Palace of the Governors

Lonely Planet review

Begin your voyage into Santa Fe's rich past right here the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610 as the Casas Reales (Royal Houses) and home to more than 100 governors - 60 of them Spanish - before becoming a museum in 1909. This is where Spanish colonists waited out the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, and where Governor Lew Wallace wrote part of Ben Hur .

This is also where the first director, Jesse L Nusbaum, displayed the first public collection of Native artifacts west of the Mississippi, an exhibit that's been reinstalled alongside many other treasures: a state seal made entirely of recycled hardware and cutlery, religious items brought by early Jewish settlers, 400-year-old Spanish armor and the impressive Segesser Hide Paintings, which portray a bitter 1720s battle between Spanish and French-Indian coalition forces. Volunteers lead free, highly recommended palace tours in the mornings, April through October; call ahead for exact times. Volunteers also lead downtown walking tours.