About the Museum
The Palace of the Governors was first used to exhibit the collections of the Historical Society of New Mexico in 1885. In 1909 the New Mexico Territorial Legislature authorized use of the Palace of the Governors for use by the Museum of New Mexico.
Over the next 100 years, the single museum developed into a system of state-run museums and agencies, and with the addition of the Domenici Building in 2009, the Palace became a part of the new New Mexico History Museum.
The footprint of what we now know as the New Mexico History Museum has a campus of three interlocking buildings.
Operating as part of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the New Mexico History Museum is now part of the largest state-sponsored museum system in the United States.
The Palace of the Governors
Erected in 1610 by order of the Spanish Crown, the Palace of the Governors is the oldest public building in continuous use constructed by European settlers in the continental United States.
Chávez Library Building
This historic library was built in 1907 and became part of the museum campus in the 1990s
Pete V. Domenici Building
The Domenici Building, opened in 2009, is the modern addition to the NMHM campus.
Governance
The New Mexico History Museum is overseen by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and the Museum of New Mexico Board of Regents
