Standing on the west side of Plaza de Armas, this 18C palace symbolising the military force of the colonial power and later of the republic's presidency is a fine example of the splendours of the Baroque style. Trees grow in its charming central patio, where stands a marble statue of Christopher Columbus (1862). This impoing building today houses the Museo de la Ciudad dedicated to the city's history, an epic tale which is here richly illustrated.