Occupying the entire block facing the south side of the cathedral, the former bishop’s palace is a classic 17th-century brick-and-tile edifice that now houses government offices, the Casa de la Cultura and the State Tourist Office. Inside are art galleries, a bookstore and cinema, with a congenial cafe out back in the courtyard. Upstairs is the 1646 Biblioteca Palafoxiana , the first public library in the Americas.
The library’s gorgeous shelves – carved cedar and white pine – house thousands of rare books, including the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle and one of the earliest New World dictionaries.
