Santa Fe history

Some travellers might make the mistake of dismissing Santa Fe as simply a shoppers' paradise where visitors are known to drop outrageous sums of money on artworks, jewellery, and clothing. Just a quick glance at its history, however, tells you that Santa Fe owns riches that transcend such a superficial realm.

In fact, the oldest capital city in the United States was settled 13 years before the Mayflower Pilgrims landed at their Plymouth colony and remains the oldest European community west of the Mississippi River. There were a few residents as early as 1607, but Santa Fe was settled in 1609-1610 by the conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, who chose the ancient Pueblo Indian ruin of Kaupoge at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to plot the town site.