Last updated on .
Santa Fe Plaza sits at the heart of historic downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. The plaza is a National Historic Landmark.
History
Santa Fe Plaza was originally laid out when the city of Santa Fe was founded in 1610 by Spanish conquistadors. It was surrounded by a defensive wall that enclosed barracks, a chapel, a prison, and the Palace of the Governors. It sat at the northern terminus of El Camino Real, the Spanish Royal Road from Mexico City.
During the Mexican era, the plaza was the western terminus of the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri. Wagons would use it as a campground and to unload goods. A historical marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution and Territory of New Mexico in 1910 sits in the plaza.
When the United States annexed New Mexico, a fence was built to keep animals out. Trees were planted and paths were built as well as a bandstand and the Soldiers’ Monument (see below). After New Mexico gained statehood in 1912, a historic preservation plan was established.
Today, Santa Fe Plaza is surrounded by historic adobe buildings and is a popular place for both locals and tourists to gather. There are street vendors selling food and crafts, and a handful of monuments and historic markers.
Soldiers’ Monument
First, in the center of the plaza is the Soldiers’ Monument. It was erected between 1867 and 1868 and stands 33 feet (10 meters) high. The monument consists of an obelisk and a plinth. It was built by architects John and Michael McGee and master stonecutter Tomas Baca. A time capsule was added on October 24, 1867, containing items of the period.
The monument has been viewed as racist and controversial. Three of the four panels are dedicated to Union soldiers who died on the battlefields of the Territory of New Mexico during the Civil War, while the fourth panel memorializes soldiers who died “in the various battles with savage Indians.” The word “savage” was chiseled off on August 4, 1974, by an anonymous person, and the obelisk was knocked down on October 12, 2020, during protests on Indigenous People’s Day.
Palace of the Governors
The most important historic building on Santa Fe Plaza is the Palace of the Governors (Palacio de los Gobernadores), which is a National Historic Landmark. It served as the seat of New Mexico government from 1610 until 1886. It’s the oldest continuously occupied public building in the country, and is the only capitol in the United States that has housed the governments of three different countries (Spain, Mexico, and the United States).
The palace was built in 1610 by Pedro de Peralta (1584-1666), the newly appointed Spanish Governor of New Mexico. It served as the seat of government for the Spanish colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, which was comprised of parts of present-day Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. It became the capital of the Mexican Territory of Nuevo México in 1821, and the capital of the American Territory of New Mexico in 1846.
The territorial capitol moved to a new building in 1886. The Palace of the Governors fell into disrepair and was renovated between 1909 and 1913, when it became the Museum of New Mexico. It served as the museum until the summer of 2009, when the New Mexico History Museum (covered in another entry) opened next door. The Palace of the Governors continues to host museum exhibits today, and Native American artists sell their works under the portal.
New Mexico Museum of Art
On the northwest corner of the Santa Fe Plaza is the New Mexico Museum of Art. The building was designed by American architect Isaac Rapp (1854-1933) and completed in 1917. The façade was based on Spanish mission churches.
The New Mexico Museum of Art boasts a collection of over 20,000 paintings, photographs, sculptures, and other works. Among the featured artists are Ansel Adams (1902-1984), Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Gustave Baumann (1881-1971), Bruce Nauman (b. 1941), and Maria Martinez (1887-1980). The museum is open daily May through October and closed Mondays November through April. Adult admission is US$7 for New Mexico residents and US$12 for nonresidents (as of May 2023). Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to visit.
La Fonda on the Plaza
Finally, on the southeast corner of the Santa Fe Plaza is La Fonda on the Plaza. It’s a historic luxury hotel built by Isaac Rapp in 1920. La Fonda sits on the site occupied by several other hotels since 1610. The building also houses shops, restaurants, and galleries.
