| What makes it historical? |
Built in 1610, the Palace of the Governors housed officials of many nations for over four hundred years! It was the first big building project of royal Spanish governor, Don Pedro de Peralta, who set up the government center at the northern end of the Santa Fe Plaza. After the Pueblo Revolt ousted Spanish colonists in 1680, Puebloan leaders moved into the palace and added a 3-4 story, multi-use structure on top of it! This only lasted until the 1690s when the Spanish returned and restored the Palace to its original style.
When Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, and the Santa Fe Trail brought new prosperity to the area, the Palace became a center for processing customs and duties. It was even one of the region’s first buildings to have glass windows!
After the US took over New Mexico in 1846, the territorial, then state, legislature met here all the way until 1909! IN 1885, most government activities moved to the new capitol building, the sole construction that kept Santa Fe’s capital status after the railroad bypassed it! Since 1909, it’s been a unit of the Museum of New Mexico! |
