Palacio Nacional, Mexico City

This vast palace fills the entire eastern side of the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City, and houses federal offices and ceremonial spaces of the national government. Built on the site of an Aztec ruler's palace using its stone, it grew under Spanish viceroys and later republican administrations into a sprawling complex around courtyards. Its grand central staircase is covered by Diego Rivera's epic panorama of Mexican history. From a balcony here the president leads the annual independence-day cry.