Palace of the Governors

This place is so beautiful with so much history!
Completely worth the entry fee, which includes admission to the adjoining New Mexico history museum. They let military (active AND veterans) in for free, and give discounts for students.

They need to correct the ‘Open Every Day’ sign, since they are in fact closed on Mondays, the day I tried to visit.

Very interesting and educational. There is also Native Americans that sell their goods on the porch and several festivals going on there. I suggest pairing it with the National History Museum behind it and taking the cowboy tour!

Firstly, we only visited the old part of the museum and never ventured to the new 3 story structure immediately behind. Nevertheless, the old adobe POG is a great place to soak up the rich history of Santa Fe and New Mexico. Do take a guided tour. They last about an hour, not much of a commitment, and are worthwhile. Although I have been to this museum at least twice previously, I learned so much more on this visit.
All of the rooms are interesting to explore but we especially loved the room with the Spanish Colonial art, filled with retablos, crucifijos, and santo figures (bultos). The Segesser hide paintings that depict colonial conflicts are quite beautiful although likely inaccurate.
The old building has undergone many changes over 400 years yet they have preserved some of the structure from previous excavations that can be viewed through glass covered cutouts in the floor.
Lastly, the walking tour was also informative and although both tours covered some of the same material, we found they varied enough to make both of them worthwhile. The walking tour takes about 2 hours and is mainly focused on the history of Santa Fe.

My first visit here. Nice museum and I like the resident discount! I liked that they left a couple openings to see the excavation work done in the past.

The Palace of the Governors is more an archaeological dig, as a much as it is a museum.
Several years ago excavators found relics under the floors from an early Spanish period structure. They have put plexi-​glass on the floors, so you can get down on your hands and knees to examine it. It’s really incredible, seeing the outlines of this former building. It reminds me of a Wall Street dig in Manhattan twenty years ago near Broad Street where they found early native American housing. This is from the same period.
Remember, The Palace is part of the «Four-​Day Pass» to Santa Fe and NM state museums: the cost is $ 18.00 for residents, and $ 20.00 for non-​residents. I have taken and posted several photos of the inside of The Palace. The wall of hand made crosses is amazing. There is food available and a seating area in the courtyard.
Enjoy!

I really liked this a lot, learned some history and saw how the governors lived. I had no idea this «palace» was used until 1909! I think governors today live a bit better. Check out the list of governors’ surnames – it is quite instructive and reflects the history of New Mexico. I also liked the restored old church, very interesting. It was so small that I thought to myself that there must have not been very many people who were religious then.

The Palace of the Governors is the oldest government building in the US, built in 1610. It is redolent with history. This was where Lew Wallace governed the New Mexico territory and penned «Ben Hur.» This is where Juan Bautista De Anza, who explored the Bay Area, spent his final years. One can also behold how American history interweaves. General Stephen Watts Kearny, who proclaimed New Mexico part of the US in 1846 in the Santa Fe Plaza, would later serve as military governor of California.
The Palace of the Governors has a wonderful museum and gift shop. There are also the Native American vendors.
It is TRULY a palace and a feast for the eyes!

Before you enter the Palace of Governors, you can easily get side-​tracked with the display of local Native arts, crafts, and jewelery from the Native American Artisan’s Program. Enjoy looking and/​or buy some local art to support the Natives before you enter the museum.
If you are out-​of-​state visitor, it’s a $ 10 entry fee and $ 9 for students. You can also go on a Friday, when it’s free to everyone from 5−8pm. I also looked at the option of buying the 1-​day pass for 2 museums for $ 15 or some of their other options, but did not have the time to take advantage of that.
The adobe structure of what was Spain’s 17^th century seat in the government played a significant role to New Mexico. As you enter the front portion of the palace, you will be walking on the same squeaking hardwood floors from the past. So if you are taking photos, they can find you anywhere in the palace.
You have a choice of doing the self-​guided tour or attending a session with a tour guide. I ended up going on a self-​tour looking at the extensive collection of Spanish rifles, catholic crosses, old armor, the long list of governors, and read about what took place in the Palace in the 17^th Century. Some of the collections were amazing to see. The room filled with colorful catholic crosses was just one of the many rooms I enjoyed.
If you go on a weekday later on the day, you will have much of the exhibits to yourself as I did. There are 3 new stories of exhibits towards the back of the adobe Palace. Everything you need to know about New Mexico’s history and people and the expansion of the West can be explored here. I highly recommend this museum for all you history buffs and curious minds alike.