There’s no better introduction to Santa Fe than the Plaza. Established in 1610, it has served as the city’s civic and cultural center for more than four centuries, and its surrounding streets still tell the story of Spanish, Mexican, Territorial, and modern New Mexico. Join local Realtor Ricky Allen for a walk through the landmarks, architecture, and traditions that continue to define the City Different.
If you sell real estate in Santa Fe, you’re probably versed in the history of Santa Fe Plaza better than most people. Clients and prospects both want to know what you know. And if you’re Ricky Allen, a principal with Ricky Allen Tara Earley Real Estate, you just can’t help sharing. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy Ricky’s armchair tour of Santa Fe Plaza.
What is the brief history of the Santa Fe Plaza?
Juan de Oñate colonized the region in 1598, establishing his government near the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. After Oñate was exiled from the province, Pedro de Peralta founded his government in a settlement he called La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís, the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi. “Now you know why we simply call our city Santa Fe,” says Ricky.
When was the Santa Fe Plaza built?
Like most Spanish Colonial towns, Santa Fe’s heart was its plaza. Established in 1610, the plaza today is bordered by San Francisco Street on the south, Lincoln Avenue on the west, Palace Avenue on the north, and Old Santa Trail on the east. The plaza was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
This was where El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road of the interior, ended, having begun in Mexico City. This is where the Santa Fe Trail ended its 900-mile-long journey from Independence, Missouri. There are markers in the plaza commemorating both.
What’s the oldest building in New Mexico (and the U.S.)?
The Palace of the Governors is also here. It’s the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States, first as the capital of Spanish Colonial Nuevo México, then the Mexican capital, and finally the U.S. territorial capital, until 1886 when a new building was started. It’s been a museum since 1909 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
You can visit the palace through the New Mexico History Museum, whose entrance is on Lincoln Avenue, a block north of the plaza. You really do get to step back in time.
When was the Santa Fe Style codified?
Over the years, builders introduced various architectural styles, popular in their time, particularly neo-classical styles common in the U.S. Midwest and east. Santa Fe was losing its historic image, which is what people came to see.
In 1957, the Santa Fe Historic Zoning Ordinance was introduced, leaving The City Different with its Pueblo-Territorial appearance. New construction could take place; it just had to comply with the ordinance. It kept Santa Fe from becoming like every other hodgepodge city in America.
Take a Walk Around the Santa Fe Plaza
“Walk with me,” Ricky says. A walk around the plaza shows it is still a commercial hub. Many of the buildings surrounding the plaza in the Santa Fe Historic District are in Spanish-Pueblo, Territorial, and 19th-century, non-Indigenous architectural styles that give the district its distinct character. Restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and museums lining the streets entice you to venture in.
What is the Arias de Quiros complex?
East of the Palace is the Arias de Quiros complex. There’s a plaque on the wall, reading, “In 1697, this property was granted to Captain Diego Arias de Quiros by Spanish Royal decree for his part in the reconquest of New Mexico with DeVargas. In 1879, bought by L. Bradford Prince, later Territorial governor. In 1942, bought by the Field estate for an enlisted men’s club in World War II.”
From 1943 to 1963, the complex was known as Trujillo Plaza, and it served as the Santa Fe office of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Think: Oppenheimer and super-secret Manhattan Project atop Pajarito Plateau.
The complex encompasses Prince Plaza and Sena House, the home José de Sena built for his bride, Doña Isabel Cabeza de Baca, in 1831.
Both properties follow traditional hacienda designs with central courtyards, which you can walk through and tour the gardens. Most ground-floor rooms are used for commercial retail businesses, while the second floors have professional offices. Shopping here, as well as in other buildings around the plaza, is a favorite pastime of many visitors.
What is the Catron block in Santa Fe?
On the corner of Palace Avenue and Santa Fe Trail is the Catron block. Lawyer and politician Thomas Catron developed the commercial building on the east side of the Santa Fe Plaza in 1891. It’s a red-brick, Italianate building that cost him $40,000, about $1.4 million in today’s dollars.
For more than a hundred years, its ground-floor retail enterprises have catered to the fashion needs of Santa Fe women, offering an ever-changing spectrum of clothing and shoes and even artistic goods for the home.
But it didn’t fit the Santa Fe Style. So, in 1966, architect John Gaw Meem modified the building. He added a Territorial-style portales, hiding the view of the ornate roof frieze and window treatments.
When was the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi built?
To the east of the plaza is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, commissioned in 1850 by Bishop John Baptiste Lamy. The new cathedral was built around the former adobe church, whose walls were removed once construction was completed.
The only part of the original church still existing is the small adobe chapel dedicated to La Conquistadora. Brought from Spain in 1625, the statue is the oldest representation of the Virgin Mary in the United States.
Which markets are held in the Santa Fe Plaza?
Plan your visit around one of Santa Fe’s defining festivals. Two of the most famous are the Spanish Market, during the first week of July, and the SWAIA Indian Market in August. At the Spanish Market, you’ll find Hispanic religious art, created the way artists of Spanish Colonial New Mexico did. The Indian Market brings people from tribes across the country, offering jewelry, textiles, baskets, carvings, sculptures, pottery, two-dimensional art, and more.
“We’re proud to share the rich history of Santa Fe with people thinking about making this vibrant city their home,” said Ricky Allen. Plan your own visit to explore the history, culture, art, and cuisine that make Santa Fe the City Different that it is.
Santa Fe Plaza FAQs
How old is the Santa Fe Plaza?
Santa Fe Plaza has been at the center of city life since 1610. That’s more than four centuries of celebrations, trade, political change, and everyday conversations happening in the same public square. Originally laid out as the focal point of the Spanish colonial settlement, the Plaza is still where locals gather for concerts, festivals, markets, and community events. It’s not often you can stand in one place and trace so much of Santa Fe’s story beneath your feet, which is exactly what makes the Plaza so memorable.
Why is the Santa Fe Plaza so historically important?
If Santa Fe has a front porch, it’s the Santa Fe Plaza. The Plaza witnessed Spanish, Mexican, and American rule, welcomed travelers arriving on both El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and the Santa Fe Trail, and has remained the city’s gathering place through it all. Many of Santa Fe’s best-known landmarks surround the Plaza, making it one of the easiest places to understand how the city’s past continues to shape its culture, architecture, and daily life today.
What can you see around the Santa Fe Plaza?
It’s easy to spend an afternoon wandering Santa Fe Plaza without running out of things to see. Historic adobe buildings share the streets with museums, art galleries, locally owned boutiques, and restaurants serving everything from classic New Mexican dishes to contemporary cuisine. You’ll also find public art, shaded courtyards, and architectural details that reward anyone willing to slow down and look a little closer. Every block offers another glimpse into the people, traditions, and craftsmanship that have shaped Santa Fe for generations.
What is the oldest building near the Santa Fe Plaza?
The Palace of the Governors has been part of Santa Fe’s story since the early 1600s, making it the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. Today, it’s part of the New Mexico History Museum, where visitors can explore exhibits before stepping outside to browse handmade jewelry and artwork sold beneath the historic portal by Native American artisans. It’s one of the few places where history isn’t tucked behind glass cases. It’s still part of everyday life in Santa Fe.
What events take place at the Santa Fe Plaza?
No two visits to Santa Fe Plaza are exactly alike. Throughout the year, the surrounding streets come alive with concerts, seasonal celebrations, cultural festivals, parades, and community gatherings that bring both locals and visitors downtown. Signature events like the Traditional Spanish Market, SWAIA Indian Market, and Fiestas de Santa Fe are among the city’s best-known, but even on quieter days, you’ll often find musicians performing, artists displaying their work, or neighbors simply enjoying one of Santa Fe’s favorite gathering places.
Why does Santa Fe have such a distinctive architectural style?
One walk around Santa Fe Plaza makes it clear that Santa Fe doesn’t look like many other American cities, and that’s by design. While adobe construction has deep roots in the region, the city’s Historic Zoning Ordinance, adopted in 1957, helped preserve the Spanish-Pueblo and Territorial architectural traditions that define historic Santa Fe today. The result is a downtown where new construction respects centuries of history, giving the city a character that feels authentic rather than recreated.
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