Santa Fe, New Mexico - A walk through this storied old charming town

November 22, 2014

The "Santa Fe Trail" from Missouri and the east ended here in the 1800's

I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico once upon a time and took some notes in my journal. I would like to pass those notes onto any prospective visitor to this charming old historic city so here they are – I’m Sitting on a bench in the Santa Fe city cathedral park next to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It is a beautiful place with shady trees, old lamp posts, brick walkways, with a wrought iron fence around the perimeter of the park. The imposing cathedral on the south side of the park and the ornate statues of conquistadors and padres with animals in the center – captivate the gazer’s attention and imagination. The cathedral bells are ringing and the wind is ruffling the leaves in the trees. It is cool and pleasant and the breeze off of the Sangre de Cristos Mountains to the east is refreshing. All of the buildings around here in the Plaza are a pinkish orange stucco or adobe and they all have the old west style covered walkways with wooden posts just like in the old western movies. I walked through the plaza and then up to the ancient San Miguel church. There is an obelisk in the center of the plaza honoring the battles of the Civil War at Glorietta Pass and Indian battles where the word “Savages” has been chiseled off by some politically correct fool. There are numerous art galleries and shops with Indian jewelry, blankets and markets selling all kinds of other things. The miserable trickle that is the Santa Fe River runs through downtown and it has a nice walk way along its length. People are friendly here. The curator of the San Miguel Church told me the significance of the rosary and so I bought one made of Indian turquoise with an ornate silver cross on the end and a silver bracelet for my wife. This wonderful old structure was built in 1610 – fully 9 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Across the street is what is believed to be the oldest house in America. This church is the oldest in America. I’m now sitting on a beautifully carved wooden bench in the palace of the governors. This is the oldest occupied public building in the United States. It was built in 1610 when Santa Fe was founded. There is an exposed adobe wall in here where in the 1850’s a fire place was cut into the adobe bricks. There is an old “Mud Wagon” stage coach in here and I read about how the Pueblo Indians lived in this building when the Spanish fled to El Paso during the revolt of 1680-1692. This place was known then as the Casas Reales (Royal Houses). Governor Lew Wallace lived here from 1877-1881. He was famous for writing the novel “Ben Hur” and for being Governor during the Billy the Kid years. Governors of New Mexico occupied this palace from 1610-1910 from Pedro de Peralta to George Curry. I’m now standing by the “Mud Wagon” looking at a Winchester model 1873 .32 caliber rifle. Pretty darn cool……..a few steps farther along I got an education on patron saints……..”The farmer expected San Isidro to help with production of crops, The merchant asked San Cristobol for safety on long trips and the housewife asked San Antonio for aid in finding lost articles”…………….I looked for the patron saint of the lost cause but couldn’t find it.

San Miguel Church - Est. 1610 Current structure built in 1710

Now I’m sitting in the Plaza Café. This place has been open since 1905 on the South West corner of the plaza. I walked through the New Mexico history museum and I read about how Juan de Onate brutally attacked the Acoma Pueblo where 70 Spanish soldiers scaled the sheer cliff walls and entered the “Sky City” and killed 800 Pueblo Indians. He then ordered the remaining male Indians to have one foot cut off. Talk about a brutal son of a “B”. In the museum I saw an ancient Spanish helmet, crossbow and breastplate. I saw Kit Carson’s beaver robe and I learned that Onate left his mark on “Inscription Rock” in 1605 at El Morro where you can go and see it even to this day. I learned of Coronado’s quest for the city of gold. He had 350 soldiers and followers, 1,000 Mexican Indians and his expedition covered 5,000 miles. He found no gold and returned to Mexico City in disgrace in 1540. I learned about how a Spanish commander named Villasur led an expedition to the Platte River in what is now Nebraska in the year 1720 and was ambushed and destroyed by Pawnee and Oto Indians. There is an amazing old painting hanging in the palace of the governors depicting this scene. It is amazing to me to think that before the United States declared its independence from England, that there was exploration, and battle taking place in the Great Plains, and in New Mexico where the settlements were already 100 years old. All of these things – tales, and images of over 400 years of history – filled my mind as I wandered the colorful streets of Old Santa Fe. This is such a beautiful area. The people are kind and helpful. I would recommend a visit to Santa Fe for a whole variety of reasons. Go there and indulge in the culture, history, and ambiance of the place and enjoy the incredible natural setting just north of the Sandia in the shadow of the Sangre De Cristos that is Santa Fe. For more information on visiting Santa Fe, NM contact the Convention & Visitors Bureau at http://santafe.org/