Happy Birthday Santa Fe
The nation’s oldest state capital celebrates 400 years

By Linda DuVal

Santa Fe
Loretto Chapel's Mysterious Spiral Staircase.
© iStock

The Tewa Indians once hunted and cooked over campfires here. Then came the Conquistadors, who found it hospitable and established it as a Spanish outpost in the 1500s.

They called it La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis (The Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi)—a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. So by 1824 it was shortened, on maps, to simply Santa Fé de Nuevo México (Santa Fe of New Mexico).

It became the official capital of Spain’s New Mexico colony in 1610. All this makes Santa Fe the oldest state capital in the United States, and among the oldest American cities, along with St. Augustine, Florida (1565) and Jamestown, Virginia (1607). Its Palace of the Governors is believed to be the oldest public building in the United States and the oldest state Capitol building.

Celebrating big

Santa Fe marks its quadricentennial this year with more than 100 events. “For a city this size, that’s pretty amazing,” says Libby Dover, executive director of the celebration. Here are some worth a special trip.

On July 24 and 25, the annual Santa Fe Spanish Market taps into the area’s rich Spanish heritage. More than 200 Hispanic artists will show santos, retablos, tinwork, ironwork, pottery, basketry and needlework.

The annual Santa Fe Indian Market, a juried show with more than 1,000 Native American artists, happens August 21-22. It features paintings, sculptures, jewelry and other arts and crafts from some of the finest native talent in the Southwest.

The 2010 Santa Fe Opera season, July through August, will include three of the world’s most popular productions: “Madame Butterfly,” “Tales of Hoffmann” and “The Magic Flute.” It also will premiere a new opera, “Life Is a Dream,” based on a piece from “The Golden Age of Spanish Drama,” which won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for music.

“I love the opera, and especially the tailgate parties,” says Anne Hillerman, author of several guidebooks on the city.

Tailgate parties? For opera?

It might be a unique pursuit. But then, the operas are performed in an outdoor venue with a starry night sky as the backdrop. Opera-goers do it up right, Hillerman says—some with formal catered tailgate affairs, complete with live music and over-the-top outfits.

Then, on Labor Day weekend, catch the “Sounds of Santa Fe, A Musical Journey” that looks at the history of Santa Fe through music, dance and narration, performed at the Santa Fe Opera facility.

The year wraps up with the New Year’s Eve Legacy Ball. Planning still is in the works, but preliminary plans include a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with orchestra and chorus, and entertainment incorporating Santa Fe’s diverse heritage—performers representing the Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo populations.

Diversions any time

There are plenty of other attractions year round.

In summer, families converge upon the city. Great places to take kids include the Santa Fe Children’s Museum or Rancho de los Golondrinas, a 200-acre living history site just outside of town. This historic village offers an educational but entertaining look at life in the Spanish Colonial period.

Any time of year, art-lovers find themselves in gallery heaven. There are more galleries per capita in Santa Fe than just about anywhere else in the United States. The old established ones are downtown and along Canyon Road. Also, check out the burgeoning new art district at the Railyard, one of Santa Fe’s newest attractions.

Fascinating art museums include the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, honoring one of the city’s most famous artists, and SITE Santa Fe (for international contemporary art). If you have time for more, check out the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and the International Folk Art Museum.

The bright new star here is the New Mexico History Museum, which opened in May 2009 after 17 years in the making.

With 400 years of artifacts housed under less-than-ideal conditions at the Palace of the Governors, a new facility was desperately needed, says Kate Nelson, the history museum’s marketing manager. The 96,000-square-foot museum is adjacent to “our most precious artifact, the Palace of the Governors itself,” she says. Exhibits cover everything from prehistoric times to the local contributions to the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb.

All this year, catch “Santa Fe Found: Fragments of Time,” an exhibit about the archeological and historic roots of the city. This new museum has had stunning success, with more than 120,000 visitors in its first six months of operation.

Some mornings, you’ll find a local Indian Market at the Santa Fe Plaza. It’s a chance to buy silver, turquoise, pottery and other handmade crafts right from the artists. Remember that it’s polite to ask for permission before shooting photos of Native Americans, whether at market or in the pueblos.

Every visitor probably stops at the famous Loretto Chapel, which features a mysterious—some say miraculous—spiral staircase. The sprucewood staircase looks as if it should not balance or stand, because it has no obvious central support. In fact, the design incorporates a very tight inner spiral which has a small enough radius to act as a central support—an uncommon but not unknown construction method.

Finally, try to visit at least one of the nearby pueblos that still house the descendants of the original Tewa Indians—Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara or Tesuque. You’ll see modern life, but also remnants of ancient ways.

And that’s what Santa Fe is all about.

If you go

Santa Fe truly is a city for all seasons, and there’s no better time to go than during its quadricentennial year.

In spring, peach, pear, plum, apricot and cherry trees add their colors to the daffodils and other spring blooms. Nearby spring skiing is primo. Summer is high season, when the city becomes crowded, but also exciting. Autumn heralds the fiesta season, with many local celebrations, sunny days and cool nights. It’s harvest time and the scent of roasting green chiles spices the air. Winter can bring cold and snow, mitigated by days of bright sunshine, and the activity moves indoors to Santa Fe’s rich cultural scene.

Christmas celebrations incorporate strong Spanish traditions, such as Las Posadas, a ritual commemorating the Holy Family’s search for a place to stay.

Lodging ranges from the usual motel chains to some truly luxurious and often historic hotels. Check out the plush new Hacienda suites at the Hotel Santa Fe, the only Native American-owned hotel in town. Famous high-end accommodations include La Fonda, La Posada de Santa Fe (a AAA Four Diamond property), or the Inn & Spa at Loretto. Santa Fe also has one AAA Five Diamond property, the Encantado Resort.

There’s no shortage of fine local restaurants, mostly focusing on Southwestern cuisine. A local survey recently named the favorites: Tia Sophia’s for breakfast, La Fonda for green chile, Santacafe for the best bar food, and Coyote Café as best restaurant overall. Locals love Maria’s for authentic New Mexican cuisine, and Amaya, in the Hotel Santa Fe, offers excellent Native American-inspired food. AAA Four Diamond restaurants in Santa Fe are Fuego, Geronimo, Terra and The Old House.

For a calendar of events, visit www.santafe400th.com.

Linda DuVal is a freelance writer in Colorado Springs.

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