Palace of the Governors 🇺🇸

You will find the Palace of the Governors standing proudly along the Santa Fe Plaza on Palace Avenue, between Lincoln and Washington avenues. Constructed from adobe in the Territorial Style of Pueblo architecture, this remarkable building was established around 1610 by Governor Pedro de Peralta as the capitol of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. When you visit this National Historic Landmark, you are stepping into a structure that served as the seat of government for centuries across Spanish, Pueblo, Mexican, and American rule until 1901.

As you explore, you will experience a site deeply rooted in iconic American Southwest history. It was inside the shuttered governor's study here that territorial governor Lew Wallace penned the climactic scenes of Ben-Hur by lamplight in 1879, fearing gunfire following a tense meeting with Billy the Kid. Restored in the early twentieth century to harmoniously blend with the surrounding earth and sky, the building served as New Mexico's state history museum for a century before the adjacent New Mexico History Museum opened in 2009.

Today, you can admire its historic adobe design, reflect on centuries of regional governance, and appreciate a true national shrine of American heritage.

What to see at Palace of the Governors

• Historic Territorial Style Pueblo adobe architecture along Santa Fe Plaza
• Former seat of government under Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. territorial rule
• The governor's study where Lew Wallace wrote parts of Ben-Hur in 1879
• 1960 National Historic Landmark featured on a U.S. postage stamp
• Location adjacent to the modern New Mexico History Museum

Visiting tips

Pair your exploration of the historic adobe building with a walk through the adjacent New Mexico History Museum located right next door.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Palace of the Governors is easy to reach on Santa Fe’s public transport. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Santa Fe travel guide.