La Posada Hotel, located on the foundation of the Casa Consistorial, a government building dating back to the Spanish Colonial period and demolished in 1916, is one of the few hotels in the country housing two museums. One, located in an 1830s structure on the hotel grounds, once served as the Capitol building for the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande. It now houses exhibits and artifacts from Laredo’s robust history. The other is dedicated to George Washington’s Birthday celebration, an annual event in Laredo since 1898. Each year, a “George” and “Martha” are selected and dressed for the occasion, George in period long coat and knee pants and Martha in an elaborate, uniquely designed and decorated gown. Some of the gowns have weighed up to one hundred pounds and are on display in the museum.

La Posada occupies the old Laredo High School building, a Spanish Colonial Revival structure constructed atop the Consistorial ruins that served the school district until the mid- 1930s. Today the luxury boutique hotel anchors the historic downtown Laredo district.