The Plaza Constitución, located between streets Agustinas, Morandé, Moneda, and Teatinos, is an expansive plaza used primarily as a pedestrian crossway. It's also the site of the famous Palacio de la Moneda, the Government Palace that was first built as headquarters of the Royal Mint (hence its name). The largest building erected by the Spanish government during the 18th century, the Palace was criticized for being too ostentatious, but today it's considered one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in Latin America.

Joaquín Toesca, the Italian architect responsible for setting the neoclassical tone of civic buildings in Santiago, directed the design of the Palace until his death in 1799. From 1846 to 1958 it was the official presidential residence, and continued as presidential headquarters until the infamous coup d'état on September 11, 1973, when Pinochet's troops shelled and bombed the building until ex-President Allende surrendered by suicide. The military has since patched up the damage they inflicted.

Try to visit the Palace during the changing of the guard, when hundreds of soldiers march in step in front of the Palace, every other day at 10am. Across Alameda is the Plaza Bernardo O'Higgins. His remains are buried under the monument dedicated to him in the center of the plaza.

One block from the plaza at Moneda and Bandera is the Bolsa de Comercio (tel. 2/399-3000), Santiago's stock market exchange, housed in a 1917 national monument building with a beautiful metal dome roof. Inside, traders group around La Rueda (The Wheel), a circular railing where they conduct hectic transactions -- you can even watch the action Monday to Friday 10:30 to 11:20am, 12:30 to 1:20pm, and 4 to 4:30pm. The Bolsa de Comercio is a triangular building set among several picturesque, cobblestone streets that make for an intriguing short stroll: New York, La Bolsa, and Club de la Unión.