THE ULTIMATE SANTE FE GUIDE

Santa Fe New Mexico, afternoon light

Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. The area in and around Santa Fe has been occupied continuously for more than a thousand years by indigenous people.

The city is a small gem and we love it so much we decided to make it our home. We are set to move in spring 2018.

This guide has been written after several visits and it’s a compilation of my personal experiences and a few very helpful tips from friends. Among all two people I want to mention:

Erin Mundy, a native and Margaret Beattie. Both gave us extensive suggestions on what to do, eat and experience.

Now on to the fun part:

Museums:

let’s start with Museum Hill, as implied by the name a hill featuring several museums:

Museum of International Folk Art

The museum holds the largest collection of international folk art in the world, numbering more than 130,000 objects from more than 100 countries.
This one is a lot of fun, highly recommended if you are traveling with your kids.

Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

Native cultures and artifacts of the Southwest from ancestral to contemporary times in exhibitions  from the collection of more than 70,000 works of art and material culture.
My favorite museum on the hill.

Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian

New Mexico’s oldest private non-profit museum, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, emphasizes important Native American art in an eight-sided building inspired by a traditional Navajo hooghan.

Santa Fe Botanical Garden On Museum Hill

Designed by landscape architect W. Gary Smith, will integrate the natural and the man-made, a location of natural beauty and environmental interest transformed by excellent garden design, horticultural practice and architecture.

Museum of Spanish Colonial Art

Featuring objects from throughout the Spanish Colonial world, housed in a historical building designed by John Gaw Meem.


The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

Dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation of contemporary Native art.

The Georgia O’Keefe Museum

Dedicated to the life, art and legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe. A must, she embraced New Mexico as her home and so much of her work was produced and inspired by this beautiful land.

William Siegal Gallery

Pre-Columbian artifacts are exposed along side the work of contemporary artists.

Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary. Visit the grounds, hike and every Friday at 2pm you can visit Randall Davey’s house.

Sights:

The Plaza, the center of the town. The Spaniards built Santa Fe around the Plaza following the rules called “Laws of the Indies”, established by King Philip II. The square is still today the heart of the city.

The Palace of the Governors, an adobe structure situated onthe north of the Plaza. The Palace is oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. The local Native American artisans are still gathering under it’s portico to sell jewelery and crafts.

Checkout the print shop in the court yard of the Palace curated by Tom Leech and James Borland.

Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the cathedral built in 1869.

The San Miguel Mission, The oldest church in the United States, built between 1610 and 1626. The church has been repaired over the years, but great part of its adobe walls are still intact.

Canyon Road, very charming historical area featuring several art galleries, a bit too on the kitschy side for my taste, a few cool stores like La Boheme (Our interest in vintage textiles, folk art and fashion established the foundation for La Boheme. We offer beautifully handmade clothing, textiles and jewelry from New Mexico and around the world. We are located in the historic east side of Santa Fe.), and Nathalie (Nathalie is known for her exquisite taste in all things western. Anything from custom made cowboy boots to beautifully designed belt buckles, stunning hats, and one-of-a-kind haute couture).

The Cross of the Martyrs  Ggreat spot  to check out one of Santa Fe’s legendary desert sunsets from a high point.