The Palace of the Governors was originally built in the early 17th century as Spain’s seat of government for the current American Southwest.  It chronicles Santa Fe, New Mexico and the region’s history.  This New Mexico history museum was designated a Registered Historic Landmark in 1960.

Museum Hours

• Labor Day through Memorial Day 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

Admission Costs
• $6 for New Mexico residents for one museum
• $8 for non-residents for one museum
• $18 for a Museum Pass for 4 days of unlimited visits to 5 museums
• $12 for a one day pass for two museums, a combination of either museum of International Folk Art and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture or Palace of the Governors and Museum of Fine Arts

Museum Tours:

• Free docent tours daily
• To schedule a group tour call 505-476-1140

The Fray Angelico Chavez History Library is part of the Palace of the Governors that preserves historical materials in many formats.  These historical materials document the history of New Mexico, the Southwest, and meso-America from pre-European.  Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The exhibits, collections and archives at the Palace of the Governors reflect history of the Spanish colonial period of 1540-1821, the Mexican period of 1821 to 1846, U.S. Territorial period of 1846-1912 and statehood for period of 1912 to the present.  More than 15,000 catalogued objects are part of this collection.  Many of these objects were donated to the Museum of New Mexico in the 1970’s by the Historical Society of New Mexico.  A few highlights of their collection i

• Segesser Hide Paintings:  First known depictions of Spanish colonial life in the United States that illustrate the ambush in present-day Nebraska of a 1720 expedition led by the Lt. Governor of New Mexico
• Silver Service:  Is a 56-piece service made by Tiffany and Company in 1918 and presented to crew of the U.S.S. New Mexico by New Mexico people
• Century Desk:  An office-in-a-desk made by the Wooten Desk Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis, Indiana belonged to Charles Ilfeld, who was a prominent Jewish merchant resident of Las Vegas, New Mexico in the late 19th century.
The Portal Native American Artisans Program is a daily regulated market of handmade jewelry, pottery and crafts created by New Mexico Pueblo, Navajo and Apache artisans.

The main focus of the Palace of the Governors is the vista that makes up New Mexico’s history, a history of tradition and change, conflict and compromise, joy and sorrow, which makes a compelling story of legends and truths that make up New Mexico.  The exhibitions are designed to inspire, educate and delight visitors.

Source:  Palace of the Governor Online

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Written by:  Connie Limon.  For more vacation ideas visit http://smalldogs2.com/VacationIdeas  For a variety of FREE reprint articles and special topic articles rarely found elsewhere visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com

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© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved