Santa Fe History

In July 1598, a small band of Spanish explorers arrived at the Tewa pueblo of Ohke, in modern-day New Mexico. Small scouting parties eventually founded other colonies throughout the western United States (in the province known as Nuevo México), including Santa Fe. Established in 1607, the town was formally founded in 1610 by Don Pedro de Peralta and established as the province’s capital. Since then, Santa Fe has been a cultural center for the Pueblo Tribes, the Mexican Republic, and the territory of New Mexico.

From 1680 to 1692, in what came to be known as the Pueblo Revolt, the native Pueblo people of New Mexico drove the Spaniards out of the area. Santa Fe was reclaimed for Spain by Don Diego de Vargas in 1692, and the city remained Spain's provincial seat until the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. For almost 130 years, the Camino Real (the Royal Road) connected Santa Fe with Mexico City, and served as the primary trade route between the two cities—and thus between Spain and the New World colonies.

When Mexico seceded from Spain in 1821, New Mexico became part of the republic. Also in 1821, the Santa Fe Trail opened, establishing a land route from the midwestern United States; American traders also established other new trade routes to New Mexico. In 1841 a small expedition set out from Texas to gain control of the Santa Fe Trail; they were poorly prepared, however, and the Mexican army easily repelled them. However, in 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, and Brig. Gen. Stephen W. Kearney claimed Santa Fe and all of New Mexico Territory for the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the Compromise of 1850, and the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 created the Territory New Mexico (modern-day Arizona and New Mexico plus small portions of Colorado and Nevada) for the United States. For a few days in March 1862, the Confederate flag flew over Santa Fe until the triumph of Union troops.

Santa Fe was originally intended to be an important stop on the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad. Business leaders spent years preparing for the arrival of the railroad, anticipating that it would create a thriving commercial center. However, civil engineers deemed a southern route, through nearby Lamy, more practical. A city bond issue provided for a branch line from Lamy, and commercial activity around the Santa Fe railyards grew. Santa Fe was incorporated as a city in 1891, and in 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state.

Santa Fe has had an immeasurable impact on American culture and style. Since the early days of westward travel on the Santa Fe Trail, the city has been a rich source of culture, art, architecture, and design. The Spanish colonists who founded the town blended the building materials and methods of the native Pueblo people with their own classical traditions, and the result was an architectural style unlike any other in the world. Ranchers, farmers, traders, anthropologists, artists, and a few tourists came to explore the Southwest in the late 1800s, drawn by the natural beauty of the high desert and local Native American and Hispanic culture, art, and crafts.

In the early 20th century, a renewed emphasis on using traditional architectural styles resulted in what is known as Spanish or Pueblo Revival style, which became Santa Fe’s official style in 1912. Artistic and literary luminaries—including D. H. Lawrence, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Ansel Adams—arrived in Santa Fe and began to settle here. Each new wave of visitors and settlers brought new cultural traditions to Santa Fe. In the 1930s, renowned architect John Gaw Meem developed the Territorial Revival Style, which blended northern New Mexican adobe structural traditions with Neo-classical and Victorian influences. By an ordinance passed in 1958, mandates the continuance of the city's distinctive Spanish Territorial or Pueblo styles.

Santa Fe is recognized worldwide as one of the most intriguing cities in the United States. A diverse history, a complex interplay of traditions, and a rich cultural heritage help make Santa Fe one of the most interesting cities in the world.

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