We learned a little about that history today, merely scratching the surface.
Our RV Park, a 55+ community, turned out to be in a terrific location. Not only is it in walking distance to stores, but there is a city bus that stops right outside the RV park and if you are 60 and over, for 50 cents it drops you off in the old town. I was impressed with the friendliness of the drivers, and noted that they also exchanged personal pleasantries with many of the folks boarding, obviously well acquainted with some of the riders. Somehow the driver must have sensed that we were tourists (could it be the cameras perhaps!) and as we approached the old town, he gave us a mini preview of the buildings we were passing, recommending which places to visit on a tight schedule. He also gave us specific directions where to catch the bus back, and gave us a schedule and showed us how to read it.
In Santa Fe, if you own a bicycle, you have a free pass to ride the bus, and there were several cycles perched on the front of our bus. A pretty good incentive to own a bike and an admirable transit system.
Fifteen minutes later we were walking through the quaint old pueblo style city. Being in Santa Fe felt like being in a different country. It is unlike any typical US city or town we have visited, and prides itself on being The City Different. Established in 1610 when this region was a province of the Spanish Crown, Santa Fe was built around a main square, with a church on one side and the governor's house on the other. It was a gathering place then and remains one now, hosting seasonal events and markets, and providing tourists a place to rest on the benches under shady trees. Around 1821, it became the end point of the Santa Fe Trail where goods were actively traded. Radiating outward from the Plaza, today numerous adobe-style galleries and shops now entice tourists with their goods.
Outside the Palace of Governors, native artisans sell their exquisite handmade jewelry and other handmade items under the portal. Based on a daily lottery system, the vendors arrive and set up their wares along the porch.
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| The statue of the Virgin Mary was brought to Santa Fe in 1626 by a Franciscan priest. The beams and thick adobe walls still remain. |
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| inside the cathedral, facing the altar |
On the way to Loretto Chapel, we passed several more colorful stores and galleries:
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| the baskets are not unlike the ones made by native African women in South Africa |
Loretto Chapel is a stone Gothic chapel, modeled after King Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. It was built for the sisters of Loretto who arrived here in 1852, and started a school for girls the following year. Today the chapel functions primarily as a museum and wedding chapel. It is best known for its miraculous staircase, built by a stranger, out of wood without using a single nail. We did not get to see the staircase this time (it was closed) but we did take a few shots of the outside. When I was a little girl, many moons ago, I started school at Loretto Convent in Pretoria. These teaching nuns have traveled to all corners of the globe it appears, to establish schools for girls.
We continued our stroll along the Santa Fe River park. The stroll was pleasant but the river was bone dry.
Next stop on the map was the New Mexico Capitol, since Santa Fe is the state capital. The round building is fashioned to resemble the state's symbol, the Zia Sun, which originated with the ancient Indians of the Zia Pueblo. This distinctive motif with its red and yellow colors is easily visible, on the state flag, license plates, the Welcome to New Mexico sign as we entered the state and on some DOT signs. The sun symbol certainly is appropriate for this sunshine state.
I enjoyed learning the meaning behind the sun symbol, which reflects the Zia tribal philosophy about the basic harmony of all things in the universe. Four is the sacred number of the Zia, and the symbol is composed of a circle from which four points radiate. These points are made up of four straight lines of varying length. It embodies the earth with its four main directions; the year with its four seasons; the day with sunrise, noon, evening and night; and life with its stages of childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. Everything is bound together in a circle of life and love, without beginning and without end. In addition, the Zia believe that man has four sacred obligations: to develop a strong body, clear mind, pure spirit, and a devotion to the welfare of one's people.
Moving on, we stopped at the oldest active mission church in the US, where Mass is still said in Latin. Constructed around 1610, San Miguel Mission Church was built by Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico under the direction of Franciscan priests. The thick adobe walls, still intact over 400 years later, are authentic, and you can see flecks of grass in them. After their arrival, Spanish colonists adopted the tried and true Pueblo method of constructing their churches, government buildings and other structures. The Pueblo Indians used adobe, a mixture of earth, straw, and water that was shaped into bricks and dried in the sun. The bricks were stacked and bonded together with more adobe, resulting in walls several feet thick - perfect for insulating against heat and cold. Today, very few original structures remain in Santa Fe and this mission church is one of them.
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| the building is quite narrow and not very large |
The other authentic adobe structure, and also one of the oldest buildings in America and the only one made of adobe, is right next door. What struck me is that while British colonists were populating and settling the eastern seaboard, across on the other side of the continent, the Spanish were doing the same. Culturally, Santa Fe still remains a blend of native Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and finally American influence, which makes it so distinct and different.
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| built around 1646 |
The Santa Fe style extends to modern homes and buildings. Today, stucco is used on the surface to mimic adobe, but still incorporates earth tones, flat roofs, wood beam ceilings, and door and window frames painted white or turquoise. I like this style.
Our final bit of exploring led us to historic Fort Marcy Park. Now a park with a great view, in 1846 this was the site of a fort built when the United States declared war on the Republic of Mexico after the southern border of the newly annexed State of Texas was disputed. Together with about 1,700 troops,General Kearney marched into Santa Fe to claim the city and the entire New Mexico territory. Fort Marcy was then built on this hill. All that remains today are mounds where the fort once existed.
We enjoyed the walk to the top, read the plaques outlining the many chapters of the history of this area, and gazed at the panorama before us: the City of Holy Faith below, and the peaks of the Sangre Cristo, Jemez, Ortiz and Sandias ranges surrounding it.
