The Palace of the Governors, the oldest extant public building in the United States, was constructed c. 1610 by Don Pedro de Peralta, the first Spanish royal governor of New Mexico and the founder of Santa Fe. The low one-story adobe building faces the open Santa Fe Plaza and has a carved portal (open porch) supported on wooden posts that runs the length of the building. The Palace served as the territorial capital and governor's residence during the Spanish and Mexican regimes and the seat of American government, which began in 1846. Today it is part of the Museum of New Mexico.

The Palace of the Governors, a National Historic Landmark , is on E. Palace Ave. on the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Palace contains a museum with exhibits on the history and cultures of New Mexico. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm with an admission fee, with free admission Friday evenings from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Please visit the museum's website for further information. The Palace of the Governors is also featured in the National Park Service El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail Travel Itineraryand American Latino Heritage Travel Itinerary.

Credits and Sources:

National Park Service. "Discover Our Shared Heritage American Southwest, A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary: List of Sites." http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amsw/sitelist.htm.

Photo courtesy of the Museum of New Mexico