History  | Climate  |  The Arts  |  Education   |  Recreation
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History

Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the United States. It was established in 1608 and predates the founding of Plymouth Colony by ten years. Santa Fe, named Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis by the Spanish, means Holy Faith.

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th-century, Indian culture flourished in the area. As far back as 10,000 BC, Indians camped on the site where the city now stands. Pueblo Ogapoge was built in 900 AD on the Santa Fe Plaza site but was abandoned by 1425 AD before the entry of the Spaniards. Almost 200 years later, Santa Fe expanded outward from the plaza, with the Palace of the Governors as its central building. Many settlers came to Santa Fe with the desire for their own land and water rights.

The Pueblo Revolt occurred in 1680, mainly because the Indians had to pay tribute to the Spanish under the encomienda system, and the Indians controlled Santa Fe for a 12-year span. The authority returned to the Spanish in 1692 when the city was reclaimed by Diego de Vargas. In 1712 Fiesta was established to celebrate Vargas’ victory, and Santa Feans continue to uphold the Fiesta tradition every September.

For 300 years, El Camino Real was the main thoroughfare between Santa Fe and Mexico City, and by 1822 many trade caravans were coming into the city down the Old Santa Fe Trail. By 1866, 5,000 wagons had used the trail. Santa Fe is known for its colorful characters, and prominent among these in this era was Gertrude Bartelo, known as “La Tules.” She had made her fortune from gambling and was one of Santa Fe’s best-known merchants. To the travelers coming in from the east, Santa Fe was the “city different” even then, with its unusual mode of dress, unique food, unfamiliar languages, and adobe buildings.

In 1850, New Mexico became a U.S. territory, and U.S. General Steven Watts Kearny built the garrison at Fort Marcy, now a famous Santa Fe historical site. During the 1850s, Santa Fe’s first bishop, Jean Baptiste Lamy, built St. Francis Cathedral and the Loretto Chapel, known for its legendary staircase. The first Protestant church was built by Baptists in 1854 at Grant and Griffin Streets, soon to be taken over by Presbyterians in 1857. Today Santa Fe is known for its multiplicity of faiths and spiritual disciplines.

The unique Santa Fe style of architecture became the accepted mode of building in the 1880s when the Spanish Pueblo style of architecture was combined with the city’s earlier traditional look.

New Mexico became the 47th state in 1912. In the 1920s, Santa Fe, a lure for travelers and artists from the very first, became a thriving art colony and Indian market. Los Alamos National Laboratories originated on the site where the atomic bomb was developed in 1943, and since World War II it has become important to the Santa Fe economy as a scientific and technological research center. Many spin-offs of technology companies generated by the labs are located in Santa Fe. The city’s economic base is primarily tourism and government, and since the 1970s Santa Fe has also become a center for the study of alternative medicine. At last count there were more than 130 acupuncturists in town.

An interesting fact about Santa Fe is that four different flags have flown over the city – the flags of Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, and the United States.

Because of its history, art, culture, and beautiful scenic attractions, Santa Fe continues to grow, yet it remains a mecca for people from all over the world.

Climate

Before New Mexico became the Land of Enchantment, it was called The Sunshine State because every part of the state receives sunshine 70 percent of the year and has low humidity. On average there are 283 sunny days per year. Santa Fe’s 7,000-foot altitude keeps temperatures moderate with a high averaging 91 degrees F in July, to lows near 19 degrees F in January. There are four distinct seasons with frequent, dramatic summer thunderstorms, and occasional snowstorms in winter. The temperate climate boasts bright blue skies and sunshine throughout the year with mild winters and low annual rainfall. The low humidity and skies free from smoke make the climate one of the most healthful in the United States. The vegetation varies from aspens and tall pines at the higher elevations to pinons, sagebrush and grassland to the south and east.

Average Temperature (Degrees F)

The Arts

On Sperling’s Best Places to Live list dated March 15, 2007, Santa Fe is second among the Ten Best Places to Live, and second best place for artists and creatives.

Santa Fe was voted number two in the Top Ten Art Destinations for 2002 by American Style Magazine.

Art is a key component of life in Santa Fe. Over 200 art galleries, 22 performing arts organizations, numerous arts events, and hundreds of working artists attract visitors from all over the world. Every week new shows open featuring the best in modern, Native American, and western art, and residents have a plethora of choices of performances and showings. The Museum of New Mexico showcases local, national, and international artists and showings through Santa Fe’s Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Palace of the Governors, and New Mexico Monuments. The annual International Folk Art Market, a marketplace for artists and craftsmen from many diverse cultures, is a new feature in Santa Fe since 2004, and is here to stay. Santa Fe was named a Creative City by UNESCO in 2005, the first city in North America to receive this designation.