Exhibitions at the Palace of the Governors present important events, ideas, and themes in New Mexico's past, interpreting objects from our collections that reflect the Spanish colonial, Mexican, U.S. Territorial, and statehood periods of the state's history.
Current Exhibitions
The Old Spanish Trail
Called "the longest, crookedest, most arduous pack mule train in the history of America" by Colorado historian Leroy R. Hafen, the Old Spanish Trail is both one of the nation's least known trails but one of the most important pack mule trading trails in this region.
The Old Spanish Trail was primarily a horse and mule pack route linking the village of Santa Fe to the Pueblo of Los Angeles. The trail evolved from a network of indigenous trade routes and exploratory routes that crossed the modern states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
This exhibition traces the trail's history through illustrated wall panels and many artifacts.
Through October 26, 2008
The Palace of the Governors
A monumental adobe structure that housed the residence and offices of governors from its construction ca. 1609 until it became the state history museum in 1909. Visit the museum to learn about 400 years of life in New Mexico in exhibitions and period rooms.
Permanent exhibition
The Palace Press
An award winning working exhibit of 19th and 20th century printing equipment and techniques. Still used to create unique hand-crafted books, cards, and other book arts.
Permanent exhibition
Art of Ancient America, 1500 b.c. - a.d. 1500
A spectacular show of pre-European contact Middle American and Andean objects.
Permanent exhibition
Portal Native American Artisans Program
A daily, regulated market where New Mexico Pueblo, Navajo and Apache artisans display and sell their handmade jewelry, pottery and crafts under the Portal of the Palace.
Segesser Hide Paintings
Two magnificent 18th century Spanish Colonial paintings on tanned hides, representing a rare example of the earliest known depictions of colonial life and contact between Santa Fe presidial soldiers and Plains Indians. Permanent exhibition
Album Amicorum
A new exhibition Album Amicorum: Gems of Friendship presents current work by twenty-one artists and also features historical marbled papers from the Palace collections. » See the exhibition online at www.palaceofthegovernors.org/album
