The Bolivian parliament — officially the Plurinational Legislative Assembly — occupies an imposing neoclassical building on the east side of Plaza Murillo, facing the presidential palace. The name changed from "National" to "Plurinational" under the 2009 constitution, which recognised Bolivia as a plurinational state acknowledging its 36 indigenous nations. The building itself dates from the late 19th century and is not open for casual visits, but it forms an essential part of the Plaza Murillo ensemble.
Standing on the plaza and looking at the three institutions that face each other — the congress, the palace, the cathedral — gives a compact picture of the intertwining of political and ecclesiastical power that shaped Bolivian history. The square has been the site of every major political event in La Paz for two centuries: inaugurations, declarations, protests, and at least one famous hanging (Pedro Domingo Murillo, 1810, for whom the plaza is named).