Palacio de La Moneda, Chile's presidential palace, is on one side of Constitution Plaza in Santiago. As its name implies in Spanish, the building was constructed in 1805 as a currency mint. In 1846, at the insistence of Chile's president, the building became the presidential residence and seat of government -- although its currency works continued until 1922.

In 1973, as unrest in Chile escalated, La Moneda became the focal point of an unfolding political crisis.

On the morning of September 11, 1973, President Salvador Allende was notified of unexpected troop movements in the port city of Valparaiso. Soon after, radio broadcasts reported the country was under military control -- and that the armed forces were calling for Allende's resignation.

Allende went to La Moneda that morning. His advisers, upon arriving, noticed that most of the carabineros, the national police who guarded the building, had left their posts.

Shortly before noon that day, two Hawker Hunter jet fighters of the Chilean air force began bombarding the building. Their bombs and missiles set fire to the building's interior, while several missiles appeared directed at Allende's offices.

Tanks and small arms fire also penetrated the building's exterior. Allende broadcast a defiant radio speech from La Moneda -- condemning the attack. He was died soon after, apparently a suicide.

Today, there are few reminders of the 1973 coup in Constitution Plaza. The carabineros have returned to their posts in front of La Moneda -- and only faded scars on the building's imposing front testify to the fighting that took place a quarter-century ago.

But Chileans still remember the events of September 11, 1973 -- and every anniversary of the coup, some still leave flowers and other mementos near the site of Allende's last stand.