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Cathedral of St. Francisof Assisi, just off the Plaza.
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Vital Statistics
Location / Description
Santa Fe is New Mexico's state capital and the oldest capital city in the United States. The city is located in a valley formed by the Rio Grande River, bordered on the west by the volcanic Jemez Mountains and on the east by the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains.
At an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is located where the high desert meets the Ponderosa Pine and Aspen forests providing a gorgeous setting for outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. Santa Fe is famous as the cultural center of New Mexico, permeated by Native American culture, with many of galleries, museums and live events.
The city has been the capital for the Spanish "Kingdom of New Mexico," the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico, the American territory of New Mexico (which contained what is today Arizona and New Mexico) and since 1912, the state of New Mexico.
Santa Fe is the site of both the oldest public building in America -- the Palace of the Governors -- and 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. Readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine have picked Santa Fe as the best travel destination in the world.
Population / Elevation
- 55,900 people / 7,000 feet above sea level
Weather / Climate
At 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe's has warm days and cool evenings during Spring, Summer and Fall, and a jacket or sweater is advisable, even during the summer. Day temperatures reach an average low of 40 degrees F. during the winter months, and an average high of 91 degrees F. during the summer.
Nights are cool year-round in this high desert city. Santa Fe usually receives 6 to 8 snowfalls a year between November and April. Heaviest rainfall occurs in July and August. Santa Fe has 300+ days of sunshine a year an average relative humidity of 50%.
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Santa Fe, New Mexico - Monthly Climate Normals
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Year |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| High °F |
64.3
|
41.8
|
47.6
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55.0
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63.6
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72.2
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82.8
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85.6
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83.3
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76.9
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66.6
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52.3
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43.7
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| Low °F |
36.3
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18.2
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23.1
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27.6
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33.4
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42.1
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51.2
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55.7
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54.3
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47.6
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37.0
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26.3
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19.0
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| Avg °F |
49.9
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29.7
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34.6
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40.6
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48.4
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57.1
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66.5
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71.3
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68.7
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61.9
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50.7
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38.9
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30.6
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| Rain |
14.36
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0.67
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0.56
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0.91
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0.72
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1.28
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1.28
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2.20
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2.15
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1.70
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1.15
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1.07
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0.67
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History
Don Juan de Onate, the first Governor-General of New Mexico, established his capital in 1598 at San Juan Pueblo, 25 miles north of Santa Fe. Thirteen years before Plymouth Colony was settled by the Mayflower Pilgrims, Santa Fe, New Mexico, was established on a very small scale in 1607.
Don Pedro de Peralta succeeded Onate in 1609 and moved the capital to present day Santa Fe within the year. Peralta and his men laid out the plan for Santa Fe at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the site of the ancient Pueblo Indian ruin of Kaupoge, or "place of shell beads near the water."
For a period of 70 years beginning the early 17th century, Spanish soldiers and officials, as well as Franciscan missionaries, sought to subjugate and convert the 100,000 Pueblo Indians of the region. In 1680, Pueblo Indians revolted against the 2,500 Spanish colonists in New Mexico, killing 400 and driving the rest back into Mexico. The conquering Pueblos sacked Santa Fe and burned most of the buildings, except the Palace of the Governors. Pueblo Indians occupied Santa Fe until 1692, when Don Diego de Vargas reconquered the region and entered the capital city after a bloodless siege.
When Mexico gained its independence from Spain, Santa Fe became the capital of the province of New Mexico. The Spanish policy of closed empire ended, and American trappers and traders moved into the region. William Becknell opened the 1,000-mile-long Santa Fe Trail, leaving from Arrow Rock, Missouri, with 21 men and a pack train of goods.
For a brief period in 1837, northern New Mexico farmers rebelled against Mexican rule, killed the provincial governor in what has been called the Chimayó Rebellion and occupied the capital. The insurrectionists were soon defeated, however, and three years later, Santa Fe was peaceful enough to see the first planting of cottonwood trees around the Plaza.
On August 18, 1846, in the early period of the Mexican American War, American army general, Stephen Watts Kearny captured Santa Fe and raised the American flag over the Plaza. Two years later, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding New Mexico and California to the United States.
When New Mexico gained statehood in 1912, many people were drawn to Santa Fe's dry climate as a cure for tuberculosis. The Museum of New Mexico had opened in 1909, and by 1917, its Museum of Fine Arts was built. The state museum's emphasis on local history and native culture did much to reinforce Santa Fe's image as an "exotic" city.
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Native Americans sell their wares on the Santa Fe Plaza.
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Things To Do
Calendar Events
Santa Fe has more events and acitvities than any other city in the Deserts Southwest. Two of the most popular events during the summer in Santa Fe are Indian Market and Spanish Market.
- May: Santa Fe Century Bike Race
- June: Annual Santa Fe Plaza Arts & CraftsFestival
- July: Annual Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Artist & Craftsman Show - Over 1,200 Native American Artists Traditional dance & music Native Foods
- August: Santa Fe Indian Market - the world's largest show of Native American art. More than 1,000 artists exhibit all aspects of Native American art, including paintings, pottery, jewelry and more.
- September: Fiesta Arts & Crafts Market
- October: Annual Expo-Native American International Film Expo
- November: Santa Fe Art Fair & Auction
- December: Winter Santa Fe Spanish Market - features some of the area's finest craftspeople exhibiting and selling traditional Spanish Colonial arts and modern Spanish-influenced art.
For more information on events, contact:
- Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau
- 2012 W. Marcy St. P.O. Box 90
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504
Phone: 505-984-6760; 800-777-2489
Native American
Of the 19 Native American communities located in New Mexico, 8 are near Santa Fe. All eight are Pueblo Indian tribes and their communities are referred to as Pueblos. Throughout the year, Pueblo communities surrounding Santa Fe hold special dances, feast days and celebrations open to the public. These extraordinary days present an opportunity to experience the centuries old traditions of a native culture unique to the area.
Native Americans also sell their wares on the Santa Fe Plaza. For Native Americans products online click here.
Outdoor Recreation
Surrounded by millions of acres of National Forest and public lands, Santa Fe is the primary gateway to many different outdoor recreational activities including hiking, mountain biking, skiing, boating, fishing and sightseeing including Anasazi cliff dwellings at nearby Bandelier National Monument.
Hotels/Motels
There are hotels and motels in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with something for every taste and price range. For more information and a complete list. Click Here. (Rates, availability and reservations online)
Camping & RV Parks
There are numerous campgrounds and RV parks in and around Santa Fe. For more information contact:
- Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau
- 2012 W. Marcy St. P.O. Box 909
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504
Phone: 505-984-6760; 800-777-2489
Resources & Nearby Attractions
Resources
Cities & Towns
Parks & Monuments
- Bandelier National Monument: 23 miles west.
- Rio Grande Gorge State Park: 98 miles north.
- Jemez State Monument: 75 miles west.
- Kit Carson State Park: 78 miles north.
- Pecos National Historic Park: 25 miles south.
- Hyde Memorial Park: 43 miles west.
- Petroglyph National Monument: 59 miles south
Recreation & Wilderness Areas
- Santa Cruz Lake National Recreation Area: 25 miles east.
- Carson National Forest: 50 miles northeast.
- Pecos Wilderness Area: 20 miles east.
- Santa Fe National Forest: 10 miles east.
Historic & Points of Interest
- Cathedral of St. Francisof Assisi: 505-982-5619
- Cristo Rey Church: (largest adobe structure in US): 505-983-8528
- El Rancho de las Golondrinas (living history museum): 505-471-2261
- Museum of International Folk Art: 505-827-3650
- Palace of the Governors: 505-827-6483
- Museum of Fine Arts: 505-827-4468
- Museum of Indian Arts and Culture: 505-827-6344
- Museum of New Mexico (a whole system of museums): 505-827-6463
- Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: 505-995-0785
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian: 505-982-4636
- Institute of American Indian Arts Museum: 505-988-6281
-- Bob Katz
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