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Santa Fe

Reference
Established: 900 a.d.
Original: Ogha P’o’oge
Elevation: 7,199
Waterway: Rio Grande
Highway: Hwy 84 via I25

Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a rich and layered history that spans thousands of years, shaped by Indigenous peoples, Spanish colonization, Mexican rule, and its integration into the United States. 
Pre-Colonial Period (Before 1600s)  
Indigenous Presence: The area around Santa Fe was inhabited by Ancestral Puebloan peoples as early as 900 CE, with thriving communities like those at Bandelier and Pecos. By the 14th century, Tewa-speaking Pueblo peoples established villages along the Rio Grande, including the nearby Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo). 
Cultural Hub: These communities developed sophisticated agricultural systems, pottery, and trade networks, laying the foundation for the region’s cultural richness. 
Spanish Colonial Period (1598–1821)  
Founding of Santa Fe (1610): Santa Fe was established as the capital of the Spanish province of Nuevo México in 1610 by Governor Don Pedro de Peralta, making it the oldest capital city in the United States. The city was built on the site of an earlier Pueblo village, with the Palace of the Governors as its administrative center.
Spanish Mission System: The Spanish imposed Catholicism and encomienda (forced labor) on the Pueblo peoples, leading to tensions. Franciscan missionaries built churches, including the San Miguel Chapel (circa 1610), one of the oldest in the U.S.
Pueblo Revolt (1680): Resentment over Spanish oppression culminated in the Pueblo Revolt, led by Popé, a Tewa leader. The Pueblos drove the Spanish out of New Mexico, and Santa Fe was temporarily abandoned by the colonists.
Spanish Reconquest (1692–1696): Diego de Vargas led the Spanish reconquest, reestablishing control over Santa Fe by 1693. The Spanish adopted more conciliatory policies toward the Pueblos afterward. Mexican Period (1821–1846)
Mexican Independence: After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, Santa Fe became part of the Mexican Republic. The city’s role as a trading hub grew with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821, connecting it to Missouri and fostering commerce with the United States.
Cultural Exchange: The trail brought Anglo-American traders, goods, and cultural influences, transforming Santa Fe’s economy and demographics.
American Period (1846–Present)  
U.S. Conquest (1846): During the Mexican-American War, U.S. General Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe without bloodshed in 1846, claiming New Mexico for the United States. The city became the territorial capital under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848).
Territorial Growth: Santa Fe grew as a political and cultural center, though it faced challenges like the Taos Revolt (1847), where Mexican and Pueblo resistors opposed U.S. rule. The arrival of the railroad in 1880 boosted the economy but shifted some commerce to other towns.
Statehood (1912): New Mexico became the 47th U.S. state, with Santa Fe retained as the capital despite debates favoring Albuquerque. The city’s unique Pueblo Revival architecture, promoted by figures like John Gaw Meem, began to define its aesthetic.
20th Century Cultural Boom: Santa Fe emerged as an arts and culture hub. The establishment of the School of American Research (1907), the Santa Fe Indian Market (1922), and the influx of artists like Georgia O’Keeffe in the 1920s solidified its reputation. The city’s historic district, including the Palace of the Governors, became a focal point for tourism.
Modern Era: Today, Santa Fe is known for its vibrant arts scene, multicultural heritage, and historic preservation. It hosts events like the Santa Fe Fiesta and remains a center for Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo traditions. Its population (around 88,000 in 2025) reflects this diversity, and its high altitude (7,199 feet) makes it the highest capital city in the U.S.
Key Historical Sites
Palace of the Governors (1610): A symbol of Santa Fe’s colonial past, now a museum.
San Miguel Chapel (1610): One of the oldest churches in the U.S.
Canyon Road*: Originally a Native American trail, now a famous art gallery district.
Loretto Chapel (1878): Known for its “miraculous” spiral staircase. Cultural Significance Santa Fe’s history reflects a blend of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo influences, creating a unique cultural identity. Its preservation of adobe architecture, annual fiestas, and thriving art markets highlight its role as a living historical and cultural center.

Around 900 AD, the Tewa tribe settled in what is now downtown Santa Fe, building homes around a square plaza. The houses extended approximately a quarter to half a mile southwest of the plaza and named the new settlement, Ogha P’o’oge. The Tewa and Pueblo people also established settlements along the Rio Grande, which flowed continuously from the time of their arrival until roughly 1700. The river provided a source of water for washing, drinking, and transportation, as well as a guide. Today, the Rio Grande flows seasonally and its depth and flow are continuously monitored due to fluctuations caused by weather patterns. As the second-longest river in the United States, it remains an important landmark in the area.

In the year 1598, Don Juan de Onate led a Spanish Expedition into the area with the goal of colonizing Northern Mexico. He re-established the area as Santa Fe de Nueva, México and placed the base of operations or the capital about 25 miles to the north as San Juan de los Caballeros, where modern-day Ohkay Owingeh is now located. Unfortunately, Don Juan de Onate was eventually banned from the Spanish settlement by his own people for cruelty to the native tribes.
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The historic jail that once held notorious outlaws including Billy the Kid, Dave Rudabaugh, and Billy Wilson, stood right here at Water street in Santa Fe. Today, The Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse stands proud in its place, a testament to the city's rich history.
To recount the stay of Billy the Kid and his gang in the jail, the following text is from an interview with the boys conducted by a Las Vegas Morning Gazette reporter on January 20, 1881.
“A few days ago, a representative of the Gazette paid a visit to Billy Bonney, “the Kid,” Dave Rudabaugh, and Billy Wilson in the Santa Fe jail. They were all heavily shackled and lying about but rose as the heavy iron door swung back on its hinges. After speaking with them, the Gazette man made some remarks on the tidiness of their cell.
“Oh, this is a palace as compared with that place they’ve put fellows in in Vegas,” said Billy. “We’ve been scrubbing up today.”
He continued, glancing around and contemplating their work. The men appeared to be in good humor, and the talk passing from one topic to another, “the Kid” said,
“I’m getting up a terrible reputation.”
Allusion being made to the horrible picture of him in the police news that has been the laughing stock of the town, Billy made all manner of fun of it.
“I got hold of the paper first when it was brought in,” he said, “but I was ashamed to let the other fellows see it. Wasn’t it savage, though?” he inquired.
We gave our unbiased opinion that we thought it was, and we were not a little amused at the way the subject of the front piece of the super sensational paper ran on about it.
“I never had a beautiful Mexican girl with me. It was as much as I could do to take care of myself,” was his disposition of the picture. “But,” his eyes flashing as he spoke, “she was ‘game’ though. See the way she stood off all the crowd after me,” said the admirer of personal courage.
“I say boss,” sang out a fellow lying near the stove,
“Haven’t you got any influence with the US government to get it to give me a hat?”
The fellow swung over his head a paper cap, such as dull scholars in backwoods towns “down east” wear as a symbol of dullness.
“Have you any other hat?”
“No, nor I haven’t had any for sixteen months ever since I was put in here.”
“He’s had hard luck that fellow has,” said one of the boys. “He’s been in here for 16 months waiting for trial for something that his nibs did,” pointing to Dave Rudabaugh who was lying near the fellow with the paper cap.
“Yes, they’ve kept him in for what I did,” attested Rudabaugh.
We were considerably interested in knowing who this long-time incarcerated man might be, and found on inquiry that it was B.S. Jack, well known in Vegas and who was accused of robbing the coach near this city.
“None of them men they’ve got in jail had anything to do with robbing the stage or the train,” said Rudabaugh. “I’m in it for now and might as well tell the truth, the Stokes boys are perfectly innocent and so are all the men who were mistrusted of being mixed up in both affairs. I don’t propose to tell who did do either. But they haven’t got any of the men but me.”
There was a general conversation concerning the Stokes boys, and all of the boys said it was a shame that they were ever arrested. “B.S.” Jack told his story. He said that he was broke and was just tied up with rheumatism.
“I couldn’t have walked as far as where the coach was robbed and back to my room again,” he said. “That’s the way with some of us. Poor devils who haven’t any friend,” said he, “They just pounced down on us because they think no one would believe a word we would say.”
He was in good humor like the rest, But he has had nearly a year and a half to brood over his misfortune and was at times somewhat sour.
“They have got another innocent man in gel in Vegas,” said Rudabaugh. When asked what that might be, he said, “Webb”; He isn’t any more guilty of killing Kelliher than you are.”
The “imported editor” came to the conclusion that if his residence in Vegas in March was made a test of Webb’s innocence, that man was safe.
“I saw the whole affair, and if my word is worth anything, I say that man didn’t do the killing.” He stoutly adhered to this and said that if he only had a chance to testify, he would say so.
“Well, Billy, what do you think of your notoriety?” we asked of “the Kid.”
“I don’t see any money in it. Everything that has been done in that country is laid to me,” and he really seemed ashamed of the reputation he had gained.
“If you get out, you could get up a show like Buffalo Bills. You have had advertising enough.” “IF —-“ Was his only comment.
The boys expressed themselves as having nothing to complain about regarding their keeping and keepers and said that Sheriff Martinez and everyone connected with the jail has treated them right. As the Gazette man turned to go, “B.S.” impressed on his mind his need for a hat and coat, and the doors clanged on the prisoners
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