I know it's trite to say, but there really is something magical about Santa Fe: waking up to church bells chiming next door; the charming town; the juxtaposition of being in the desert but perfect, cool weather (a result of Santa Fe being the country's highest elevated capital, at 7000 feet).
Walking around, I realize that part of this magic is based on just how old the city is. Driving to places like Nashville, Little Rock, and Amarillo, the cities just feel so new -- and even more so the farther west we drive. But Santa Fe defies that.
The city of Santa Fe was originally founded between 1050 and 1150 by Pueblo Indians. In 1598, Don Juan de Onate of Spain led the first effort to colonize the region, establishing Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexicoas, a province of New Spain. (Still today, New Mexicans see themselves as direct descendants of Spaniards, and racial tension exists between them and new immigrants from Mexico).
This history is visceral just walking around our hotel. Below, San Miguel Church, built in 1610 and the oldest church in the US, with its original adobe walls and altar. It was built by the Tiaxalan Indians from Mexico, overseen by Franciscan Padres.
While there's controversy over whether this is actually the oldest house in the US (others claim the Fairbanks House in Massachusetts), this house, built in 1646, attests to the history in this region.
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