How to Tour the Spanish Governor's Palace in San Antonio

Across the street from San Antonio's City Hall is a low adobe structure that offers a glimpse into aristocratic life in the days when Texas was a colony of Spain. The so-called Spanish Governor's Palace is now understood to have served as the headquarters and home of the captain of the local presidio, and indeed the house sits on the city's Military Plaza. The structure was built in 1749 and was used for various official functions before falling into private hands in the 1860s. It was abandoned in the early 1900s, but purchased by the city of San Antonio and restored between 1929 and 1930.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. In front of the palace is a statue of a conquistador that was donated by the Spanish government. A keystone over the front doors bears the date of the palace's construction and the coat of arms of Spanish King Ferdinand VI.
   
   There is a legend that the elaborately carved doors tell the story of the Spanish conquest of the Americas through pictographs. You start with the right door and read from the top down, then go to the left door and read from the bottom up. The shells represent the ocean voyages of the Spaniards, the dragons of the dangers they faced. The head of the child represents the fresh, untouched new continent. The head of the Spaniard is fairly straightforward. The flowers stand for the riches and bounty of the land, the shields explain that the Spaniards had to take the land by force, the dragon represents more dangers and the Indian head naturally stands for the native peoples the Spaniards subjugated.
2. Visitors come into the entry hall, which is dominated by a docent's desk and a hooded fireplace. To the right is a private chapel that was used by the presidio captain's family and possibly others in the presidio, since the nearby San Fernando Cathedral wasn't completely finished until 1755. Here you will take note of the thickness of the walls, which kept the palace cool in summer and warm in winter.
   
   Behind the chapel is the dining room, which has a fireplace at one end and doors into the chapel, hall, kitchen and pantry. A long table runs down the center of the room and a sink is carved into one of the walls. Next door is a small kitchen with a large fireplace and next to it a pantry with a tiled staircase that leads up to a second-floor storage loft.
3. Visitors then file outside into a small courtyard and make a right under a charming archway into the main garden. An octagonal fountain is the primary feature here and all the walkways radiate from it. You will notice an outdoor fireplace/oven next to the kitchen chimney. Restrooms are located out in the garden in little pavilions. There is also a large arcade with a vine-laced pergola over it which makes for a shady place to rest.
   
   Going back in through the courtyard, visitors enter the long living room. Even though you would think the living room to be more informal, it doesn't seem especially comfortable. It has a fireplace and one door leading to the ballroom and another to the middle bedroom. The third bedroom is on the west end of the palace and can only be reached through the middle bedroom. The state or master bedroom is on the eastern end, looking out to the Military Plaza. It naturally has the largest bed.
   
   The last room is the ballroom and office, located between the state bedroom on the south, the entry on the north and the living room on the west. It features two corner fireplaces, a large desk with a throne-like chair and built-in, shell-topped bookcases.