Day 5: Santa Fe, NM: Museums, Jewelry, Architecture, oh my!
/I finally made it. This whole road trip was centered around visiting Santa Fe -- the oldest State Capital in the United States -- and now I'm here. You read that right, Santa Fe is literally the oldest State Government, in all of the United States.
Now I'm sure you understand why three days isn't enough time.
Santa Fe was founded in 1610 by Spanish Colonists. After suffering continuous battles between colonists and the indigenous population, the Tewa, the legal rights of the land went under control of the Spanish. The Tewa rightfully occupied the region for thousands of years up until colonization and were the original founders of the city. They were attracted to the area because of its equal distance from the great Rio Grande and Santa Fe Rivers. These bodies of water allowed for easy access to water and transportation. The original populations were even the founders of the famous Santa Fe Plaza, utilizing the area that we think of today as a popular shopping destination, as the original village center gathering ground.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what I learned about this city and state today.
I woke up at a reasonable time, at around 9am. My plan for the day was to browse the various museums that occupy the old downtown area that I'm staying in. This included the New Mexico Museum of Art, New Mexico History Museum, and the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. In between, I hoped to walk the adobe framed streets and browse the hundreds of boutiques along my path. Maybe even stopping for some tacos along the way.
The sun was high and bright. It was already 50 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It's as if Santa Fe was personally welcoming me to its adorable town and I was glad to accept the hospitality. I got ready, set up Brody to enjoy lounging around the BnB all day, and walked across the patio to the main kitchen for breakfast.
I had yet to visit the BnB outside of my room and was instantly charmed from the moment I walked out my door. The back patio was covered in hanging dried red peppers, overgrown vines, various table seatings and a family style outdoor kiva fireplace. This was the first time during my trip, that I wished I had someone else with me -- it would be fun to sit around that fireplace in the evening and laugh with friends.
A few steps further and I was in the main house kitchen. It was a large room with an open floor plan -- the kitchen on the right when you first enter the sliding glass door, and the tables with a sitting area to the left. The place was decorated in Santa Fe western chic -- classy, but obviously regionally stylized. I sat at the barnyard wood table at the front. There was one other couple at the other table. They didn't seem too interested in socializing, so I didn't bother.
The BnB chef walked me through the breakfast plan and set me up with orange juice and tea. There was a never-ending supply of artisan bread, jams, coffee/tea, and cereals. I just waited for my food. It was a chile quinoa and bean breakfast. And it was amazing. I liked how the breakfast served wasn't basic American eggs and toast.
After that, I was off to the town! The Plaza was a few blocks from my hotel, so I just walked. Every step exposed even more adorable adobe homes, shops, and hotels. It was hard to not get distracted by the architecture and spend all day taking pictures. I resisted, within reason, and kept on my way.
Santa Fe has strict city regulations for buildings that require adobe architecture. This gives the city an endearing, somewhat uniform, character that is unlike any other town in the U.S. It was really smart of Santa Fe founders to maintain the original Spanish and Native American architecture of the city, even if most of the buildings are now "faux-adobe" given their modern creation. It's certainly very picture-worthy.
My first stop was the New Mexico Art Museum. This is a city known for its art, so it seemed like the perfect place to begin my explorations. There were a few other patrons at the museum, but not enough to spoil my view of the pieces. The building itself was beautiful and the art inside was a mix of Native American, Colonial, and Modern Local Art encompassing the full artistic history of the region.
It was divided up into sections thematically and consisted of multiple rooms across two floors. I loved the Native American and Modern Art exhibits the most -- especially the interactive and video pieces. The Colonial art didn't seem too different than most period pieces you'd see at art museums around the country.
I also really appreciated the community focus of the museum. In EVERY room they had tables with various notebooks, art utensils, books and prompts, encouraging visitors of all ages to create art on the spot. Some of the prompts were guiding visitors to draw, paint or write on certain subjects, feelings, or ideas. I've never seen this before and think it's a great idea.
After finishing up at the Art Museum, I walked across the street to the New Mexico History Museum. I couldn't find too much about it online, but my hotel had a small write up of "must see places" in their welcome package and this was near the top. I'd trust the locals more than TripAdvisor any day.
Walking to the museum you pass the entrance to the Palace of the Governors. I tried to walk in but the door was shut. Thankfully, after purchasing my museum ticket, I learned that the palace is accessible via the museum and not on its own.
I arrived at noon, just as a free tour was beginning. There was one older couple in the tour with me. They were from somewhere in the mid-west. They both worked as former professors and had a lot to add to the history being told by our fantastic guide. Both the guide and myself appreciated this. Having so few people in the tour group allowed for our guide to tailor the history being told to our interests, and that made it all the more memorable.
I had no idea what to expect from this place, but it quickly became apparent that this is a world-class institution and I was very lucky to be guided through the three-story museum with such thoughtful people. The best museum I've ever been to is the WWII Museum in New Orleans and this is definitely up there in the top three.
The museum is set up chronologically and guides you through the entire history of the state from indigenous foundations to colonization to statehood. It also covers more modern history such as New Mexican industrial development, World War II, and modern social and economic development and movements.
My favorite stories and bits of history learned:
- It is believed that most of the founding priests and families of Santa Fe in the 1600's were actually former Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition.
- The Santa Fe Trail was created as a trading path between Santa Fe and St. Louis. Many young men would travel the trail via mule to purchase and exchange goods. Glass was so rare in Santa Fe that many mule riders would buy a bottle of liquor in St. Louis and drink it in full on the ride back to Santa Fe, then sell the bottle for twice what they paid.
- The railroads didn't come through New Mexico until 1880, allowing the state to develop a true Wild West culture even more ingrained than other territories.
- New Mexico became a sort of feminist haven since women had more rights here than most Eastern states: women could own land, get divorced, etc. This resulted in many women settling in the region -- in particular female artists.
- Many of the Native American "Code Talkers" that helped win WW2 were part of New Mexican native tribes.
- New Mexico was invaded by Confederate Texas troops multiple times while under Mexican rule. Texas, a slave state, wanted to convert the free region of New Mexico to create a stronger confederate hold in the South.
I didn't have a notebook with me so I found myself scribbling notes on the art museum brochure I had in my pocket.
After finishing the tour, I walked the final floors of the museum, absorbing even more history and stories. Then I strolled through the Palace of the Governors, which featured amazing pieces of religious art and sculptures, as well as an old printers press (which was fascinating to examine).
Following the Museum, it was time for lunch. I passed the restaurant, "The Shed", on my way here and it was also written as a recommended lunch spot on my hotel's welcome package, so I headed back in that direction, in search of tacos.
I was very hungry, but on my way, I was easily distracted by shiny things -- Native American Jewelry. Lining the outside of the Palace of the Governors were local Native American's selling hand-made jewelry on small blankets along the sidewalk. I wasn't going to do much shopping until my third day, but everything was so PRETTY! How could I resist?
I am a huge fan of Native American art and jewelry. I love the bold pieces and the juxtaposition of the metals against the colorful stones. Turquoise is my favorite color and there seemed to be a never-ending supply of beautiful turquoise pieces along the wall this afternoon. Again, this felt built for me.
I bought, well, a few. We won't talk about how much I spent.
After spending all my money in about two minutes, I guiltily, but oh so pleased, carried myself to lunch. The Shed is nestled within a long street of boutiques along The Plaza. The simple building is decorated with a colorful door and window frame, along with whimsical statues and bright plants out front.
The inside is no different -- playing on the vibrant Hispanic theme, every room had wall murals and decorated chairs with paired tables. I was seated in a cozy corner. The restaurant was packed. My waiter sat next to me and walked me through the specials and drink menu. I ordered an enchilada and blue tortilla taco plate -- figuring I can combine my two favorite things in one. The taco came with red or green chiles, or as my waiter said, "we can always do Christmas," which is New Mexican for "both red and green". After the experience with the green chile cheeseburger a few days earlier, I went with Red. It must be milder, right?
The meal arrived fresh and hot along with a prickly pear margarita. The Enchilada was delicious but the taco was so incredibly spicy, I drank my margarita in three gulps to breathe. Yes, it did cause an instant buzz. But I think that was mostly a high from the spiciness.
When the waiter asked how my meal was a few minutes later, I let him know the taco was hot. He just looked at me, with my bright red face, and said, "uh...yeah". I think he enjoyed watching the poor tourist sweat, literally.
The rest of the afternoon involved strolling the streets of old downtown and observing the beautiful city that became of the history I'd learned all morning. I decided to keep Georgia O'keefe for another day. I got some coffee, took pictures, then walked back to my BnB for the night.
When I walked into the hotel room I saw Brody snuggled in the corner of the bed. I hope one day, I too, can be this comfortable in life.
I was still full from my large breakfast and lunch and didn't bother with dinner. Instead, I made a fire in the kiva, snuggled with Brody on the giant bed and watched Rachel Maddow. Right after the sunset, it started to snow a bit outside which was fun to watch from the window near the bed. I haven't seen snow in almost a decade. I forgot how delicate it can look.
Today was such an enjoyable day of learning, relaxation, and pretty jewels. Tomorrow I'm going to Bandelier National Monument, a short 40-minute drive from Santa Fe, and plan to observe the ancient cliff dwellings that lie in its mountains. There's never enough time to learn the history of a region.
It'll be fun to see what this part of the state looks like under snow tomorrow. Luckily I brought a heavy coat.
Culture Trip Pairings:
Music...
Books...
Appetite for America by Stephen Fried
Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides
A History of the Jews in New Mexico by Henry J. Tobias
Code Talkers: Memoir by Chester Nez
Movies...