The Oldest Capitol City

Santa Fe claims to be the "oldest capitol city". Although New Mexico only became a state in 1912, the area has been a capitol since 1610, when it was declared the capitol of New Mexico under the Spanish crown. It had been inhabited earlier by Pueblo Indians, who are thought to have left the area some 200 years before the arrival of the Spanish. It then transitioned to Mexican rule, before becoming a US territory and finally a state. For just $10, you can learn this and much more (!) from a 2 hour walking tour guided by a volunteer from the New Mexico History Museum.

Santa Fe also claims to be home to the oldest house, a miracle staircase, and one of the oldest churches in the United States (built about 1610). There is no shortage of history to learn about in Santa Fe...and we haven't even gotten to all the ancient history found in the national parks & monuments in the area!

The Oldest House

Loretto Chapel's Miracle Staircase

San Miguel Chapel

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Santa Fe also holds claim as the most confusing city for Wendy & Curtis to navigate. It's an old city that seems to have grown organically...the grid system is NOT in play here. But as we prepare to leave in about a week...we think we are getting the hang of it.

Artsy Farsty

If you like art, it's all around in Santa Fe. From native crafts sold at the Palace of the Governor's (the oldest continuously occupied public building in the U.S. — a mouthful!) to galleries on the mile-long Canyon road. The Rail Yard district has all kinds of galleries (and for the hikers in us, the REI!), and the city hosted two art festivals while we were in town. We also got to catch "Santa Fe's Tribute to Prince", which was a lot of fun.

There is also Meow Wolf, which, according to our landlord, "is the greatest art installation in the WORLD." And, of course, there is the Georgia O'Keefe museum.

Just one of hundreds of things to experience at Meow Wolf.

The Shoppin'st City

One of MANY, MANY streets in the Plaza area full of small shops.

We asked our tour guide from the history museum about the current economy of Santa Fe. As you'd guess by walking around, it's grounded in tourism, art and shopping! There are SO MANY STORES it's a little overwhelming. But if you want to buy jewelry, art, historical items or clothes, you are in the right place.

We throughly enjoyed visiting Keshi, which sells Zuni fetishes — small carvings traditionally used for ceremonial purposes. The store was started in 1981 by teachers on the Zuni reservation and the focus of the store felt to be as much about education as it is about selling. It was lovely...there are thousands of fetishes to look at. We'd go back again and again but we are on a budget. (They sell online — doh!)

Zuni Fetishes bought at Keshi.  The Badger (made of Purisima -- it has fossils in it!), whose spirit of tenacity helps one achieve a specific goal or purpose, and the Corn Maiden, who signifies potential. — Zuni Fetishes bought at Keshi. The Badger (made of Purisima -- it has fossils in it!), whose spirit of tenacity helps one achieve a specific goal or purpose, and the Corn Maiden, who signifies potential.

One BIG Forest: Santa Fe National Forest

We spent a lot of time during June in the Santa Fe National Forest, which offers 1.6 million acres and over 1,000 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. There is also rafting, camping and a whole lot more.

While Pinion pines and mesquite dominate the landscape near our place in Santa Fe proper, the Santa Fe National Forest offers Aspens galore, due to recent forest fires. It makes for beautiful hiking.

Our hikes have also benefited from lots of water! There are several Alpine lakes in the forest, and a number of creeks, which were running strong & cold, as there is still snow on the ground at higher elevations.

Speaking of elevation, we're still huffing and puffing at these higher elevations. Santa Fe sits at 7,000 ft and we've been hiking at 10,000+. Needless to say...it's slow going!