Introduction to Santa Fe

After visiting Santa Fe, Will Rogers reportedly once said, "Whoever designed this town did so while riding on a jackass backwards and drunk." You, too, may find yourself perplexed when maneuvering through the meandering lanes and one-way streets in this, the oldest capital city in the United States.

But Santa Fe's crooked streets, combined with its Pueblo-style architecture and setting at the base of elegantly sloping mountains, provide a sense of exotic sophistication. Just remember to pack your walking shoes, because exploring the city by foot is the best way to get a feel for its idiosyncrasies. And if you do get lost, ask one of the 70,000 inhabitants living here -- 7,000 feet above sea level -- for directions.

Native Americans enlighten the area with viewpoints and lifestyles deeply tied to nature and completely contrary to the American norm. Many of the Hispanics in this area still live within extended families and practice a devout Catholicism; they bring a slower pace to the city and an appreciation for deep-rooted ties. Meanwhile, a strong cosmopolitan element contributes cutting-edge cuisine, world-class opera, first-run art films, and some of the finest artwork in the world.

Like most cities of Hispanic origin, Santa Fe contains a plaza in its center. Here, you'll find tall shade trees and lots of grass. The area is full of restaurants, shops, art galleries, and museums, many within centuries-old buildings, and is dominated by the beautiful St. Francis Cathedral, a French Romanesque structure.

On the plaza, you'll see Native Americans selling jewelry under the portal of the Palace of the Governors, teenagers in souped-up low-riders cruising along, and people young and old hanging out in the ice cream parlor. Such diversity, coupled with the variety of architecture -- which ranges from Pueblo-style to Romanesque to Gothic -- prompted the tourism department here to begin calling this city the "City Different."

Not far away is Canyon Road, a narrow, mostly one-way street packed with galleries and shops. Once it was the home of many artists, and today you'll still find some who work within gallery studios. There are a number of fine restaurants in this district as well.

Farther to the east slopes the rugged Sangre de Cristo range. Locals spend a lot of time in these mountains -- picnicking, hiking, and skiing. When you look up at the mountains, you see the peak of Santa Fe Baldy (with an elevation of over 12,600 ft.). Back in town, to the south of the plaza, is the Santa Fe River, a tiny tributary of the Rio Grande that is little more than a trickle for much of the year.

North is the Española Valley, and beyond that, the village of Taos, about 66 miles away. South of the city are ancient Native American turquoise mines in the Cerrillos Hills, and to the southwest is metropolitan Albuquerque, some 58 miles away. To the west, across the Caja del Rio Plateau, is the Rio Grande, and beyond that, the 11,000-foot Jemez Mountains and Valle Grande -- an ancient and massive volcanic caldera. Pueblos dot the entire Rio Grande Valley, within an hour's drive in any direction.