The Palace of the Governors Is Older Than Plymouth Rock

Built 1610 by Spanish colonists. Oldest continuously used public building in the United States. A full decade before the Pilgrims showed up. The Palace of the Governors on the north side of the Santa Fe Plaza has served as seat of government for Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy (briefly), and New Mexico in various forms, and it wears 400 years with the composure of an adobe building that has outlived every government that claimed to own it.

The portal — the covered sidewalk along the facade — is where Native American artists from the surrounding pueblos spread their work on blankets every day. Turquoise, silver, pottery, beadwork, each piece made by the seller. This isn't a souvenir market. The artists are vetted by the Museum of New Mexico for authenticity and quality.

Inside, the New Mexico History Museum traces the region's layered history. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 — when the Pueblo nations expelled the Spanish and reclaimed the Palace for twelve years — is told without softening. The thick adobe walls and vigas have the cave-like cool of buildings that predate air conditioning by centuries and managed just fine.