Palace revival
Apr. 19—The modern world was in an embryonic state when European settlers began using the Palace of the Governors in 1610.
The first British colony in North America, in what's now Virginia, was three years old. William Shakespeare was alive. Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered three of Jupiter's moons that year, bolstering Nicolaus Copernicus' suggestion that planets orbit the sun, not vice versa.
The building, the oldest built (and still in use) by Europeans in what's now the United States, has seen several forms of government control: Spanish colonialism, the Pueblo Revolt, Mexican rule, American territorial status, and statehood. It also has had several uses: suffrage organization headquarters, executive mansion, and fort.
So when the palace hosts a free community event titled History Homecoming: Past, Present, Palace on Sunday, April 21, it will be a celebration not just of recent renovations, but of a history too broad, too deep, for one human mind to wrap itself around.
The palace was designated as the home for the Museum of New Mexico in 1909. It's part of a complex that now includes the Chávez Library Building and Pete V. Domenici Building, the latter of which opened in 2009. The palace renovations lasted five years and involved improvements to the building's heating and cooling systems, lighting, and access.
IF YOU GO
The New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Mondays). It's located at 113 Lincoln Avenue, 505-476-5200; nmhistorymuseum.org.
Admission is $7 for New Mexico residents and $12 for nonresidents. On the first Friday of every month, the museum is open till 7 p.m. and admission is free from 5-7 p.m.
The New Mexico Culture Pass is $30 and includes one entry to each of the 15 state-operated museums and sites, including the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. Purchase or find more information at newmexicoculture.org.
The latest rehabilitation of the building has been in the works for about six years, and the most recent steward of that work is Billy Garrett, executive director of the New Mexico History Museum. He recently talked with Pasatiempo about what has changed at the palace — and what changes are on the horizon. His answers are edited for length and clarity.
Why was this renovation needed?
You're going to take care of a building and make sure that it's able to continue to be part of the community. That's our obligation. We're stewards of a nationally significant local landmark, and we're very conscious of that. [My standard] is that it needs to be able to hold for 40 years. Other things will happen in between; lots of exhibitions will come and go, and I'm sure there will be new technologies. Lighting technology is going to change. So we want to [ensure] people can take things down and put new things up.
The palace overlooks the Plaza, where the obelisk was toppled, and the Kit Carson obelisk was also nearby. Does that affect the museum's approach to incorporating multiple perspectives of our history?
We [display] Kit Carson's coat, but we're not really talking very much about Kit Carson. It's simply, "He was a scout, and he did these things. And if you want to get the rest of his story, you need to go to Bosque Redondo and see the memorial." By dealing with relevant topics, we know we are potentially going into areas of controversy, and we're not going to shy from that. We want to be prepared for that. So we aim to take time to be really mindful of who needs to be included in a conversation or a presentation. But we also want to be known as a safe place to discuss hard topics.
Do you plan changes in the types of exhibitions shown at the palace?
We're fundamentally shifting away from thinking that our exhibitions are going to be based on what either the director or the curators want to do. Instead we're saying, "What are the people out there interested in?" Three words I keep using are inclusion, relevance, and engagement. Inclusion means being open to multiple voices, multiple perspectives on a particular issue or event or person. It's also about being statewide.
Palace designations
* 1934: Historic American Buildings Survey
* 1960: National Historic Landmark
* 1966: National Register of Historic Places
We're still going to tell a whole lot of stories about Northern New Mexico and Santa Fe, because this was the center for so long of so much of what was going on here. But it's not the only thing. We also want to be inclusive in the sense of thinking about history differently.
Rather than thinking that it has to be defined by documents, we're saying the history begins as far back as memory goes. ... I think it also acknowledges the fact that not all of the past is documented. Even when we go into later periods after European involvement in the area, there are many places where stories are told that are not written down, about Mexicans by Mexicans, and we want to be able to include that. And in terms of time, we're also pushing it right up to the present.
Can you think of anything the museum doesn't currently touch upon that you'd like to change?
We have nothing that has to do with oil and gas. We have very little about the whole eastern part of the state. We don't have very much about the southern part of the state or the western part. [We've got some exhibits] coming, and you'll see how we're starting to use that awareness to shape the selections we're making.
Pull Quote
Have you collected public input about potential changes?
We did a questionnaire that we distributed statewide; we had over 700 responses. One of the questions we asked was, "What kinds of contemporary issues would you like to know more about from a historical perspective?" Climate change was one of the top items that came up. The top vote-getter was food.
The museum currently houses four exhibitions. What's on the horizon?
In the next year, we are bringing up an exhibition that's been on display at the [New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum] called Home on the Range. It describes ranching in the Tularosa Basin and what happened when the federal government came in and created White Sands Missile Range. We've had nothing about New Mexico's role in space except for a few minor things. This will really help people understand the beginning of that relationship and give them a better sense of mid-20th century ranching.
We'll also be adding an exhibit called A Question of Power. It's a documentary with photographs, and we're working on getting additional video about Navajo leadership in opposition to a new power plant on the Navajo reservation. It's very disruptive to Navajo lives and the environment, and that power is not being used in New Mexico. We want to bring that story out. In that case, we're working with a documentarian who has taken photographs and done all this work with Native people. We might complement that with a panel discussion about people who were in favor of the power plant, for example. But the exhibition is about the people who stood up and said, "No."
When Home on the Range is taken down about a year from now, we will install an exhibition with the working title Climate and Community. It will have to do with extremes in climate and weather and how communities in New Mexico have responded. So it gets into fires, floods, droughts, dust storms, all those kinds of things.
What would you like people to notice about the renovated palace that might not be readily apparent?
It's like going to a play. If the people in production do it right, you don't think about what's going on backstage. You don't think about all the hours of work that go into that production. You're there for that moment.
MAKING HISTORY
The New Mexico History Museum, which sits adjacent to the venerable Palace of the Governors, is presenting a fresh face to the public on Sunday, April 21, with activities and celebrations. And the spruced-up Palace is just the appetizer. If it's been a while since your last visit to the New Mexico History Museum or if — gasp — you've never been, now is a good time for a deep dive into this meandering timeline of the key events and people who helped shaped the state.
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New Beginnings: History Homecoming 2024
This fundraiser at the Palace of the Governors for the educational programs and exhibits at the New Mexico History Museum and the Palace will include a preview of the refreshed galleries as well as live music and food provided by local restaurants, including Capital Coal Neighborhood Eatery and Los Poblanos.
* 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20
* $375
* museumfoundation.org/history-homecoming
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History Homecoming: Past, Present, Palace
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21
This free celebration honoring the completion of the work on the Palace of the Governors includes guided tours of the Palace exhibits, a mariachi procession, interactive experiences, art performances, demonstrations, and biscochitos and lemonade. Admission to the museum and the Palace is free.
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Explore more
Be sure to stick around to explore the exhibitions that are featured at the Palace of the Governors:
* The Art of Peter Aschwanden: For the Compleat Idiot showcases the work of a New Mexico-based artist who focused on car-repair manuals. He's best known for his illustrations in Taos writer and engineer John Muir's book How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot. Through May 4, 2025
* 18 Miles and That's As Far As It Got: The Lamy Branch of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad delves into why a railway named in part for Santa Fe doesn't pass through the city. Through January 16, 2025
* The Santos of New Mexico features 60 retablos (devotional paintings on panel) and bultos (carved religious sculptures) created between 1810 and 1880. Through April 3, 2025
* Telling New Mexico: Stories from Then and Now covers more than 500 years of history of what's now New Mexico, using artifacts, videos, photographs, and oral histories. On long-term display
* The First World War features stories, images, and letters from New Mexicans who served in the war. On long-term display
