"Chimayó: A Tradition of Faith" explores the history and spiritual significance of the Santuario de Chimayó’s annual pilgrimage, the largest in the U.S. Featuring photography, oral histories, and a recreation of the Santuario’s ex-voto rooms, the exhibition reveals the enduring power of faith and healing at this sacred site. Open April 12, 2025 – May 31, 2027.
Award-winning student exhibit "Gas Baths and the Bracero Program," created for the 2024 New Mexico National History Day competition by Hannah Davis & Elena Dominguez, explores public health, labor, and immigration in 20th-century New Mexico. View it in the Palace of the Governors, room 9.
Get ready to embark on a culinary adventure through New Mexico’s vibrant restaurant scene. This immersive exhibit takes you on a journey through iconic, historic, and simply delicious eateries across the state. Discover the stories behind these cherished landmarks, from fiery green chiles to heartwarming traditions. Meet the families who built these culinary cornerstones and explore how they reflect the unique spirit of their communities.
Explore Zozobra’s transformation from backyard bonfire to fiery community tradition. See iconic art, historic artifacts, and quirky memorabilia. Learn the story behind Santa Fe’s fiery farewell to summer!
New Mexico Showcase - Everyday Odysseys: Relics of Life & Adventure in New Mexico
The New Mexico History Museum’s "New Mexico Showcase" takes visitors on a journey through time one object at a time. This newly installed exhibit area located in the museum’s second floor gathering space will feature a rotating selection of objects drawn from the Museum’s extensive collection. Items brought out of storage will range from iconic to commonplace, old favorites to new acquisitions.
The New Mexico History Museum and the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum present this exhibition that chronicles the history of the Tularosa basin in south central New Mexico beginning with ranching in the late 1800s through the testing of military weapons on the White Sands Missile Range. Visitors will learn about ranching life through objects and images, along with the history of early rocket technology, testing and recording. By the early 1900s, much of the land east of Las Cruces, New Mexico, including the San Andres and Oscura Mountains, and the Tularosa ...
"Palace Through Time" explores the Palace of the Governors’ evolution, from its 17th-century construction to its current role as a symbol of Santa Fe’s rich history. Using 3D models and historical documents, visitors can learn how the Palace has transformed alongside the city and the State of New Mexico.
"Reflections on History" is an interactive exhibit at the New Mexico History Museum (April 15, 2024 - February 2026). Visitors contemplate historic photos mirrored alongside their own reflections, blurring the lines between past and present. This inclusive exhibit showcases diverse New Mexicans and encourages participation in shaping the state’s narrative.
Enjoy a captivating flashback as the New Mexico History Museum presents "18 Miles and That’s As Far As It Got: The Lamy Branch of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad." This engaging exhibition will delve into the connections between the little town of Lamy and New Mexico’s legendary capital city of Santa Fe. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the Lamy Train Model. Meticulously crafted by the Santa Fe Model Railroad Club, the 32-foot model transports visitors to the early 1940s, where wood frame and adobe buildings, stockyards, and the ...
Currently on display in the New Mexico History Museum’s Palace of the Governors, is an unusual jewelry collection from the 1940s and 1950s that exemplifies a beneficial economic relationship between Diné (Navajo) silversmith, David Taliman (1901–1967), and Jewish merchant, William C. Ilfeld (1905–1979). William C. Ilfeld was the grandson of the Jewish pioneer Charles Ilfeld, who emigrated from Germany in 1865. William managed the Native American jewelry department at the family’s department store in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Taliman worked ...
Reflecting current archaeological and historical perspectives, Palace Seen and Unseen draws from historic documents, photographs, and archaeological and architectural studies produced by its former residents, visitors, stewards, and scholars. When the dynamic expertise of historians and archaeologists converges, a richer story and better understanding emerges. It is this integrative approach to what is seen and unseen that guides the themes explored by this exhibition. On long term view.
Working on the Railroad pays tribute to the people who moved the rail industry throughout New Mexico. Using nearly forty images from the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives and the Library of Congress, this exhibition offers an in-depth look at the men and women who did everything from laying track to dispatching the engines. Wrenches, lanterns, tie dating nails and other objects from the New Mexico History Museum collections will be displayed to give additional life to the photos; many hands used those tools to ensure that each engine ran smoothly and ...
This exhibition features 23 original graphic history art works by Santa Fe-based artist Turner Avery Mark-Jacobs. This display, ’The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur,’ narrates the history of an ill-fated Spanish colonial military expedition which set out from Santa Fe in 1720. This depicted story shares the exhibit room with the History Museum’s Segesser I and II Hide paintings located in the Telling New Mexico gallery.
The First World War exhibition investigates the contributions of New Mexicans to the war, through letters, photographs and objects.
“New Mexico played an important role in both world wars,” said Andrew Wulf, then-Director of the New Mexico History Museum. “We are proud to be able to recognize and remember that contribution and add The First World War as a permanent exhibition, to underscore the sacrifice and heartfelt letters home from these brave soldiers.”
Telling New Mexico: Stories from Then and Now sweeps across more than 500 years of history—from the state’s earliest inhabitants to the residents of today. These stories breathe life into the people who made the American West: Native Americans, Spanish colonists, Mexican citizens, Santa Fe Trail riders, fur trappers, outlaws, Buffalo Soldiers, railroad workers, miners, scientists, hippies, artists, and photographers.
Though the source of the Segesser Hide Paintings is obscure, their significance cannot be clearer: the hides are rare examples of the earliest known depictions of colonial life in the United States. Moreover, the tanned and smoothed hides carry the very faces of men whose descendants live in New Mexico today.
