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About Santa Fe / Local Events

Background Information

Santa Fe is nestled in the foothills, at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains at an altitude of 7,000 feet. The city occupies 33.4 square miles in a valley above the Rio Grande amongst mountains that reach to over 12,000 feet. Thousands of acres of National Forest and wilderness surround the city, and yet it is only an hour's drive to the Albuquerque International Airport. Known as the "City Different," Santa Fe supports both historic culture and modern technology, while offering an outstanding quality of life for both young and old.

Santa Fe is New Mexico's state capital and the oldest capital city in the United States. But long before Spanish colonization and statehood, prehistoric man lived here. Since then, the area has been home to many different civilizations and cultures. Today, visitors to Santa Fe will see a city heavily influenced by the history of three distinct cultures; Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo-Saxon.

The Spanish arrived in New Mexico in 1598 under the leadership of Don Juan de Oń, a Spanish explorer. In 1607, the Spanish settled in S Santa Fe, "the City of Holy Faith," in an effort to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism.

No downtown building may rise higher than the bell towers of the St. Francis Cathedral. This restriction makes the cathedral a dominant feature of the Plaza area.

In 1610, the city officially became the capital of New Mexico, and the New Mexico Territory became a state in 1912.

One of Santa Fe's most prominent features is the downtown Plaza, near the end of the legendary Santa Fe Trail, the pioneer trail starting in Missouri. For centuries people have met at this location to trade news, buy and sell goods, and have community celebrations.

On the north side of the Plaza is the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610. It is the state's history museum, one of the many museums in the city. Also located downtown are the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum. Also near the Plaza are the Loretto Chapel, the Oldest House in Santa Fe, and St. Francis Cathedral, completed in 1884.

Local Events

Inside Santa Fe: This website is a companion to the Inside Santa Fe publication distributed by the local hospitality provider. It contains information on weather, events, museums, performing arts, etc.
http://www.insidesf.com/

Shopping in Santa Fe: This valuable page provides information on all sorts of shopping possibilities with addresses, phone numbers and links to the stores' websites. You can save yourself lots of money by just surfing these sites.
http://www.insidesf.com/shopping.php

Arts and Artifacts: If you are interested in buying or just browsing, this website lists the art galleries in several parts of the city and includes links to the galleries' individual websites.
http://www.insidesf.com/fineart.php

Museums: This website lists most of the museums in the city including the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum . Addresses, phone numbers and hours of operations are included. If you can't visit all of these museums personally, you can take a look at their lovely websites.
http://www.insidesf.com/museums.php

Gourmet Dining: Use this site to pick a good restaurant for your nights on the town in Santa Fe. There are links to the restaurants' websites where you can get an idea of their menus and pricing.
http://www.insidesf.com/dining/index.php

Day Trips: This webpage list many of the best visitor attractions within easy driving distance of Santa Fe. There are links to each website where you will find information to help you plan your trip.
http://www.insidesf.com/daytrips.php

Suggested Reading: This page offers a list of books in several categories such as Art, Cookbooks, Hispanic, etc. This is a great resource for background reading. http://www.insidesf.com/books/index.php

For more information about Santa Fe: