Santa Fe New Mexico architecture

Gabriel Tovar Unsplash

The City Different: The Rich Culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico

When you visit Santa Fe, you will certainly feel that it’s unusual and may experience it as magical. To the east are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and to the west, the Jemez peaks.  At over 7,000 feet, you feel close to the impeccably blue sky dotted with cotton ball clouds. And wherever you walk downtown, beneath your feet and all around you are remnants and hints of the powerful history and vibrant mix of cultures, culinary traditions, art and adobe architecture that underlie the oldest capital city in the United States.

The nickname of Santa Fe is “The City Different” and it won’t take you long to discover why. It’s not only the history and arts that make it unique, but also the tastes and affinities of people who were born here or arrive from all around the world. Folks line up excitedly for oud concerts; flock to talks about water, AI issues, ancient Pueblo architecture, Crypto-Jewish presence past and present, or nuclear issues. They demonstrate vigorously for individual, community and LGBTQ+ rights, affordable housing, limiting runaway development, environmental protections. They attend edgy concerts at Meow Wolf, which began as a young artists’ collective and has become a cultural phenomenon in other cities like Las Vegas, Denver and Houston. It’s a live-and-let-live environment where you can wear what you want, believe what you wish, see and read whatever pleases you. There is little community pressure to conform. The Santa Fe you experience is the one you create based on your own interests, and there are endless possibilities. 

One of the big draws of Santa Fe is the presence of 12 major museums and an exciting array of annual festivals that range from Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta (September) to the Currents Art and Tech Festival (June) to the International Film Festival (October) and the Chamber Music Festival (July to August).  If you arrive in the summer, the city offers three world-class, world-renowned annual events you don’t want to miss.

This past July, 20,000 visitors attended the International Folk Art Market, where 150 carefully selected folk artists from 57 countries sold high-quality pieces that ranged from hand-made clothing to ceramics to jewelry to home décor. Many of the exhibitors wear traditional clothes and happily answer questions about their cultures. Some visitors return a year or two later as volunteers to assist the artists; alongside Santa Feans, they number more than 1,500!

Also in July, the Traditional and Contemporary Spanish Market is an opportunity to purchase art from local Hispanic artists who create unique traditional items like bultos (statues of saints and other religious figures) retablos (religious paintings), colcha embroidery, and tinwork. It is a way for older generations to pass on the religion and spirituality to young artists; the latter also sell to the public and some attract collectors while still in grade school. In the Contemporary area, creators explore a wide range of subject matter in photography, street art, cartoons, ceramics, painting and sculpture.

In August, Santa Fe Indian Market is the largest juried Native American art show in the world, featuring 1,000 artists, and attracting 100,000 visitors. People come to meet and shop directly from Native American artists and enjoy fashion shows and cultural demonstrations. In recent years, during the same weekend, exciting alternative venues like the Free Indian Market features 550 additional artists, and Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival at Buffalo Thunder Resort is another outlet to shop, sample foods like fry bread and Navajo tacos, and learn about contemporary Native American life and culture.

In the summer, outdoor enthusiasts often hike in the early morning or evening when it is cooler. They pack water, sun protection and a deep appreciation of high-altitude flora, fauna and beauty. Some of the more popular and scenic options are Dale Ball Trails, Diablo Canyon Recreation Area, Atalaya and Santa Fe National Forest. Unless Jack Frost is particularly persistent, hiking continues throughout the year. And if cold is your sweet spot, the Santa Fe Ski Basin is a short drive from downtown.

After exercise, to decompress from the stresses of life or celebrate an occasion, cognoscenti head for a communal soak (bathing suit bottoms are mandatory; tops are optional) or a luxurious, private pool in the woods that may include sauna and cold plunge, at Ten Thousand Waves Japanese Spa. It’s modeled after a Japanese onsen and includes features like waterfalls, shrines, a koi pond and a Buddhist/Japanese gift shop. It’s frequently followed by a multi-course upscale, casual Japanese dinner at nearby Izanami. Order a prix fixe dinner or select à la carte specialties like black sesame noodles, perfectly grilled octopus or pork ribs, skillet gyoza and sushi rice pudding. The sake list is vast and varied.

For evening entertainment that involves exciting dance, music, and singing, New Mexico is the flamenco capital of the U.S., and local star La Emi and her troupe of dancers and musicians bring breathtaking energy, elegance, sensuality and thrilling skill to Santa Fe. La Emi performances are featured in Santa Fe at different venues when she is not on tour in Spain or the US. After attending their first flamenco show, viewers frequently ask, “How can I not have known about this before?” 

Foodies will be happy to learn that Santa Fe is home to more than 400 restaurants, including some that feature unusual international cuisine. Jambo, helmed by chef Ahmed Obo, is an all-day comfy, casual café with African and Caribbean dishes. For starters, try the fried cornmeal plantain crab cake, or the cinnamon dusted plantains with pineapple dipping sauce, which are sweet enough to be your dessert. For the main platter, many first-timers order the Combination Plate where you can select three of the following dishes: chicken curry, lamb stew, goat stew, tofu curry, chickpea berbere stew, peanut chicken stew, curried lentils. If there are at least two of you and you enjoy sharing, you can each order a different combination and savor more of the specialties. 

Another exciting lunch or dinner option is Fiesta Oaxaca. Owner Alberto Lopez Palacio hails from Oaxaca and serves authentic local dishes with his own spin. He also painted all the murals in the restaurant. Start with the mole sampler (tamarind, pomegranate, pumpkin seed, yucca and mole Oaxaca made from chocolate, plantain and seven peppers). They are served with house made chips or tortillas. The colorful, stuffed chile en nogada is bathed in a creamy white walnut sauce and dotted with pink pomegranate seeds. And the tlayuda, which is like a giant quesadilla, is served in a folded, crispy tortilla.

By the end of your trip, and with your camera filled with unforgettable images, you will understand why Santa Fe is “The City Different.”

Historic Backdrop

Over 1,000 years ago, Native Americans lived and farmed there. Spanish exploration of the region began in the 16th century. In 1610 the conquistador Don Pedro Peralta settled what is Santa Fe today, solidified Spain’s control and made the city the capital of a Spanish province. In 1680, under the leadership of Popé, the Pueblo Indians rebelled violently against their subjugation and forced conversion and drove the Spanish out. In 1692, the Spanish returned and eventually forged alliances with the Pueblo Indians against the raids and wars with other Native American tribes. In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain and New Mexico became a Mexican province. Two decades later, during the Mexican American War, General Stephen Watts Kearney captured it, and in 1848 the territory was ceded to the United States. In 1912, New Mexico officially became a state.

Rooted in creativity

The city has a high desert climate—dry, often with distinct temperature differences between day and night and more than 300 days a year of glorious sunshine. And culturally speaking, it’s an oasis. The area has drawn artists like pioneering modernist Georgia O’Keeffe (she has her own museum downtown), William Schuster (the co-creator of the Zozobra or Old Man Gloom figure that is burned every September in front of tens of thousands of locals and visitors), and world-famous Chiricahua Apache sculptor and painter Allen Houser (over 70 of his monumental works can be seen at the Allen Houser Sculpture Garden).

Community of artists

It is surprising that a small city (approximately 90,000 residents), features 250 art galleries, and artists working in a broad range of mediums: painting, sculpture, woodworking, textiles, printing, photography, architecture, jewelry, film and video. It is not unusual to talk to a friendly salesperson in a shop or a waitperson in a restaurant, and find out they are also a fused glass or tattoo artist, plein air painter, psychic, supernumerary at the Santa Fe Opera, cellist, Native American porcupine quill earring maker, mariachi trumpet player or environmental artist whose work honors the traditional community-based irrigation system known as acequias.

For more information visit santafe.org.