Los Pinos

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Los Pinos is both Mexico's official presidential residence and offices, the home – for a six-year period – of the President of Mexico. Located inside the Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Park) in central Mexico City, it has been in use since 1934 when Gen. Lázaro Cárdenas became the first president to live there.

[edit] History

After the Spanish Conquest, a trapiche (mill) was built in Chapultepec, where wheat and maize were processed into flour. This mill became so important that it was later called el Molino del Rey ("the King's Mill"). In 1853, the Molino del Rey was sold to Dr. José Pablo Martinez del Rio, who built the Casa Grande ("Big House") that would later become known as Rancho La Hormiga. In 1865 the whole property was sold to Emperor Maximilian for a total of 25,000 Mexican pesos.

Following the 1867 overthrow and execution of Maximilian, the property was, in 1872, returned to Dr. Martinez del Rio. In 1917, with the end of the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution, President Venustiano Carranza expropriated the properties, paying MXN$886,473 for both the property and the construction of a residence that would be close to Chapultepec Castle (which at the time was used as the official residence) so that his most trustworthy cabinet member could live there. Because of this, the first inhabitant of the residence was Álvaro Obregón while he held the post of Navy and War Secretary. After his tenure the residence was abandoned.

In 1934, President Lázaro Cárdenas took office but refused to use the Castle of Chapultepec as his official residence. He was offered use of Rancho la Hormiga (English: The Ant Ranch), which he accepted. He changed its name to "Los Pinos" (The Pines) in honor of the ranch where he met his wife.

Los Pinos has been home to eleven presidents and their families. In the year 2000, President Vicente Fox opened up the residence to the public and chose one of the nearby "cottages" as his home.