The Santa Fe Plaza is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in downtown

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

in the style of traditional Spanish-American colonial cities. The

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, or city square is a gathering place for locals and also a tourist attraction. It is home to annual events including Fiestas de Santa Fe, the Spanish Market, the Santa Fe Bandstand, and the

Santa Fe Indian Market The Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on the weekend following the third Thursday in August. The event draws an estimated 150,000 people to the city from around the world. The Southwestern Association for ...

. Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, the plaza consists of a central park lined with grass, trees, and benches. During Christmas time, the plaza is decorated with

farolito A ''luminaria'', a small bonfire are lit during Las Posadas, a nine-day holiday running December 16–24. Farolito is a small paper lantern (commonly a candle set in some sand inside a paper bag), particularly in the broader Southwestern Un ...

luminarias A ''luminaria'', a small bonfire are lit during Las Posadas, a nine-day holiday running December 16–24. Farolito is a small paper lantern (commonly a candle set in some sand inside a paper bag), particularly in the broader Southwestern Uni ...

, and trees lights. The park also includes a performing arts stage.

History

Encompassed in the general plaza area are historic monuments, restaurants, businesses and art galleries, including the

Palace of the Governors The Palace of the Governors ( es, Palacio de los Gobernadores) is an adobe structure built in the Territorial Style of Pueblo architecture on Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Located within the Santa Fe Historic District along the Santa Fe ...

(the oldest public building in the U.S.), the

New Mexico Museum of Art The New Mexico Museum of Art is an art museum in Santa Fe governed by the state of New Mexico. It is one of four state-run museums in Santa Fe that are part of the Museum of New Mexico. It is located at 107 West Palace Avenue, one block off the ...

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi ( es, Catedral basílica de San Francisco de Asís), commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church of the Arc ...

, and the

Loretto Chapel The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, is a former Roman Catholic church that is now used as a museum and a wedding chapel. It is known for its unusual helix-shaped spiral staircase (the "Miraculous Stair"). The Sisters of ...

. In true pueblo fashion, the Plaza architecture is traditional

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

. Just from the Santa Fe ski basin, the Plaza dates back to the early 17th century when Santa Fe was settled by

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

s. Until the mid-19th century, the Plaza lacked landscaping, and ownership of the area transitioned between the Spaniards and the Mexicans throughout the earlier years.

Pre-Columbian era

The area now known as Santa Fe had been inhabited by

Tewa The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of Santa Fe. They comprise the following communities: * ...

and other peoples, for which there is archaeological evidence as near to the Plaza as the Sena compound.

Spanish era

All Spanish colonial towns with a regional governor's office (for

Santa Fe de Nuevo México Santa Fe de Nuevo México ( en, Holy Faith of New Mexico; shortened as Nuevo México or Nuevo Méjico, and translated as New Mexico in English) was a Kingdom of the Spanish Empire and New Spain, and later a territory of independent Mexico. The ...

, that was the

) were required by the civic planning section of the

laws of the Indies The Laws of the Indies ( es, Leyes de las Indias) are the entire body of laws issued by the Spanish Crown for the American and the Asian possessions of its empire. They regulated social, political, religious, and economic life in these areas. Th ...

to have a

Plaza de Armas The ''Plaza de Armas'' (literally Weapons Square, but better translated as Parade Square or parade ground) is the name for Latin American main squares. In the central region of Mexico this space is known as El Zócalo and in Central America as ...

to marshal the palace guard in. The original Plaza was a presidio surrounded by a large defensive wall that enclosed residences, barracks, a chapel, a prison and the Governor's palace. Eventually the wall gave way to large houses built by high-ranking Spanish officers and officials. In the early days, it was found at the end of El Camino Real (the Spanish Royal Road from Mexico City).

Mexican era

With Mexico's Independence from Spain, in 1821, the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, th ...

, a trade route connecting New Mexico with

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, was opened with its western terminus at the Santa Fe Plaza. Overland wagon caravans used the plaza to camp and unload trade goods. The Old Pecos Trail also passed nearby before it was rerouted.

U.S. territorial era

After the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

was established, a fence was built around the plaza to keep out animals. Trees were also planted and pathways were introduced. A bandstand was added at various locations over time, as was the Soldiers' Monument in the plaza center.

U.S. statehood

After New Mexico was admitted as the 47th state in 1912, a historic preservation plan was established. The plaza is now marked by structures in the Pueblo, Spanish and Territorial styles that reflect its history. Among the most noted are the original palacio, the Palace of the Governors, built between 1610 and 1612 and San Miguel Mission, a noted landmark (c. 1640), and one of the oldest churches in the United States. The plaza is surrounded by restaurants, shops, and museums. Many seasonal community events are held at the plaza. On October 12, 2020,

Indigenous People's Day Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an ...

, the obelisk portion of the Soldiers' Monument in the center of the plaza was toppled by protestors.

Points of interest

The Plaza has several mature trees, street lamps, a banco, a central

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

, a buried time capsule, a bandstand and a water fountain. Wireless internet access is also available as of 2019.

Notable residents

* William S. Messervy, Santa Fe trader and acting Governor of New Mexico in 1854, lived in a house on the Plaza.Frances Levine
"A Beautiful Death on the Santa Fe Trail"
''El Palacio: the magazine of the Museum of New Mexico'', Spring 2020, elpalacio.org, accessed 26 June 2022

References

External links

Live WebCam
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Santa Fe, New Mexico Culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico Mexican-American culture in New Mexico National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico Native Americans in Santa Fe, New Mexico Parks in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Spanish-American culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico Tourist attractions in Santa Fe, New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe Trail Squares in the United States