The land and the buildings on it were claimed by Hernán Cortés, who had architects Rodrigo de Pontocillos and Juan Rodríguez rebuild the palace while Cortés lived in the "Old Houses" (now the Nacional Monte de Piedad building) across the plaza from 1521 to 1530.

Cortés's palace was a massive fortress with embrasures for cannon at the corners and the mezzanine had crenels for musketeers.
The façade had only two doors with arches (medio punto).
Inside there were two patios, with a third being built after 1554 and a fourth sometime after that.
Its garden was extensive, occupying much of the south and southwest portions of the property up to what is now Correo Mayor Street.
The palace has living quarters, offices, two audience rooms, and a tower for gunpowder.
A secondary building behind the main one has nineteen windows spanning its façade.
It also had a parapet, above which was a clock and a bell.
The main courtyard was built large enough so he could entertain visitors with New Spain's first recorded bullfights.

The Spanish crown bought the palace from the Cortés family in 1562 to house the Viceregal Palace.
It remained so until Mexican Independence in the 1820s.
The land and the buildings on it were claimed by Hernán Cortés, who had architects Rodrigo de Pontocillos and Juan Rodríguez rebuild the palace while Cortés lived in the "Old Houses" (now the Nacional Monte de Piedad building) across the plaza from 1521 to 1530.
Cortés's palace was a massive fortress with embrasures for cannon at the corners and the mezzanine had crenels for musketeers. The façade had only two doors with arches (medio punto). Inside there were two patios, with a third being built after 1554 and a fourth sometime after that. Its garden was extensive, occupying much of the south and southwest portions of the property up to what is now Correo Mayor Street. The palace has living quarters, offices, two audience rooms, and a tower for gunpowder. A secondary building behind the main one has nineteen windows spanning its façade. It also had a parapet, above which was a clock and a bell. The main courtyard was built large enough so he could entertain visitors with New Spain's first recorded bullfights.
The Spanish crown bought the palace from the Cortés family in 1562 to house the Viceregal Palace. It remained so until Mexican Independence in the 1820s.
National Palace (Mexico)