Santa Fe as we know it was founded by
the Spanish in the 17th century, the town still preserves
some of the adobe buildings dating from this period. Spanish rule was
not untroubled, with a revolt in 1680 by the local population. The
Spanish brought priests with them, with the intention of converting
the locals. Adobe churches in the area are some of the earliest and
most striking monuments to this, their distinctively styled exteriors
married to lively painted interiors. The area contains the earliest
buildings erected by Europeans in the USA. Santa Fe's history changed
in the mid 19th century when the are was annexed by the
United States and became a territory.
Unlike some other towns in the area,
the railroad did not bring great expansion, Santa Fe was not on the
main line; instead it was artists who were attracted, thus creating
the lively feel which the town preserves.
The old town is centred around the
plaza in front of the Palace of the Governors, this building was
originally erected by the Spanish and the layout of the area owes
much to the principles by which the Spanish erected their colonial
towns. It was work on restoring the Palace of the Governors in the
early 20th century which fed into the movement which
created the Pueblo Revival style of architecture, with its use of
flat roofs, exposed beams and stuccoed walls smoothed to resemble
adobe. One of the ironies of this style is that it is used to create
buildings which are far bigger than anything that might have been
imagined in the 17th century. (In this respect the style
resembles Victorian Gothic, in that both take a known historical
style and then use the principles to create something new).
The local culture blends the various
influences into a distinctive mix, just as the original Pueblo
Indians blended elements of the original indigenous religion into the
Christianity brought from the West. Native America craft is still
highly important, with items ranging from the usual tourist trade to
serious art for collectors. This culminates in the annual Indian Market
which takes of the whole of the centre of Santa Fe and brings collectors from all round the world..
Inevitably commercial pressures and the
need to service the modern day tourists, have made the town more
conventional, more commercial than it used to be. For those with time
to travel, then spending some time in Taos, a small town just to the
North of Santa Fe, is to be highly recommended. Based around a 17th
century fort, the town has a more casual feel to it, more resembling
the Santa Fe of the past.
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