Situated in Plaza de la Constitución, the main square of Mexico City, the National Palace is the place of Mexico’s munificent federal executive. Only until recently, since the Aztec empire, the la mode palace of the time has remained the property of Mexico’s elite and ruling class. The palace is a government building and is haven to two important offices, the National Archives and the Federal Treasury.
The National Palace manifests itself as a palace of show and pomp every year on Mexican Independence Day. The palace treasures the original bell that was rung by Father Hidalgo on the day of independence. Every year on the eve, the President of the country from the balcony of the palace utters Grito de Dolores, the battle cry for independence, to mark the day. The president’s speech is not complete without the mention of Independence Day of 1964 when the then president eloquently delivered his speech in Spanish. The goal is to state that the palace is a rendezvous for the country’s friends.
The palace’s walls still retain the old material from which these were built during the reign of Moctezuma II. The building is an archetype of Mexican, Spanish and Aztec culture, etiquettes, and traditions. Though the old palace was razed to contrive a novel palace but along with many other features, one thing that is very similar between the old and new is that both the palaces were constructed with the same stone. The similar stones can be seen engraved in multitude of historical establishments in Mexico. In recent past the palace has suffered some deterioration and the refurbishing work is required in the Patio of Honor and the patio that lies in the centre, and also the third floor.
The ongoing burrowing has resulted in new archaeological findings. Recently the Moctezuma's "New Houses" have been excavated. These palaces were being destroyed by Hernán Cortés to build the palace that the contemporary Mexico society treasures.