Santa Fe - New Mexico - History
Indians have lived here for over 1,000 years! Santa Fe is the second oldest city in the United States. New Mexico was brought into the United States in 1846. At that time, the Catholic Church sent Archbishop John Lamy to reorganize the religious practices of the territory. Religion continues to play a large part in the Santa Fe area. The original name for the city was "La Villa de la Santa Fe San Francisco de Assisi," or in
English, "The Royal City of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi."
Santa Fe has been the capital under four different flags since 1610: Spain, Mexico, the U.S. Confederacy and the United States. The influence of many different cultures can especially be seen in the architecture. The adobe is from the Moors. The eastern styles and materials from the Anglos. There are many old, historic buildings in Santa Fe, such as the Miraculous Winding Staircase at the Loretto Chapel or the San Miguel Mission - the oldest church in the United States. Santa Fe has also become a cultural center for the region. The Santa Fe Fiesta has been celebrated since 1769. It remains a center for craftsmen and artisans to this day.
Santa Fe is New Mexico's state capital and the oldest capital city in the United States. Before Spanish colonization, prehistoric man lived here 12,000 years ago, and since then the area has been home to many different civilizations and cultures.
The Spanish arrived in New Mexico in 1598 under the leadership of Don Juan de Onate, a Spanish explorer. In 1607, the Spanish settled in Santa Fe, "the City of Holy Faith", in an effort to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism. In 1610, the city officially became the capital of New Mexico, and the New Mexico territory became a state in 1912. One of Santa Fe's most prominent feature is the downtown Plaza, near the end of the legendary Santa Fe Trail. For centuries people have met at this location to trade news, buy and sell goods and have community celebrations. On the north side of the Plaza is the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610. It is the state's history museum, one of the many museums in the city. Also located downtown are the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Museum; the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the Institute of American Indian Art Museum. One block east of the Plaza is the St. Francis Cathedral, completed in 1884. No downtown building may rise higher than the St. Francis bell towers, which makes the cathedral a dominant feature of the Plaza area.
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