Central Post Office Building

Why go

The building’s site has carried several public roles, from an early residence associated with Pedro de Valdivia to a government palace and then the post office. That succession gives the north side of the square more depth than its present facade alone suggests.

What to look for

• The facade stands beside the National History Museum on the square’s north side.
• Its current appearance dates to the early twentieth century.
• The site once held a government palace.

The full story

The site of Santiago’s central post office is tied to the earliest colonial settlement: Pedro de Valdivia held a lot here and built a house on it. A later building on the plot served as a presidential palace until the government moved to La Moneda in the nineteenth century. Construction of the post-office building began in 1881, and its present appearance dates from 1908. It was designated a national monument in 1976. These changes explain why the building belongs in a walk around Plaza de Armas even when the interior is not open for a public visit. From the square, its facade sits next to the former Royal Audience, making the north edge a compact record of shifting state functions.

Useful to know

• View the building from Plaza de Armas; do not count on an interior visit.
• Compare it with the neighboring former Royal Audience building to read the square’s different civic roles.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.