the direction of the director or counter-master cabinetmaker Don Francisco A. Guerrero, and the painting workshop, under the direction of the craftsman Don Felipe Ramírez. The General Intendance and Administration of the National Palace was in charge of Mr. José Simó").[25].
Announced in 1921, the idea of placing a statue of Isabel I of Castile at the foot of the frontispiece steps,[26] the statues of Christopher Columbus and the queen were placed and inaugurated on October 12, 1924, sculptures donated to the Salvadoran people by King Alfonso Pegullal, ambassador of Spain.
Both figures, works by the Spanish sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera, who created that of Isabel la Católica in 1923 and that of Christopher Columbus in 1924, were cast in bronze in the Mir and Ferrero workshops in Madrid, with the integration of the hands and face in marble, which were restored in 1993 and made of white cement.
On the tympanum of the frontispiece there is still a bronze medallion with the high relief image of Atlácatl, the Lord of Cuzcatlán, a work made by the Salvadoran artist Luis Aguilar under the efforts of the writer Juan Ramón Uriarte. That medallion was discovered on November 5, 1926 and the style speech was given by maestro Jorge Lardé y Larín.
On October 12, 1951, at the bottom of the first section of the staircase of honor of the National Palace, donated by the Spanish colony residing in the country, the bust of the powerful emperor and king Carlos I of Spain was discovered, in whose reign the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador, was founded and obtained the rank of city.
Withdrawal from the Legislative Assembly
In 1974, the Legislative Assembly definitively abandoned the National Palace and decided to declare its Blue Room a National Historical Monument, through Legislative Decree No. 165, of December 3, 1974, published in Official Gazette No. 238, Volume No. 245, of December 19, 1974.[27] But it was not until the issuance by the Revolutionary Government Junta "Revolutionary Government Junta (El Salvador)") of Decree Law No. 316, of July 10, 1980, published in Official Gazette No. 130, Volume No. 268, of July 10, 1980, when the entire building was declared a National Monument and passed into the custody of the Ministry of Education.[28].
From its construction in 1911 until 1986, the National Palace building, as already mentioned, housed different government agencies, which, over time, according to the needs of each era, carried out inadequate remodeling that altered the spatial conception of some areas; Furthermore, the incorporation of electrical, hydraulic, air conditioning and all types of installations, without any technical criteria, caused great deterioration and countless damages. For these reasons, the government of President José Napoleón Duarte decided to create the "Commission for the Restoration and Conservation of the National Palace", through Executive Decree No. 19, of March 7, 1985, published in the Official Gazette No. 64, Volume No. 286, of March 29, 1985.[29].
One of these interventions occurred precisely after the transfer of the Legislative Assembly, because the ministries that still continued their work in the National Palace, before leaving, met and decided to “beautify” it, and for this reason they painted the Yellow Room white and gold, and began work on the Blue Room, but providentially the 1986 earthquake stopped them. Indeed, the intention was to keep the building in good condition. However, there was no restoration criterion consistent with its historical value that guided this and many other efforts.
In the evaluation that the Ministry of Public Works made to this property, after the earthquake of October 10, 1986, damage was determined such as: cracks in walls, columns, cornices, balustrade, floors and between floors, as well as fractures and detachments of plaster; which would have forced the demolition of the building, unless, once again, the system with which it was built allowed alternative actions to be carried out. For this reason it was intervened from 1987 to 1988, but unfortunately, with more mistakes than successes; One of the mistakes occurred with the sheets of the original roofs: the originals were brought from Belgium, made with a thicker material and with larger waves than those of these times; The solution proposed for the deterioration of the first was to place modern sheets under them, which facilitated the conduction of rainwater into the structure. One of the successes was the hiring of the Guatemalan restaurateur Margarita Estrada, who set up a small workshop thanks to the support of the Organization of American States (OAS). With this, the Salvadorans: Maribel Carpio, José Santos, Wilson Alfaro, Mario Castro, Marina León and Rurico Boanerges were trained in the restoration of oil painting and plasterwork. All these works remained unfinished and calculations and analysis of said intervention are lacking.
Characteristics
The National Palace is a two-story building with two basement areas to the north and south, where until the construction of the BINAES the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)") (AGN) was located.[3] It occupies a quadrangular perimeter of seventy-four meters per side, which has a central patio inscribed in the shape of an irregular Greek cross, where the gardens in which five were planted during the 1930s are located. araucarias, symbolizing all the Central American nations. It has one hundred and one secondary rooms and four main rooms, the latter being the following: The Red Room or Hall of Honor, located on the upper floor at the extreme east, is decorated on its ceiling with medallions that display the true effigies of the former presidents: General Francisco Morazán, Rafael Campo, General Gerardo Barrios, General Francisco Menéndez Valdivieso, General Fernando Figueroa and Dr. Manuel Enrique Araujo. In short, this room, which has a balcony of honor located exactly above the front door, carved in marble and granite by the Italian Ferracuti, houses important emblems of the country and there the credentials were delivered to the ambassadors. The Blue Room, located at the opposite end of the second floor, towards the west, housed the legislative branch. The Yellow Room, to the executive branch. And the Pink Room, to the Supreme Court of Justice. A beautiful and elegant iron and bronze fence surrounds the entire building, and there is an outdoor garden five meters wide.
The building, one of the few in the historic center of San Salvador, that has been standing for more than one hundred years, has a unique and exceptional value for being a built catalog that has more than 50 floor designs, more than 70 wall decoration designs and more than 60 false ceiling designs. In short, each space of the one hundred and five rooms it has, maintains a majestic harmony of colors, between floors, false ceilings and wall decoration.
Inside there are 104 rooms,[24] among which four main rooms with distinctive colors stand out: the Red Room, used from its inauguration until the administration of General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez for the ceremony of presentation of ambassadors' credentials or for the receptions of the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry; Yellow Room, used as the office of the President of the Republic; Pink Room, which housed the Supreme Court of Justice, and later the Ministry of Defense;[31] and especially the Blue Room, which was declared a National Historical Monument in 1974. In this room its Ionic, Corinthian and Roman details stand out; and it was there where the Legislative Assembly met since 1906. The name of said room was inherited to the current meeting room of the Salvadoran parliament. There is also the Jaguar Room in which elements of indigenous culture are displayed.[32].
Also notable on its main façade are six columns and the statues of Christopher Columbus and Isabella the Catholic, donated by Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1924. As a whole, the building combines Neo-Gothic, Neoclassical and Renaissance details. In the center there is a large patio dominated by five araucarias that represent the five nations of Central America. The National Palace was declared a National Monument in 1980.
Currently the building is under the administration of the Ministry of Culture "Ministerio de Cultura (El Salvador)") and previously housed the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)").[31][3].
PINK ROOM: The pink room was used by the Supreme Court of Justice and later, by the Ministry of Defense. The pink color predominates on the walls and the perimeter mural painting at the baseboard level in green, gold and white stands out..
• - National Palace of El Salvador.
• - Old Mailbox, National Palace.
• - Ornate plywood false ceiling of the National Palace.
• - Ornamentation details in the Blue Room of the National Palace.
• - Emblem located in the Pink Room of the National Palace, where the office of the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice was once located.
• - Blue Room where the Legislative Assembly and the national press gathered.
• - Central Courtyard of the National Palace prior to its restoration and presidential inauguration of Nayib Bukele.
[4] ↑ a b c Herrera Mena, Sajid Alfredo (2013). El ejercicio de gobernar: Del cabildo borbónico al ayuntamiento liberal. El Salvador colonial, 1750 - 1821. Universitat Jaume I. ISBN 978-84-15443-13-1.
[5] ↑ a b c Rubio Sánchez, Manuel (1979). Alcaldes mayores: historia de los alcaldes mayores, justicias mayores, gobernadores intendentes, intendentes corregidores, y jefes políticos, de la Provincia de San Salvador, San Miguel y San Vicente. Volumen 1 y 2. Ministerio de Educación, Dirección de Publicaciones.
[6] ↑ «Mensaje dirigido al Cuerpo Legislativo por el Excmo. Señor Presidente Capitan General Doctor Don Francisco Dueñas». El Constitucional (Tomo 2 Número 15) (San Salvador). 25 de enero de 1866. p. 1. Consultado el 28 de 2019.: http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1866/1866-01.pdf
[10] ↑ Bonilla, Juan José (28 de enero de 1868). «Memoria del Ministro del Interior, Hacienda y Guerra presentada al Cuerpo Legislativo en sus sesiones ordinarias, el año de 1868». El Constitucional (Tomo 3 Número 20) (San Salvador). p. 1. Consultado el 29 de mayo de 2019.: http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1868/1868-02.pdf
[25] ↑ Quiñónez Meléndez, Alfonso (7 de marzo de 1913). «Memoria de Fomento, correspondiente a 1912, presentada a la Honorable Asamblea Nacional de 1913». Diario Oficial (Tomo 74 Número 59) (San Salvador). p. 478. Consultado el 21 de agosto de 2019.: http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1913/1913-03.pdf
[26] ↑ Dionisio Pérez (20 de noviembre de 1921). «La reina madre de América». ABC (España). p. 12. Consultado el 7 de abril de 2025. «Gobierno ha aprobado y aceptado la efigie de Isabel la Católica, "la Reina Madre de América", esculpida por un notable imaginero español, que será colocada a la entrada del Palacio Nacional y descubierta, dentro de un año, en la próxima Fiesta de la Raza.».: https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19211120-12.html
In 1785, by royal decree of Charles III of Spain, the mayor's office of San Salvador became the Mayor's Office of San Salvador, and, once again, the mayors would occupy the same town hall of San Salvador as their office. Although Baron Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet, when he was appointed mayor of San Salvador in 1789, had the plan to build a palace to house the mayor's office on the site now occupied by the Western Portal, to the west of Plaza Libertad. In fact, the 5th Baron of Carondelet promoted the construction of roads, wells, public washing places, among other works, since, upon arriving in San Salvador, the city seemed more like a town than a city. But to the misfortune of the town, Carondelet was removed from office in 1791 to become governor of Louisiana and Florida, where he would also leave his mark in construction. And later, in 1799, in the Royal Court of Quito, with the palace that still serves as the seat of the government of Ecuador today and that still bears his name, the Carondelet Palace.[4][5].
On May 8, 1821, by decree of the Spanish General Cortes, all intendencies became provinces led by a superior political leader who was helped by a provincial deputation; Therefore, the mayor of San Salvador becomes the Province of San Salvador, where again the council of San Salvador is also the seat of government.[4][5].
On September 15, 1821, the Kingdom of Guatemala signed its independence from Spain, and, around 1823, it was decided to create a federal republic, making the other Spanish provinces five States, with the exception of Chiapas. Each State would have its own authorities and, therefore, its respective buildings to house them. In the case of the nascent Salvadoran State, the first constituent congress met in the Franciscan convent of the city of San Salvador in 1824, located in the place now occupied by the Excuartel Market. Here, the deputies representing the Province of San Salvador and the Mayor's Office of Sonsonate decided to unite their territories and form a single State under the name of Salvador, and draft their first constitution as a federative entity of the Federal Republic of Central America. However, in 1826, the federal republic was immersed in a series of civil wars that would lead to its dismemberment in 1838. And although in 1834, San Salvador was chosen as a federal district of the Central American union, among so much battle, there was never time to think about the construction of government buildings.
In 1841, two years after the Central American federal collapse, the State of Salvador was the only one that still officially belonged to the federation, so on February 2 of that year, a new constituent assembly met to declare the sovereignty of the Salvadoran State and draft a new constitution as an independent state. Here the need to have government buildings appeared again, however the burden that the Central American wars had left behind, the external debt, the practically zero economic dynamism and the war against the filibusters that forced all of Central America to get involved again in fratricidal battles in the 1850s, made it impossible for the Salvadoran government to even undertake the construction of government buildings.
Construction of the first National Palace
Towards the end of the 1850s and, above all, at the beginning of the 1860s, during the short-lived presidential terms of Captain General Gerardo Barrios, serious thought began to be given to the construction of a government palace. Because the main square - today Plaza Libertad - had all its surrounding blocks occupied: to the east of it was the Cathedral of San Salvador (today the Church of El Rosario); to the south the Mayor's Office of San Salvador, what was once the town hall; and to the west and north the portals of commerce; Gerardo Barrios designated as the construction site of the government palace, the western property of Plaza Santo Domingo, today Plaza Gerardo Barrios, where a series of houses with a dilapidated appearance were located, according to the views of the time. It should be said that Plaza Santo Domingo was rather a large atrium of the Church and convent of Santo Domingo, which were located to the north, where the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador is today. This decision by Barrios would change, over time, the configuration of the political and geographical center of the city of San Salvador.
Despite Gerardo Barrios' plans to build a government headquarters, the person who had the privilege of inaugurating the works was President Francisco Dueñas, on the property that Gerardo Barrios had previously chosen, demolishing the houses that were there.
Work began on January 15, 1866 under the direction of José Dolores Melara" and Ildefonso Marín"). A foundation of stone and mixture two yards deep was made and, according to the project, this building made practically entirely of wood and sheets consisted of two floors, with a front of 96 yards, divided into three sections and directed towards the then Plazoleta de Santo Domingo. On January 19, President Dueñas addressed a speech to the Legislative Body where he mentioned the construction of the National Palace and said "The work will be worthy of the Capital."[6] By September, a part of the front of the palace that looked towards the square had begun to be roofed; Mr. Marín believed he could present that part of the palace in a state of service within three or four months.[7] By January 1867: the roofing was completed and the main interior works continued.[8] By February, the entire front of the upper floor was entirely covered; At this time it was recommended to hide the roof of said front with a half yard of planking and placing pillars as balusters at a proportionate distance.[9] In the report of the Minister of the Interior, Finance and War, Juan José Bonilla, presented to the Legislative Body on January 28, 1868, it is mentioned that due to a new contract with the construction businessman, the building was going to extend over the entire block purchased by the government and that the total cost of the work was of 130,000 pesos.[10] By July, the main façade was almost completed.[11] By the end of August, the three façades that had been built in front of the three doors that face the Plaza de Santo Domingo had been completed, the front façade would be finished within two weeks; 50 yards on the south side were also being roofed and another 50 yards on the north side began to be roofed in September.[12] On December 21, El Constitucional announced that lithographed views of the National Palace made by Manuel José Letona"), professor of drawing and painting, will be sold at the Government Printing Office and the Hotel América for two pesos.[13].
In one of the spacious rooms of the National Palace that had been prepared, a banquet was held on the afternoon of February 1, 1869 in celebration of the inauguration of the new presidential term of Francisco Dueñas; More than 200 people attended. On the next day at 9:00 p.m. m. A dance was held in the hall.[14][15] On February 14, another banquet and dance was held as a gift to President Dueñas.[16].
By September 1869, the front and side platforms were being worked on.[17] The work was completed and inaugurated on January 19, 1870. It was an architecturally beautiful construction, and for its time it was the most modern and important building in the republic.
The extinct National Palace, which preceded the current one, was made up of two levels. The lower one made of masonry and the upper one made of wood and sheet metal. It had three bodies of frontal columns. It was built between January 15, 1866 and January 19, 1870. According to testimonies from the time, the Reception Hall and the Office of the President were notable in that architectural complex, although the reports do not highlight the session hall of the Legislative Branch.
However, the so-called San José earthquake, which occurred on March 19, 1873, caused disastrous damage to the building, which is why it was subjected to comprehensive repair during the administration of Field Marshal Santiago González Portillo. At the beginning of 1875 it was fully operational again.
The night of November 19, 1889, was a mournful date for San Salvador and the nation in general, since, during the presidency of General Francisco Menéndez Valdivieso, a raging fire reduced that architectural jewel to rubble and ashes. The fire started around 12:00 a.m. m. from November 20 on the west side on the upper floor; In a few moments, the entire building was set on fire; In two hours, the entire palace was destroyed. The authorities and individuals only managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the neighborhood houses and national buildings that surrounded the palace.[18].
The archives of all the Government Ministries, those of the Supreme Court of Justice and Chambers of 2nd and 3rd Instance, that of the Chief Accounting Office, the General Court of Finance, that of the Courts of 1st Instance of the department of San Salvador, that of the Property Registry office, the Federal Archive and that of other government offices, were reduced to ashes. The General Treasury was the only one that was able to save an important part of its archive.[18] El Salvador lost its valuable historical archive, which contained the colonial archive of the Mayor's Office of San Salvador, that of the Municipality of San Salvador and part of the archive of the federation. The little that remains of those documents can still be consulted today in the Burnt Fund of the General Archive of the Nation "General Archive of the Nation (El Salvador)"), in the current National Palace. Its name is due to the memory of that incident. Also lost were invaluable and irreplaceable art objects, such as sculptures by Pascasio González Erazo and oil paintings by the renowned painter Francisco Wenceslao Cisneros, both artists of indisputable merit. Added to this tragedy was the death of President Francisco Menéndez and other adverse political events that occurred as a result. All this prevented the successive governments led by Carlos Ezeta, Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez and Tomás Regalado from carrying out the construction of a new National Palace.
The Real Property Registry office was reestablished on November 22 in the house of the person in charge of the office, Teodoro Araujo.[19] Because many postage stamps had been lost when the Comptroller of the Treasury and some individuals saved part of the stock in deposit, the general director of the Post Office, S. J. Carazo, was instructed not to accept species in payment for the postage of letters except with a counter-stamp prepared; Consequently, merchants and other individuals who acquired stamps during the year had to present themselves to the post office or the General Treasury so that they could be stamped. 1st and 2nd Courts of 1st Instance of the department of San Salvador.[22] The Government of the department of San Salvador was provisionally installed in the General Hall of the Municipal Palace.[23].
After the fire of the first National Palace, the Legislative Branch began to meet on the second level of the first National Theater of San Salvador, which preceded the one that can be seen today in Plaza Francisco Morazán. That was built between 1866 and 1879, with wood and die-cut sheets by the German architect Augustus Hegel. The interior decorations are by Manuel J. Letona, its construction had the support of the contractor Ciriaco González and three Marianos: Luque, Pinto and Guzmán.
Current National Palace
Construction
On March 1, 1903, Pedro José Escalón took office as elected president, making the construction of the new building the main focus of his management. To do this, he put out to competition the iconographic plan of the future Palace, and the project developed by Engineer José Emilio Alcaine, an eminent university professor and member of the commission that, chaired by the engineer and lawyer Santiago I. Barberena, created the new map of El Salvador, was the winner.
Construction work began in 1905, under the direction, supervision and control of José Alcaine, with the execution of the work by the Office of Engineers and Officers of the Salvadoran Army, the direction of works by Pascasio González Erazo, drawings by D. O. Polcheck, supervision by Engineer José María Peralta Lagos, installation of floors by the Venetian architect Alberto Ferracuti and balconies created by the Spanish architect Ignacio Brugueras Llobet.
The materials used in the construction were brought mainly from Europe. The die-cut sheets of the false ceilings, the ironwork elements such as balconies, railings and wrought iron parapets came from Belgium. From Italy, the beautiful hand-cut crystal chandeliers; the frames, steps, plinths, mosaics, pedestals, balconies, balustrades and ornamentations made of Carrara marble, as well as the granite columns for the interior of the main entrance.
The mural paintings that were made on all the interior walls of the 105 rooms that the building has were painted by Salvadoran artisans, as was the painting of the printed sheets of all the false ceilings. These works were directed by a Salvadoran painter whose last name is known to be Sánchez. The plaster decorations that still adorn the main rooms were made and directed by the Italian Gugliemo Aroni.
Architecturally, the Palace belongs to the composite order, that is, to a harmonious combination of the Hellenic, Ionic and Corinthian orders, to which features of the Roman order were added, with grace and ingenuity. The art combined in the structure of the National Palace is considered eclectic, being reminiscent of the neoclassical style. Mixture of Greek and Roman classicism.
The approximate cost of the building was ₡3 million colones "Colón (currency of El Salvador)"). ₡ 1 million for the building and ₡ 2 million for the decoration. To cover the expenses, through a Legislative Decree it was stipulated that for each quintal of coffee exported, ₡ 1 colon would be used to build the work.[24].
In general terms, on the lower floor there are Ionic columns with their capitals decorated with scrolls that recall the antlers of rams. On the upper floor or main gallery, slender frosted columns stand displaying showy capitals with stylized acanthus leaves, typical of the Corinthian order, which becomes more evident in the majestic colonnade of the peristyle, in the central portico of the building. The Roman order can be seen in the beautiful arches of the exterior doors and windows crowned with caryatid heads of suggestive allegory, which seem to have been torn from the Erechtheon.
It is important to mention that the construction system of the building called Ploubalette is unique, since its mezzanine load-bearing structure based on bolted metal rails, with their respective horizontal and vertical tensioners, has provided the building with great resistance and stability against earthquakes. Indeed, it has successfully overcome the violent tectonic shocks of September 6, 1915, June 7, 1917, May 3, 1965, October 10, 1986, January 13 and February 13, 2001.
After its construction
In 1912, there were still some works and small details such as the ceilings of the ground floor and doors; For this reason, the carpentry, blacksmithing and masonry workshops continued in the palace grounds, under the direction of the director or counter-master cabinetmaker Don Francisco A. Guerrero, and the painting workshop, under the direction of the craftsman Don Felipe Ramírez. The General Intendance and Administration of the National Palace was in charge of Mr. José Simó").[25].
Announced in 1921, the idea of placing a statue of Isabel I of Castile at the foot of the frontispiece steps,[26] the statues of Christopher Columbus and the queen were placed and inaugurated on October 12, 1924, sculptures donated to the Salvadoran people by King Alfonso Pegullal, ambassador of Spain.
Both figures, works by the Spanish sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera, who created that of Isabel la Católica in 1923 and that of Christopher Columbus in 1924, were cast in bronze in the Mir and Ferrero workshops in Madrid, with the integration of the hands and face in marble, which were restored in 1993 and made of white cement.
On the tympanum of the frontispiece there is still a bronze medallion with the high relief image of Atlácatl, the Lord of Cuzcatlán, a work made by the Salvadoran artist Luis Aguilar under the efforts of the writer Juan Ramón Uriarte. That medallion was discovered on November 5, 1926 and the style speech was given by maestro Jorge Lardé y Larín.
On October 12, 1951, at the bottom of the first section of the staircase of honor of the National Palace, donated by the Spanish colony residing in the country, the bust of the powerful emperor and king Carlos I of Spain was discovered, in whose reign the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador, was founded and obtained the rank of city.
Withdrawal from the Legislative Assembly
In 1974, the Legislative Assembly definitively abandoned the National Palace and decided to declare its Blue Room a National Historical Monument, through Legislative Decree No. 165, of December 3, 1974, published in Official Gazette No. 238, Volume No. 245, of December 19, 1974.[27] But it was not until the issuance by the Revolutionary Government Junta "Revolutionary Government Junta (El Salvador)") of Decree Law No. 316, of July 10, 1980, published in Official Gazette No. 130, Volume No. 268, of July 10, 1980, when the entire building was declared a National Monument and passed into the custody of the Ministry of Education.[28].
From its construction in 1911 until 1986, the National Palace building, as already mentioned, housed different government agencies, which, over time, according to the needs of each era, carried out inadequate remodeling that altered the spatial conception of some areas; Furthermore, the incorporation of electrical, hydraulic, air conditioning and all types of installations, without any technical criteria, caused great deterioration and countless damages. For these reasons, the government of President José Napoleón Duarte decided to create the "Commission for the Restoration and Conservation of the National Palace", through Executive Decree No. 19, of March 7, 1985, published in the Official Gazette No. 64, Volume No. 286, of March 29, 1985.[29].
One of these interventions occurred precisely after the transfer of the Legislative Assembly, because the ministries that still continued their work in the National Palace, before leaving, met and decided to “beautify” it, and for this reason they painted the Yellow Room white and gold, and began work on the Blue Room, but providentially the 1986 earthquake stopped them. Indeed, the intention was to keep the building in good condition. However, there was no restoration criterion consistent with its historical value that guided this and many other efforts.
In the evaluation that the Ministry of Public Works made to this property, after the earthquake of October 10, 1986, damage was determined such as: cracks in walls, columns, cornices, balustrade, floors and between floors, as well as fractures and detachments of plaster; which would have forced the demolition of the building, unless, once again, the system with which it was built allowed alternative actions to be carried out. For this reason it was intervened from 1987 to 1988, but unfortunately, with more mistakes than successes; One of the mistakes occurred with the sheets of the original roofs: the originals were brought from Belgium, made with a thicker material and with larger waves than those of these times; The solution proposed for the deterioration of the first was to place modern sheets under them, which facilitated the conduction of rainwater into the structure. One of the successes was the hiring of the Guatemalan restaurateur Margarita Estrada, who set up a small workshop thanks to the support of the Organization of American States (OAS). With this, the Salvadorans: Maribel Carpio, José Santos, Wilson Alfaro, Mario Castro, Marina León and Rurico Boanerges were trained in the restoration of oil painting and plasterwork. All these works remained unfinished and calculations and analysis of said intervention are lacking.
Characteristics
The National Palace is a two-story building with two basement areas to the north and south, where until the construction of the BINAES the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)") (AGN) was located.[3] It occupies a quadrangular perimeter of seventy-four meters per side, which has a central patio inscribed in the shape of an irregular Greek cross, where the gardens in which five were planted during the 1930s are located. araucarias, symbolizing all the Central American nations. It has one hundred and one secondary rooms and four main rooms, the latter being the following: The Red Room or Hall of Honor, located on the upper floor at the extreme east, is decorated on its ceiling with medallions that display the true effigies of the former presidents: General Francisco Morazán, Rafael Campo, General Gerardo Barrios, General Francisco Menéndez Valdivieso, General Fernando Figueroa and Dr. Manuel Enrique Araujo. In short, this room, which has a balcony of honor located exactly above the front door, carved in marble and granite by the Italian Ferracuti, houses important emblems of the country and there the credentials were delivered to the ambassadors. The Blue Room, located at the opposite end of the second floor, towards the west, housed the legislative branch. The Yellow Room, to the executive branch. And the Pink Room, to the Supreme Court of Justice. A beautiful and elegant iron and bronze fence surrounds the entire building, and there is an outdoor garden five meters wide.
The building, one of the few in the historic center of San Salvador, that has been standing for more than one hundred years, has a unique and exceptional value for being a built catalog that has more than 50 floor designs, more than 70 wall decoration designs and more than 60 false ceiling designs. In short, each space of the one hundred and five rooms it has, maintains a majestic harmony of colors, between floors, false ceilings and wall decoration.
Inside there are 104 rooms,[24] among which four main rooms with distinctive colors stand out: the Red Room, used from its inauguration until the administration of General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez for the ceremony of presentation of ambassadors' credentials or for the receptions of the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry; Yellow Room, used as the office of the President of the Republic; Pink Room, which housed the Supreme Court of Justice, and later the Ministry of Defense;[31] and especially the Blue Room, which was declared a National Historical Monument in 1974. In this room its Ionic, Corinthian and Roman details stand out; and it was there where the Legislative Assembly met since 1906. The name of said room was inherited to the current meeting room of the Salvadoran parliament. There is also the Jaguar Room in which elements of indigenous culture are displayed.[32].
Also notable on its main façade are six columns and the statues of Christopher Columbus and Isabella the Catholic, donated by Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1924. As a whole, the building combines Neo-Gothic, Neoclassical and Renaissance details. In the center there is a large patio dominated by five araucarias that represent the five nations of Central America. The National Palace was declared a National Monument in 1980.
Currently the building is under the administration of the Ministry of Culture "Ministerio de Cultura (El Salvador)") and previously housed the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)").[31][3].
PINK ROOM: The pink room was used by the Supreme Court of Justice and later, by the Ministry of Defense. The pink color predominates on the walls and the perimeter mural painting at the baseboard level in green, gold and white stands out..
• - National Palace of El Salvador.
• - Old Mailbox, National Palace.
• - Ornate plywood false ceiling of the National Palace.
• - Ornamentation details in the Blue Room of the National Palace.
• - Emblem located in the Pink Room of the National Palace, where the office of the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice was once located.
• - Blue Room where the Legislative Assembly and the national press gathered.
• - Central Courtyard of the National Palace prior to its restoration and presidential inauguration of Nayib Bukele.
[4] ↑ a b c Herrera Mena, Sajid Alfredo (2013). El ejercicio de gobernar: Del cabildo borbónico al ayuntamiento liberal. El Salvador colonial, 1750 - 1821. Universitat Jaume I. ISBN 978-84-15443-13-1.
[5] ↑ a b c Rubio Sánchez, Manuel (1979). Alcaldes mayores: historia de los alcaldes mayores, justicias mayores, gobernadores intendentes, intendentes corregidores, y jefes políticos, de la Provincia de San Salvador, San Miguel y San Vicente. Volumen 1 y 2. Ministerio de Educación, Dirección de Publicaciones.
[6] ↑ «Mensaje dirigido al Cuerpo Legislativo por el Excmo. Señor Presidente Capitan General Doctor Don Francisco Dueñas». El Constitucional (Tomo 2 Número 15) (San Salvador). 25 de enero de 1866. p. 1. Consultado el 28 de 2019.: http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1866/1866-01.pdf
[10] ↑ Bonilla, Juan José (28 de enero de 1868). «Memoria del Ministro del Interior, Hacienda y Guerra presentada al Cuerpo Legislativo en sus sesiones ordinarias, el año de 1868». El Constitucional (Tomo 3 Número 20) (San Salvador). p. 1. Consultado el 29 de mayo de 2019.: http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1868/1868-02.pdf
[25] ↑ Quiñónez Meléndez, Alfonso (7 de marzo de 1913). «Memoria de Fomento, correspondiente a 1912, presentada a la Honorable Asamblea Nacional de 1913». Diario Oficial (Tomo 74 Número 59) (San Salvador). p. 478. Consultado el 21 de agosto de 2019.: http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1913/1913-03.pdf
[26] ↑ Dionisio Pérez (20 de noviembre de 1921). «La reina madre de América». ABC (España). p. 12. Consultado el 7 de abril de 2025. «Gobierno ha aprobado y aceptado la efigie de Isabel la Católica, "la Reina Madre de América", esculpida por un notable imaginero español, que será colocada a la entrada del Palacio Nacional y descubierta, dentro de un año, en la próxima Fiesta de la Raza.».: https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19211120-12.html
The former National Council for Culture and Art (Concultura) - currently the Ministry of Culture "Ministerio de Cultura (El Salvador)") -, when it was founded in 1991, proposed as one of its main goals the restoration of the National Palace, the first proper since 1911. For this purpose, the architect Gilda Aguilar de Landaverde and the architectural technician, Germán Velásquez, were hired, who, until 1993, in the first stage of the project, they busily dedicated themselves to collecting historical data on the building and drawing up plans. In that same year, engineer José María Portillo carried out structural evaluations and recommended work that meant destroying a large part of the building, since according to his diagnosis it was at risk of sinking because it was supported by mud. Faced with this fact, Concultura managed and obtained the help of the Mexican Government, which sent two renowned experts in buildings from the beginning of the century to clarify the situation. In order not to cause unnecessary damage to the Palace, engineer Portillo carried out his evaluations in the gardens and for that reason he found mud; But in the case of this property and all the others built at that time, when the terrain was bad, the entire area surrounding the building was also cemented. Mexican experts then confirmed suspicions that it was not necessary to carry out work that would sacrifice some areas of the building to just keep others standing.
Until the year 2000, thanks to various excavations for electrical installations, anthropologist Paul Amaroli certified the revelation that the National Palace has been supported by the grid of foundations of the first palace, and, in addition, by the foundations of the old buildings that were demolished for the construction of this one, since at the time only its walls were torn down but its foundations were not touched.
Between 1994 and 1995, the President of the Republic, Alfredo Cristiani, invited the companies Transportes Aéreos Centroamericanos (TACA), Almacenes Siman and Diana to finance the restoration of the Red, Yellow and Blue rooms. For these works, the company of architect Salvador Choussy was hired, always with the establishment and supervision of the procedures by the architect Landaverde.
Also in 1994, with the financial support of the Salvadoran government, the entire structure and roof covering were restored. In 1995, all the exterior and interior facades of the building were rebuilt and painted with the use of compatible materials, modern consolidation techniques and paints prepared according to the colors that were originally used, which were determined through an analysis supported by research coves, which has bronze phytomorphic decorations.
The Restoration office depended on the then Concultura, which worked every day to return the National Palace to its original beauty. The construction companies that have worked on the restoration of the National Palace since 1994 are: Pórticos Ingenieros S. A. de C. V., Olmedo Barata Ingenieros S. A. de C. V., Joaquín Aguilar, Cohac and PL Ingenieros.
So far, the floors, false ceilings, doors and walls (in the sense of holes and eliminated installations) of all the rooms have been restored. The two basements, some entrances, the marble floors and the rescue of the original wall paintings are still needed, which will require exhaustive and careful work by the artists trained in the workshop of the Guatemalan Margarita Estrada, who currently work at the Dr. David J. Guzmán National Museum of Anthropology. The difficult part of restoring the paintings lies in the unveiling of all the layers that were placed on them over time. In recent years of tireless efforts, approximately $6,285,713.42 has been invested.
Currently, in addition to being a museum and a national heritage of the three powers of the Salvadoran State, it houses the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)") (AGN), the Institute of Arts, offices of the Directorate of Research and offices of Built Cultural Heritage. These entities are dependencies of the Ministry of Culture "Ministry of Culture (El Salvador)"). And through Legislative Decree No. 837, of October 3, 1996, published in the Official Gazette No. 205, Volume No. 333, of October 31, 1996, the Salvadoran Congress decided to create the National Museum of History and designated the National Palace as the headquarters of this new cultural organization.[30].
The former National Council for Culture and Art (Concultura) - currently the Ministry of Culture "Ministerio de Cultura (El Salvador)") -, when it was founded in 1991, proposed as one of its main goals the restoration of the National Palace, the first proper since 1911. For this purpose, the architect Gilda Aguilar de Landaverde and the architectural technician, Germán Velásquez, were hired, who, until 1993, in the first stage of the project, they busily dedicated themselves to collecting historical data on the building and drawing up plans. In that same year, engineer José María Portillo carried out structural evaluations and recommended work that meant destroying a large part of the building, since according to his diagnosis it was at risk of sinking because it was supported by mud. Faced with this fact, Concultura managed and obtained the help of the Mexican Government, which sent two renowned experts in buildings from the beginning of the century to clarify the situation. In order not to cause unnecessary damage to the Palace, engineer Portillo carried out his evaluations in the gardens and for that reason he found mud; But in the case of this property and all the others built at that time, when the terrain was bad, the entire area surrounding the building was also cemented. Mexican experts then confirmed suspicions that it was not necessary to carry out work that would sacrifice some areas of the building to just keep others standing.
Until the year 2000, thanks to various excavations for electrical installations, anthropologist Paul Amaroli certified the revelation that the National Palace has been supported by the grid of foundations of the first palace, and, in addition, by the foundations of the old buildings that were demolished for the construction of this one, since at the time only its walls were torn down but its foundations were not touched.
Between 1994 and 1995, the President of the Republic, Alfredo Cristiani, invited the companies Transportes Aéreos Centroamericanos (TACA), Almacenes Siman and Diana to finance the restoration of the Red, Yellow and Blue rooms. For these works, the company of architect Salvador Choussy was hired, always with the establishment and supervision of the procedures by the architect Landaverde.
Also in 1994, with the financial support of the Salvadoran government, the entire structure and roof covering were restored. In 1995, all the exterior and interior facades of the building were rebuilt and painted with the use of compatible materials, modern consolidation techniques and paints prepared according to the colors that were originally used, which were determined through an analysis supported by research coves, which has bronze phytomorphic decorations.
The Restoration office depended on the then Concultura, which worked every day to return the National Palace to its original beauty. The construction companies that have worked on the restoration of the National Palace since 1994 are: Pórticos Ingenieros S. A. de C. V., Olmedo Barata Ingenieros S. A. de C. V., Joaquín Aguilar, Cohac and PL Ingenieros.
So far, the floors, false ceilings, doors and walls (in the sense of holes and eliminated installations) of all the rooms have been restored. The two basements, some entrances, the marble floors and the rescue of the original wall paintings are still needed, which will require exhaustive and careful work by the artists trained in the workshop of the Guatemalan Margarita Estrada, who currently work at the Dr. David J. Guzmán National Museum of Anthropology. The difficult part of restoring the paintings lies in the unveiling of all the layers that were placed on them over time. In recent years of tireless efforts, approximately $6,285,713.42 has been invested.
Currently, in addition to being a museum and a national heritage of the three powers of the Salvadoran State, it houses the General Archive of the Nation "Archivo General de la Nación (El Salvador)") (AGN), the Institute of Arts, offices of the Directorate of Research and offices of Built Cultural Heritage. These entities are dependencies of the Ministry of Culture "Ministry of Culture (El Salvador)"). And through Legislative Decree No. 837, of October 3, 1996, published in the Official Gazette No. 205, Volume No. 333, of October 31, 1996, the Salvadoran Congress decided to create the National Museum of History and designated the National Palace as the headquarters of this new cultural organization.[30].