Santa Fe, New Mexico:
Land of Enchantment
by Carrie Miner | Photos by Jack Parsons
 A young army bride, traveling across the harsh, desolate reaches of the Southwestern United States in 1889, wrote joyously of her instant love affair with the old Spanish town of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“As we drove into the town, its appearance of placid content, its ancient buildings, its great trees, its clear air, its friendly, indolent-looking inhabitants, gave me a delightful feeling of home,” wrote Martha Summerhayes. “It was the spell which that old town loves to throw over the strangers who venture off the beaten track to come within her walls.”
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Quirky, classy, wild, independent, playful and fearless, Santa Fe continues to enchant those who gather on its historic streets more than 100 years later.
Colorful in its cuisine, rich in history and renowned for its creativity, modern Santa Fe has been a magnet for artists and tourists ever since the first locomotive pulled into town in 1880.
400 Years of History
Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet in a picturesque valley between the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. Founded in 1610 as the capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe (“Holy Faith” in Spanish) is the oldest capital city in the United States, and was the administrative hub for Spain’s northern territories. On top of its Spanish roots, modern Santa Fe has developed a unique cultural richness by incorporating four centuries of diverse influences, including Native American, Mexican and Anglo. This history comes through in the old adobe architecture downtown, as well as in the beguiling jumble of sophisticated boutiques, museums and art galleries.
The romance of Santa Fe is best experienced on foot, at a leisurely pace strolling the downtown city streets. Flowering vines spill over sun-burnished adobe walls, private shrines beckon devout wishes, and carved niches display delightful statuary and intriguing relics.
 Begin your downtown walking tour at the Plaza, which dates back to Santa Fe’s earliest days. This National Landmark marks the spot where, in 1680, Pueblo Indians besieged Spanish settlers in the adjacent Palace of Governors, which dates back to 1610 and is now part of the Museum of New Mexico. It is also the site where Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny proclaimed New Mexico a U.S. territory in 1846. Displays of artifacts offer a sense of early Spanish colonial life. A guided walking tour of the historic district leaves from the museum at 10:15 a.m. Monday though Saturday from May through October.
If you prefer to explore the streets on your own, be sure to pass through the Commemorative Walkway Park — 20 plaques illustrating Santa Fe’s tumultuous history dot its paved path and staircase.
 Treats For All The Senses
Standout downtown cultural centers include the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, honoring the work of one of Santa Fe’s most luminous artists; the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, which houses contemporary Native American artwork; and the Museum of Fine Art, which exhibits 20th-century New Mexican art.
Santa Fe’s downtown district is home to several chapels and cathedrals. The drab, 18th-century Santurio de Guadalupe displays a stunning baroque altar screen painted in 1783; the Loretto Chapel features a spiral staircase that legend claims was built by St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters; and the St. Francis Cathedral serves as a model of French architecture.
Another wonderful walking tour runs along Canyon Road - a mecca of an art market with more than 80 galleries ranging from kitsch to fine art. American Style magazine named Santa Fe as its No. 2 favorite U.S. art destination.
Georgia O’Keefe once described what she loved about the city that became her muse: “I have frozen in the mountains in rain and hail, and slept out under the stars, and cooked and burned on the desert…It has been like the wind and the sun…there doesn’t seem to have been a crack of the waking day or night that wasn’t full…” It’s not unusual to see tourists just pointing their cameras at random, hoping to capture just a small piece of the spirituality pulsing through the surroundings.
That same love for the land has pulled and tugged on the heartstrings of many artists, giving Santa Fe an eclectic art scene housed in some  250 scattered galleries. To help sort through them, look for a copy of Wingspread’s Collector’s Guide of Santa Fe-Taos-Albuquerque.
When you’re ready to take a break from a day’s adventuring, Santa Fe boasts some of the country’s best dining, with an enviable community of award-winning chefs and innovative restaurants. Just try to keep your mouth from watering at dishes such as “slow smoked prawns with mango green chile syrup and avocado-grapefruit salsa” at the Anasazi Restaurant or “tequila and grapefruit-cured salmon nachos on crispy wontons with escabeche and habañero mint aioli Diablo” at La Casa Sena.
Although some restaurants shun chiles, locals like their food hot. Chiles have been a part of Santa Fe cuisine since the arrival of the earliest Spanish colonists. Now, with 300 varieties of chiles to choose from, there are plenty of ways for cooks to spice things up. It’s common to be asked if you want your food served “green” or “red”; ask for “Christmas,” and you’ll get a bit of both.
Beyond The City
If you decide to wander farther afield, Santa Fe makes a great base for excursions into northern New Mexico. You can take the High Road to Taos through Truchas and Chimayó, head northwest to explore Los Alamos and the Jémez Mountains, or take the long trip to Chaco Culture National Historic Park, which holds the ruins of a prehistoric
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Anasazi city complex made up of 800 rooms and 32 kivas.
Set aside at least a few days to explore the mysteries of Santa Fe - but don’t be surprised if you find you want more. Between the city itself and the surrounding Indian pueblos, Spanish colonial towns and Anasazi ruins, there’s more than enough to do here to sustain several enjoyable trips. A lot has changed since Mae Peregrine composed the following poem in 1915, but the sentiment could have been written yesterday:
I’m in love with Santa Fe;
Like it better every day;
But I wonder, every minute,
How the folks who aren’t in it,
Ever stand it, any way,
Not to be in Santa Fe.
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Best of Santa Fe
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Best Time To Go: October, when most summer visitors have gone home and the city streets ease up from the mad seasonal crush. Fall temperatures range from lows of 48 to 54 degrees to highs of 78 to 83 degrees. Santa Fe sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet, so bring a sweater or light jacket for the brisk morning and evening hours, and be sure to wear sunscreen.
Best Landing: The only place to put down in Santa Fe is the Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF), which has three runways and the amenities of several FBOs.
Best Events: September kicks off with the famed Fiestas de Santa Fe (Aug. 31-Sept. 7), the oldest city-sponsored festival in the United States, which dates back to 1712 and commemorates the peaceful return of Spanish settlers to Santa Fe in 1692, 12 years after the Pueblo Revolt drove them out. For more info, call 505.988.7575, or visit www.santafefiesta.org.
Best Downtown Dining: In Santa Fe, culinary combinations are as colorful as the palettes of local artists. There are more than 175 restaurants listed in the phone book, with choices ranging from Spanish tapas to Chinese dim sum. Two best bets are the Anasazi Restaurant (113 Washington Ave., 505.988.3236), which serves New Southwestern dishes, and Tomasita’s (500 S. Guadalupe, 505.983.5721), where you can spice up your visit with some of America’s hottest food. La Casa Sena (125 E. Palace Ave., 505.988.9232) is another favorite, where singing waiters serve up New Mexican cuisine with a touch of Broadway.
Best Lodgings: Santa Fe is a popular tourist destination, and welcomes guests with more than 5,700 guest rooms in hotels, motels, B&Bs and inns. But be forewarned — lodging in Santa Fe is outrageously expensive and fills up fast. Some of the best-known options include the 1930s-era La Posada de Santa Fe (330 E. Palace Ave., 800.727.5276, 505.986.0000) and the luxurious Bishop’s Lodge (3 miles north of Santa Fe, off State Route 590 on Bishop’s Lodge Rd., 800.732.2240, 505.983.6377), which dates back to 1918. For more lodging information, check with Santa Fe Central Reservations, 800.776.7669.
Best Way To Get Around: If you must have a car, be sure to get a detailed street map to navigate Santa Fe’s dizzying maze of 17th-century streets. If you’re staying downtown and along Canyon Road, you might be better off walking — it’ll give you a close-up feel for this historic town’s charming atmosphere. Santa Fe has a comprehensive city bus system, Santa Fe Trails (505.955.2001), which operates six routes. Taxi service is provided by Capital City Cab (505.438.0000).
Best Planning Resources: Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800.777.2489, 505.955.6200, www.santafe.org; New Mexico Department of Tourism, 800.545.2040, 505. 827.7400, www.newmexico.org.
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