Santa Fe is home to many historic religious buildings. Dating from the 1870s, the Loretto Chapel is site of the spiral "miraculous staircase." |
The city also served as the endpoint of the Santa Fe Trail, a lucrative trade route that went through the region connecting Missouri to New Mexico and proved access to the resources of the Southwest. Prior to the Mexican Revolution, the Spanish government kept their provinces off limits to outsiders, including Americans. In 1822, after Mexico had succeeded in expelling Spanish control from New Mexico, an American named William Becknell blazed the trail itself, establishing a defined route for easy access to the region and thus opening American trade presence in the region. The trail's terminus in Santa Fe is located in its historic Plaza which we visited.
The Plaza's centerpiece: an 1868 Civil War Marker |
Santa Fe was HOM: V's first stop after Texas. During our three day exploration of the city we spent much time in and around the historic Santa Fe Plaza. There we were able to do many things including peruse many souvenir stores, view a Reconstruction-era obelisk commemorating the American Civil War, shop the authentic Native American crafts, and even watch the filming of an upcoming movie being shot along one of the plaza's four streets.
On our final day in the city we visited the New Mexico History Museum located adjacent to the Plaza. One wing of its exhibits is located within the Palace of the Governors, the four hundred year old adobe capitol building. Having served as an administrative center since it was built at the founding of the city, it is considered to be the oldest continually occupied building in the United States. Many of us were particularly interested to explore the archaeological exhibits within its centuries-old walls, seeing artifacts excavated from under the very building were so much history has occurred.
-Mike Uhl
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