Fall in New Mexico, Part 1

We have now been in New Mexico for about a month and we can officially say that we arrived in the Desert Southwest. So I decided to start a new series of blog posts instead of continuing the westward journey series. After Tucumcari, we headed a little further west and north to Santa Fe. I have to say that this town has been on my bucket list for quite awhile and it certainly met my expectations.

As a U.S. History buff, I love traveling to historic cities. Last fall, we visited St. Augustine which is considered the oldest city in the U.S. This year we visited Santa Fe, which is the 3rd oldest city but is the oldest capital city in the U.S. and the oldest European community west of the Mississippi. It is a very vibrant city today and the historic downtown is a wonderful place to visit.

We chose to stay at Santa Fe Skies RV Park for a week. This park is sits on a ridge a little south of town and surrounded by mountains. We were given a wonderful pull through site with a paved patio and table and chairs. The sites were terraced so that we had a somewhat unobstructed view of the mountains and the gorgeous sunsets. Even though we spent a good bit of time touring the area, we had plenty of time to enjoy the RV park and those views. The only draw back was with the 7000 ft. elevation, we had high winds most days so we couldn’t put out our awning or play cards outside.

One of my favorite days that week was the day we toured the historic section of Santa Fe. The nice thing about this area is that it was all fairly close together which made for an easy walking tour. Our first stop was at the visitor’s center where we picked up a map and recommendations of sites to visit. Parking at the visitor’s center was free and we were able to leave our car there and walk to all of the sites.

First stop was the oldest church, the Mission of San Miguel of Santa Fe. This Spanish colonial mission church was built around 1610 and is considered the oldest church in the country. The adobe church was constructed under the direction of Franciscan friars to serve a small congregation of soldiers, laborers, and Indians who lived in the Barrio de Analco. It was partially destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The present building dates from 1710, although it has undergone significant structural changes.

Around the corner from the oldest church is the Oldest House, at least what they think is the oldest house in Santa Fe. The age of the house isn’t confirmed but the structured is puddled adobe at the bottom which was used by the indigenous people prior to the arrival of the Spanish.

The next church we visited was the Loretto Chapel with its miraculous staircase. The history of the chapel and the staircase to the choir loft was very interesting. The Sisters of Loretto arrived in 1853 to open a school for girls. In 1873 they were able to build a small chapel. With its small size, there wasn’t room for a staircase to the choir loft so initially they had to use a ladder. The sisters really wanted a staircase and had difficulty finding someone who could construct one for them in the small space. Seeking guidance, they prayed a 9 day novena to St. Joseph.

On the final day of the novena, a carpenter appeared with only a hammer and carpenter’s square. He built what is now known as the Miraculous Staircase with simple tools and wooden pegs. The rare wood is not native to the American Southwest. When the Staircase was complete, it is said that the carpenter disappeared without receiving thanks or payment. The Sisters tried all local lumber stores but could not find accounts open for supplies for their stairs. Some believe the carpenter was St. Joseph himself while others believe that is was someone sent by St. Joseph. What is known is that the Sisters of Loretto prayed, and their prayers were answered. Definitely a fascinating story and a beautiful place to visit.

The last church that we visited was the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. Another absolutely beautiful church and a good place to visit when in Santa Fe. I loved the baptismal font in this cathedral although I don’t think the picture show its beauty well.

After visiting the churches, we headed over to The Plaza. This has been the center of Santa Fe life for nearly four centuries. The square is surrounded by restaurants and shops and provides a location for local artisans and Native Americans to sell their handmade crafts. We browsed through the area but didn’t end up purchasing anything although the jewelry and leather goods were beautiful. We grabbed lunch at the plaza and then toured a couple museums before heading back to the RV Park.

It was difficult to choose which museum to visit and we decided on the New Mexico History Museum because you had to visit it in order to enter the Palace of Govenors which I really wanted to see. The History museum covered New Mexico history from the 1500’s to present day so there was a great deal of information to read and exhibits to browse.

My favorite part was the Palace of Govenors. Although the building is currently being restored, there were a very interesting displays covering the government of the area from the Spanish govenors, to the Mexican government and then the transition to becoming part of the United States. The building is the oldest continuously occupied building in America and is over 400 years old.

After our walking tour, we headed back to the visitor’s center and drove back to the RV Park on the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway. It was good to get a history lesson on the origins of the Santa Fe Trail. I assumed it was part of the westward expansion of the U.S. similar to the Oregon Trail. Pretty interesting that it was really for commerce/trade between the U.S. and Mexico after Mexico gained its freedom from Spain. Many of us tend to forget that the U.S. Southwest was once part of Mexico.

Since we were in Santa Fe for a week, I have a few other places that we visited to tell you about but this post is getting a bit long. I guess I need to do another post to finish our visit to Santa Fe. Hopefully I will have time this week to create another post for you. I will end this one with another beautiful sunset photo.

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