Most of Ayacucho's old mansions are now mainly political offices and can be visited, usually during business hours. These offices of the department of Ayacucho on the Plaza de Armas are a good example. The mansion was constructed between 1740 and 1755 and sold to the state in 1937. There is a pretty ground-floor courtyard where visitors can see the cell of the local heroine of independence, María Parado de Bellido. Upstairs there is some excellent tilework.