In this article we intend to analyse the definition of “palacete”, a typology of building generally defined as a small palace, associated with the rise and ennobling of the bourgeoisie in the 19th century. Although this issue has already been addressed by several art historians (França, 1990; Silva, 1997; Leal, 2005; Carita, 2017) it appears that, when we wish to clarify the identification parameters of this type of buildings, and when applied to the building reality, there are several fluctuations. This way, we propose to study the evolution of the word “palacete”, associating it with a systematic work on epochal sources that has never been carried out until today. Afterwards, we will try to identify the buildings that have been so called, the chronology of their construction and characterize their owners. After carrying out this extensive and critical inventory, we will return to the designation of “palacete” that should have several subtypes.
