From our Archivies
Do you know the way to San Jose” a 1968 Dionne Warwick song sounds a lot like Santa Fe. A quick google search will prove I am not the only to make that mistake. Either way song or no song Santa Fe is more than worth your visit.
Originally inhabited by the Tewa Indians and known by them as OghaPo’oge for several thousand years before the first Spanish settlement. This came much later in 1610 and is recognized as the oldest Capital city in the US. Santa Fe translates into (Holy Faith) its full name is Santa Fe de Francisco de Assis. Don Juan de Onate led the first European effort to colonize this area in 1598, then came the Pueblo Indian revolution in 1680 that drove out the settlers. This area went through the Mexican revolution and at one point even had a confederate flag flew there.
There is no doubt that this part of the US must be one of the most historically rich regions in our country. And if you visit this area, you will find evidence of that in all parts of this area. Whether it is in architecture or the people itself, it is still there.
Before I get into the visual sites, I want to acknowledge the people and my perception of the area’s vibe. Austin has keep “Austin weird” as an often-used slogan. If I was giving Santa Fe a slogan it might be “Keep Santa Fe Chill” or maybe “No hurry, no worries” I never saw the kind of aggressive driving. that is normal sorry to say in the D/ FW metroplex. And of course, it would be easy to point out that Santa Fe does not begin to have the traffic that D/ FW has. That is true but believe me I have had that experience in say Lubbock for one. So, it goes further than mere numbers to explain this laid-back feeling, people were friendly, heck even pets were welcomed to its shops and stores, even Walmart. So, to the people of Santa Fe, I say Stay Chill and don’t go changing (Wait I think that’s a title to another song).
Now let’s visit Old Town, this area is full of shopping opportunities for all that includes handmade Indian jewelry, drums and much more. As for restaurants and adult beverages you can find those aplenty as well, as for me I found the food at the El Palalcio café to my liking. However, there is no shortage of choices for any age group or taste. In addition, you will likely run into live music and dance depending on the day and time you visit. And while some may say it sounds like other tourist cities I have visited, I say not so much, this area has that little something extra.
A large part of the extra is the Loretto Chapel that has been the subject of many articles, TV shows including Unsolved Mysteries and a made for TV movie titled The Staircase. The chapel dates to 1878 and according to legend it all started with a need to access the choir loft. The choir loft was 22 feet above the floor with very limited space. The dilemma was how to reach that area without eating up valuable space for the worshipers. Many area carpenters were called in for help, but no one could figure a way to save space without using a ladder.
Well as the saying goes “Where there is a will there is a way” however this way would have to come through divine intervention. So, the church nuns decided that they would turn to the patron Saint of Carpenters St. Joseph for help. So, they prayed a Novena to St. Joseph for help and on the 9th and final day their prayers were answered. A man riding in on a donkey with a toolbox walked in, unlike the others he was up for the job. According to the legend he completed the job in a few months and then left without pay or a thank you. He built a spiral staircase with was very different from that time, it had 360-degree angles and no visible means of support. In fact, many experts today are still perplexed at how he could have done that. After making an all-out effort to find this a head of his time carpenters, even running an Ad in local newspaper, the nuns concluded it must have been St. Joseph himself. You decide for yourself but if you are in this area this is for sure a Can’t’ miss stop. “Well as the saying goes ‘Where there is a will there is a way’ however this way would have to come through divine intervention
As for me I look forward to making another visit to Santa Fe AKA “No hurries, no worries”
By A. Govea
