Santa Fe | History-Art-Nature

Saint Francis Cathedral

One of the first places we visited in Santa Fe was the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886. It is located near the center of town a block from the main plaza. Click to enlarge the photos.

Interior Views

The main altar

A side altar

View toward the pews

St. Francis of Assisi

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Canyon Road

We made a point of walking along Canyon Road. It parallels an old irrigation ditch built by the Spanish around 1680. The road follows a native American footpath used before the arrival of the Spanish. There are over 100 galleries and studios exhibiting a wide range of art works. We entered one shop to look for a whisky flask. Melanie found a western style shirt that was very attractive. The price tag was $760. Too much. The flask was $60. That we bought.

A part of Canyon Road.

One of many outdoor artworks displayed along Canyon Road.

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Santa Fe Botanical Garden

One day was rainy and cool. We headed for Museum Hill and the International Folk Art Museum. More about them in a later post. We came back on a sunny day to visit the Botanical Garden also at Museum Hill. The garden beautifully displays the widely diverse plants growing in the region. Another section of the garden displays artworks of three artists.

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The Round House Capitol

Most state capitol buildings are impressive tall structures with a dome on top. The New Mexico capitol building is round. Here are pictured the two main entrances on opposite sides. It was closed when we walked around it.

Door pulls on the capitol building.

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Another very interesting place we visited was the New Mexico History Museum. Our public schools teach history with a focus on the arrival of people to the east coast. Much less is taught about much earlier history of the southwest part of our country involving Spain, Mexico, and many tribes of indigenous people. The museum placed a timeline along the wall of the exhibits one follows in passing through. Dates of important events of the southwest region are noted along with some of those dates and events of the northeast part of the country. The comparisons showed much had occurred well before notable events in the northeast. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the museum. Visit this museum if you go to Santa Fe.

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