Santa Fe is the oldest state capitol in the nation, founded in 1608 by New Mexico's third Spanish governor, Don Pedro de Peralta. It was made the capital of the territory in 1610.
The Palace of the Governors inSanta Fe is the oldest government building in the nation. The Spanish built it as part of a fortress during the winter of 1609-1610. In 1909, it was converted to the Palace of the Governors History Museum which houses exhibits on Spanish, Mexican, and American colonization dating back to the late 1500’s.
The obelisk in the center of the Plaza is called the Indian War Memorial Monument, and was erected in the 1860s to honor Federal troops killed in battles with Native Americans and Confederate forces. The inscription originally made reference to "savage Indians," but sometime in the 1970s a man dressed in a suit chiseled the word "savage" from the marble inscription. There are also pockmarks left by bullets in the monument.