Atmospheric Santa Fe is the capital of the American state of New Mexico. It is located at the foot of the southwestern slopes of the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains and was founded by the Spaniards on the site where the pueblo villages were previously located. Thanks to its fascinating history, ancient architecture and many attractions, the city attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year. Travelers have a wide range of things to do in Santa Fe – from visiting museums, art galleries, ancient chapels and churches to active entertainment in ski resorts. With great pleasure, you can also stroll through its cozy streets with adobe buildings, shop at the farmer’s market, drink chocolate made according to an ancient recipe, and get acquainted with the life and crafts of Native Americans.
Santa Fe Plaza & Santa Fe Bandstand
Santa Fe Plaza is a historic square and an ideal place to start exploring the city. It is located in the shade of trees and is filled with numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, art galleries and souvenir shops, and its architectural dominant is the ancient Palace of Governors. This always busy place gets even more crowded during the annual Santa Fe Estrada Festival. For eight weeks, you can hear free live performances here. They represent different musical genres — from Americana music and zydeco to blues, country, Latin and salsa, rock and other styles.
Explore the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
The Museum of Native American Art and Culture is one of Santa Fe’s most popular tourist attractions. This is a real treasure trove, revealing the fascinating history of the inhabitants of the southwest from prehistoric times to the present day. His collection contains more than 80 thousand archaeological and ethnographic objects, works of fine art, as well as 10 million artifacts. The museum’s exposition changes the layman’s idea of the art and culture of Native Americans. Here you can see exhibitions, attend interactive events, take part in educational programs. Be sure to take a walk through the sculpture garden, which features works by Indian masters. There is a wonderful souvenir shop on the territory of the museum — here you can buy pottery and jewelry, books, baskets, sculptures and other objects of decorative and applied art.
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera House is a must—visit place. It is an unusual building in which there are no systems that allow you to lower the scenery from above, and there is no proscenium arch. The back of the stage is also missing, and therefore the hall offers a view of the Sangre de Cristo ridge and Hemes. Performances traditionally begin in the evening and the audience can enjoy not only the wonderful performance of the artists, but also watch the sun set behind the mountains. There are picnic tables in the backyard of the Santa Fe Opera – many spectators come here in advance with their food and drinks. It gets chilly in the evening, so it’s worth taking some clothes with you.
New Mexico State Capitol
The New Mexico State Capitol is the only round state capitol in the country. It was built in 1966 in the territorial style of the state of New Mexico and resembles the symbol of the sun of the Zia tribe – the indigenous people of the United States. Above each of its four entrances, the State Seal of New Mexico is carved in stone. The structure has four levels, the first of which is underground and inaccessible to the public. But the second one is of particular interest to tourists — here you can see the best collection of works of art in Santa Fe. It includes paintings, sculptures, photos and more. The real decoration of the capitol is the rotunda in the center of the building, covering the second, third and fourth floors. In its ceiling there is a skylight with blue and pale pink stained glass windows symbolizing heaven and earth, which resembles the weaving of an Indian basket.
Loretto Chapel
The Loretto Chapel is one of the main attractions of Santa Fe. It was built by order of the Loretto sisters in 1878 in the Gothic style and is famous for an unusual spiral staircase in the form of a spiral, which is called nothing less than “wonderful”. It is considered a masterpiece of woodworking and a work of art. The staircase is built of wood and fastened with wooden pegs without the use of glue, nails or other materials. It was also found that it was built from spruce wood, which is not identified anywhere in the world. The sisters’ words add to the mystery of this whole story that St. Joseph built the staircase for them in response to their prayers. Allegedly, a carpenter came to the temple, who had only a hammer and a carpenter’s square, and after the construction was completed, he disappeared before the women had time to pay him or thank him.