Santa Fe: the "City Different"
Story and photos by Miranda Hitti
With all due respect to Georgia O'Keeffe, she's not the only attraction in Santa Fe.
Native Americans have lived in the area for more than a thousand years. The Spanish settled here in 1607, and it wasn't until 1912 that New Mexico became a state -- four years before O'Keeffe made her first visit.
The Plaza has been the heart of the city since colonial days. On one side of the shady square is the old Palace of the Governors, now a history museum and a National Historic Landmark. The Plaza is lined with adobe restaurants, hotels and shops.
Santa Fe Quick Facts
- Capital of New Mexico
- Population: 65,000
- Second oldest city in the U.S. (behind St. Augustine, Florida)
- "Santa Fe" means "holy faith" in Spanish
- Also called the "City Different"
- More than 250 art galleries and 200 restaurants
Source: Convention and Visitors Bureau Native American crafts are sold everywhere in Santa Fe, on sidewalks and in shops. For a better sense of the Native American history, head out of town (about 45 miles West) to Bandelier National Monument to see Anasazi cliff and cave dwellings dating from roughly 1200 A.D.
Eight Indian Pueblos thrive in the area around Santa Fe: Nambé, Tesuque, San Ildefonso, Pojoaque, San Juan, Santa Clara, Picuris and Taos. (The word Pueblo, incidentally, comes from the Spanish word for "town.") Check with each Pueblo's leadership for tourism information and be respectful of Pueblo rules regarding cameras and restricted areas.
Health Tip: Santa Fe is 7,000 feet above sea level - take it easy while your body adjusts to the thinner air (usually about 48 hours). Be careful when drinking alcohol -- it's said that one drink in Santa Fe has the effect of three at sea level.
Santa Fe is a town with one foot in the past and the other in the New Age. From alternative health to angel guides, it's all available here. According to the Santa Fe Visitors Guide, the city "is said to have more acupuncturists per capita than China." Near the Plaza, I heard two walkers talking about communicating telepathically with their dog, which trotted along ahead of them, seemingly unaware of any messages being beamed its way.
For more mind-broadening, check out Santa Fe's 12 museums (besides the O'Keeffe hall). They include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, the Santa Fe Children's Museum and the Museum of International Folk Art. Canyon Road is a museum of sorts -- a gently sloping street lined with more than 100 art galleries, shops and restaurants. Tastes range from the eclectic to the traditional. Sort of like Santa Fe itself.
Quick Picks:
Highlights in and around Santa Fe
Miranda Hitti regularly contributes to CNN Interactive TravelGuide.
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