Santa Fe

Santa Fe is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico about an hour north of Albuquerque. It is the capital of New Mexico and is known for its art galleries, historical sites, festivals and restaurants. Santa Fe which means "Holy Faith," was founded in 1607 (the second oldest town in the U.S.) and joined the United States of America in 1912. It is the site of the oldest public building in America (the Palace of the Governors built in 1610), the nation's oldest community celebration (the Santa Fe Fiesta established in 1712 to commemorate the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico in the summer of 1692), the oldest house in the U.S. (More than 800 years ago, Pueblo people built this structure out of adobe which is liquid mud poured between upright wooden frames), and the oldest church in the U.S. (the San Miguel Chapel in which the original adobe walls and altar were built by Tlaxcala Indians from Mexico under the direction of Franciscan Padres around 1610). Some of the other attractions are at Santa Fe Plaza where the Native Americans sell their wares, the Loretto Chapel (famous for its winding staircase), St. Francis Cathedral (a beautiful church built in 1884), and canyon road (which is a 2 mile one lane road full of art galleries, stores, and restaurants).