As the oldest capital city in the nation, you would expect Santa Fe to have a storied history. And it does! Before the Mayflower docked at Plymouth, Santa Fe was a settlement with a cluster of dwellings. How did the City Different go from a small settlement to the robust city it is today? Let’s find out.
Not many organizations can compete with the history of Santa Fe, but did you know that Del Norte Credit Union has been around for over 70 years? With that kind of experience, Del Norte can help you with your financial needs, including checking, saving, investing, and getting loans. They even offer scholarships!
Early Santa Fe History
Ancient Puebloans lived in what is now Santa Fe from about 1050 to 1150. Not much remains of those early settlements, and they had abandoned the area 200 years before the Spanish arrived.
In 1540, Don Francisco Vázquez de Coronado claimed the area for the Spanish Crown. In 1598, Don Juan de Oñate, the first governor-general of New Mexico, established the capital at San Juan Pueblo, about 25 miles north of Santa Fe. When Don Pedro de Peralta replaced Oñate as governor-general in 1609, the capital relocated to its present location of what is now Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The San Miguel Chapel, a Spanish colonial mission church, built in 1610, is the oldest church building in the continental United States. It was rebuilt twice, once in the late 17th century and again in 1710. Mass is still offered in this historic building on the first Sunday of every month.
Santa Fe as a Spanish Province
For around 70 years, starting in the early 17th century, Spanish military and administrative personnel, along with Franciscan friars, attempted to convert the Pueblo peoples of the area to Catholicism.
At that time, the native population in the area around Santa Fe numbered approximately 100,000 individuals, who spoke nine different languages and lived in approximately 70 large adobe settlements, known as pueblos. Many of these pueblos are still standing and some are still in use.
In 1680, the Pueblo peoples launched a revolt against the roughly 2,500 Spanish settlers in New Mexico, in opposition to Spanish religious, economic, and political institutions that were forced upon their people. As a result of this incursion, 400 settlers died and the remainder fled south.
The victorious Puebloans took control of Santa Fe, destroying most of its structures, except for the Palace of the Governors. The Puebloans held Santa Fe until 1692 when Don Diego de Vargas successfully reclaimed the territory and entered the capital after what was called a “Bloodless Reconquest.”
After the reconquest, the next governor, Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, began to work with the Indigenous people instead of subjugating them. He provided them with better representation in governmental issues and trade access. Valdez founded Albuquerque [Link to history of ABQ here.], an act that increased trade between the two settlements.
The Spaniards’ alliance with the original Indigenous people was strengthened by attacks on the area by their common enemies, the Comanches, Apaches, and Navajos. As things progressed, both the Spaniards and the Puebloans traded with the Americans, the British, and the French.
Santa Fe as Part of Mexican Territory
When the Mexican War of Independence started in 1810, Santa Fe was Spain’s provincial seat. Following Mexico’s successful independence from Spain, Santa Fe’s role as the capital of the Mexican territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was officially recognized in the 1824 constitution.
In 1836, the Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico and tried to annex Santa Fe and other Nuevo México territories, eyeing them as part of its western domain bordering the Río Grande.
A small-scale group of military personnel and traders left from Austin, Texas, intending to take control of the Santa Fe Trail. The ill-prepared group was no match for the New Mexican military. They were quickly captured, and the area remained under Mexican control — for a time anyway.
New Mexico Territory
When the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846, a group of soldiers rode into Santa Fe and claimed the area, naming it New Mexico Territory. Two years later, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made that declaration official.
But things weren’t quite that simple. Nearby states and territories tried to claim land, including what is now part of New Mexico, Texas, the California Republic, and the State of Deseret. The Compromise of 1850 blocked these claims and established the statehood of California and the land claims of the Utah Territory and the New Mexico Territory.
During the Civil War, as part of the New Mexico Campaign, a group of Confederate soldiers briefly flew their flag over Santa Fe for a few days in March 1862. However, the famous Battle of Glorieta Pass ended that fleeting incursion.
The Capital of New Mexico
In 1912, New Mexico joined the union as the 47th state of the United States, selecting Santa Fe as its capital. At that time, Santa Fe had a population of approximately 5,000 residents. The area’s dry climate was a draw, seen as a cure for tuberculosis.
Two museums opened in Santa Fe in the early part of the 20th century — the Museum of New Mexico in 1909, and the Museum of Fine Arts in 1917. These moves and the iconic personalities drawn to the area quickly set Santa Fe apart as a center of culture and civilization.
The city’s leadership implemented a forward-thinking urban plan that drew from the City Beautiful movement and contemporary urban planning and historic preservation strategies. The planners aimed for development that would align with the unique characteristics of Santa Fe, fostering what would become known as the Santa Fe Style.
Santa Fe Today
Due to its dedication to historic preservation and a zoning code passed in 1958 that supports the city’s distinctive Spanish-Pueblo style of architecture, the city continues to draw visitors from across the globe. Many of those visitors decide to stay and become part of the 89,000 citizens of the City Different.
Although Santa Fe’s unique history is an attraction, so are the burgeoning art scene, world-renowned local cuisine, and an abundance of outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, and skiing.
Santa Fe today is a thriving and diverse community. Del Norte Credit Union is part of the Santa Fe community and offers financial services to Santa Feans of all ages. Del Norte Credit Union has a history of giving back to their membership and the larger community with its many philanthropic programs — the LOV Foundation, special events, community sponsorship programs, scholarships, and newsletters.
Story sponsored by del Norte Credit Union
