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With great excitement, we set out early to see what the oldest capital city in the United States would offer. Already having experienced some of Santa Fe’s artistic qualities, we also desired to delight in some of its culinary offerings and encounter its many historical monuments and architecture.
With forest fires burning in the north and to the east, we were not sure how Santa Fe would be affected. Placing a call to the Santa Fe Visitor’s Center, we were assured that there was no smoke blowing toward Santa Fe. While it would have been easy just to head to head to Santa Fe’s Old Town, where many monuments were located, we wanted to head seventeen miles to the east first, to the settlement that was located on the historic Santa Fe trail.
Pecos National Historical Park encompasses thousands of acres which include prehistoric archaeological ruins to 19th century ranches to battlefields of the American Civil War. What I most wanted to see, however, was its notable feature, the Pecos Pueblo known as Cicuye Pueblo, a Native American community abandoned in historic times. Designated as a national monument in 1965, it was enlarged and renamed in 1990 to include two sites within the park, the pueblo and the Glorieta Pass Battlefield.
As we headed southeast on Interstate 25, we noticed an electronic sign at our exit noting the fires in the area. Concerned that circumstances had changed since our conversation with the Santa Fe Visitor’s Center, we almost turned back, but decided to continue on. Thankfully, we later learned that the Battlefield area was closed due to fires in the proximity, but the National Historical Park was open.
Starting our explorations in the Park Visitor Center, we learned how the early Indian Settlement once appeared and some aspects of its history through exhibits, artifacts and a short introductory film. We then headed out onto the 1.25 mile loop behind the Visitor’s Center.
The trail, lined with cactus, flowers and dry scrub, led us past ancient rock walls, critters, the remnants of ancient kivas, pueblo foundations and lots of rattlesnake warning signs! We were even able to descent into a preserved kiva which gave us an understanding of all of the other opens ones we had seen at Chaco Canyon. Finally, however, we encountered the remains of the last church that the Spanish completed in 1717.
While the Spanish sought to conquer and acquire great wealth, the Franciscan missionaries sought to amass converts. The first church was constructed between 1617 and 1621 but was located a fair distance from the pueblo. In 1625, another mission church was constructed 600 feet south of the pueblo and had an attached Convento which acted as storage, work rooms and living areas for the missionaries. While the construction was funded and supervised by the Franciscans, the Pecos people provided the labor, however, received no pay. Eventually, this forced labor and poor treatment led to the Pecos people joining nearly thirty other pueblos in a revolt against the Spanish Empire in 1680. At this time, the Church and Convento were burned to the ground. A smaller church, the one whose remains still stand today, was built on the rubble and completed in 1717.
The red adobe walls of the church set against the clear blue sky made from some beautiful photos, however, as we scanned the nearby mountains, we spotted smoke rising from the nearby ridges reminding us that the area was experiencing a devastating disaster.
Finally making out way back to the Visitor’s Center, we headed out to the Santa Fe Trail and back to Santa Fe. Spying an opportunity to grab some lunch before heading into Old Town, we stopped at a location of Blake’s Lota’ Burger. We had spotted other locations during our travels and decided to find out what made this New Mexico chain, established in 1952, so special. Green Chiles…grown, harvested and flame-roasted in Hatch, New Mexico and placed on their freshly made beef hamburgers. It was delicious and hit the spot, readying us for our explorations of Old Town.
While Old Town is very quaint, parking is a bitch! It took quite a bit of driving around near the main square before we secured a parking spot. Feeding the meter for a couple of hours, we then walked the few blocks to the plaza. The plaza was much larger than Albuquerque’s, also with a bandstand, surrounded by buildings and serves as the historic center’s heartbeat. Numerous artisans filled the covered porticos surrounding the plaza, hawking their wares, and visitors flocked here hoping to find a good deal and grab some respite from the sun.
As we walked through the square and then the old streets, admiring the art and architecture, we finally arrived at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, it was built between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia, which in turn had been built on the site of an older church built in 1626 and destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. Today, a small chapel on the north side of the cathedral is all that remains of the adobe church.
As we made our way through the cathedral, I kept feeling as though I had been there before. Though I know that I had not, I surmised that it was because it reminded me so much of the church I had grown up and gotten married in. Built in the Romanesque Revival style, it contained three naves, Corinthian columns and beautifully colored stained glass. What I loved most, however, was the Stations of the Cross. These wooden, framed paintings were modeled in the Spanish style, as also was the beautiful wooden, paneled altarpiece.
Making our way outside, we studied the façade and statues of Archbishop J.B. Lamy and St. Francis of Assisi, the cathedral’s patron saint. Behind the church was a small garden with other statues and a small park adjacent to the church. While I would have loved to stroll through the park, I found the gates locked as workmen were completing some renovations.
Next on our list was another church, the Loretto Chapel. This small chapel was the first Gothic building west of the Mississippi and was patterned after Paris’ beautiful Sainte Chapelle. Built between 1873 and 1878, it is best known for its choir loft staircase. This circular staircase is considered “miraculous” because of its two complete spirals without center or side supports which defy engineering logic. Indeed, this amazing staircase takes center stage in the small chapel, but its beautiful altar and stunning architectural details also warrant inspection.
Next up, yet another church was on our radar. Located on the original route of the Santa Fe Trail (next to the New Mexico and Santa Fe Visitor Information Center) is San Miguel Church. This small adobe structure boasts the title of being the oldest church structure in the United States. The original adobe walls and altar were built by the Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico under the direction of the Franciscan friars in 1610 to serve a small congregation of soldiers, laborers, and Indians who lived in the Barrio de Analco (now the national historic district of Santa Fe). In 1680, it was partially destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt and rebuilt in 1710 with some structural changes. During its lifetime, under Spanish, Mexican and American rule, it has served as a place of worship, an infirmary for Franciscan missionaries, a military chapel, a venue for talks, concerts and ceremonies and a sanctified space for Sunday Mass in Latin and English.
The small chapel offers up a spartan interior with a beautiful wooden beamed ceiling and an all-adobe altar containing a stunning carved and painted wooden altar screen (1798). In the adjacent museum, take note of the Statue of Archangel Michael (1709), which was carried throughout New Mexico to solicit donations for the chapel’s 1710 reconstruction, the painted cross-shaped sword and a painted wooden crucifixion.
Taking note of the time dwindling on our meter, we headed back to our parked vehicle and drove to the Historic Fort Marcy Park area. Finding a spot adjacent to the Thomas Macaione Park, we walked around the corner to find the stairway leading to the Cross of the Martyrs. This replica of the original cross located off of the Old Taos Highway, was erected in the early part of the 20th century to honor the twenty-one Franciscan priests who were martyred during the Pueblo Revolt. The uphill path is lined with plaques detailing the city’s history and from the top, with the cross towering above us, we had sweeping views of Santa Fe below.
Santa Fe has so much fill your days, it would have been welcome to spend a couple more days investigating the countless museums and galleries spread throughout the city. We had, however, seen most of what we had come to and it was time to head to southern New Mexico for more fun! So with no regrets, we headed back to our hotel for dinner and to rest up for the long drive ahead…and time to raise our sights to the skies on our way to Roswell!
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Pecos National Historical Park
- https://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm
- Address: Pecos National Historical Park, 1 Peach Drive, Pecos, NM 87552
- Hours: Summer (Memorial Day until Labor Day), 0800-1800, daily. Visitor Center, 0800-1700. Winter (Labor Day until Memorial Day), 0800-1630, daily. Visitor Center, 0800-1600. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
- Admission: free
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
- https://cbsfa.org/
- Address: 131 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, NM 87501
- Admission: free
- Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 0930-1600 , Saturday, 0930-1700, Sunday, 0800-1200. Closed Mondays.
Loretto Chapel
- https://www.lorettochapel.com/
- Address: 207 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
- Hours: 0900-1700, daily
- Admission: Adults, $5.00 USD, Seniors (65 and over), $4.00 USD, Youth (ages 7-17), $3.00 USD, Children (under 7 years), free.
San Miguel Church
- http://sanmiguelchapel.org/
- Address: 401 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
- Hours: Monday 1300-1500, Tuesday-Saturday, 1000-1500, Sunday, 1200-1500. Docent History talks, Tuesday through Saturday, 1100 and 1400.
- Admission: Closed November 20, 24 & 25
Cross of the Martyrs
- https://www.historicsantafe.org/cross-of-the-martyrs
- Address: 617 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
- Hours: 0630-2200, daily
- Admission: free