[Edit]
Santa Fe (Spanish, "Holy Faith"; full form: La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís, English: Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi) is the capital of New Mexico, a state of the United States of America.
It has a population of around 62,203 (2000) and is the county seat of Santa Fe County. It is the principal city of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Santa Fe County. The elevation of Santa Fe is nearly 7,000 feet (2,132 meters) above sea level compared with approximately 5,352 ft for Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Arts and Culture
Sculpture
The city is well-known as a center for many arts and all reflect the multi-cultural character of the city.
There are many outdoor sculptures, including many statues of Saint Francis, and several other holy people, such as Kateri Tekakwitha. Given that Saint Francis was known for his love of animals it is not surprising that there are great numbers of representations of crows, bulls, elephants, livestock and other beasts, all over town. The styles run the whole spectrum from Baroque to Post-modern.
Artists and art galleries
Canyon Road, east of the Plaza, has the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, and is a major destination for tourists and locals. Santa Fe's art market is the third largest in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles, and the Canyon Road galleries showcase a wide array of contemporary Southwestern, indigenous American, and experimental art, in addition to older Russian, Taos Masters, and Native American pieces.
The town and the surrounding areas have a high concentration of artists. They have come over the decades to capture on canvas and in other media the natural beauty of the landscape, the flora and the fauna. One of the most well-known New Mexico-based artists was Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived for a time in Santa Fe but primarily in Abiquiu, a small village 35 miles away. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe is named after her, and it is devoted to exhibitions of her work and associated artists or related themes. As of March 2006, it will hold about one thousand of her works in all media.
Music and opera
Music and opera are well represented in Santa Fe with the annual Santa Fe Opera productions, which take place between late June and late August each year, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival which is also held at the same time, mostly in the recently-refurbished movie theatre, the Lensic Theater, now a major performing arts venue.
Museums
Santa Fe has lots of world-class museums. Many are located around Plaza in downtown, and Museum Hill district.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
- The Museum of New Mexico
- Museum of Fine Arts - collections of Southwestern Arts.
- Museum of International Folk Art - various kinds of artistic stuff for every-day use, from jewerlies to toys.
- Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Laboratory of Anthropology - exhibits Native American arts and photographs
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indians - Native American potteries
- Institute of American Indian Arts Museum - Native American arts with political aspects.
- Museum of Spanish Colonial Art - arts during Spanish-colonial era.
Writers and other art forms
Performance artists and authors followed the influx of specialists in the visual arts. Famous writers like Cormac McCarthy, Roger Zelazny, and Jack Schaefer have been residents.
Tourism
After State government, tourism is a major aspect of the Santa Fe economy, with visitors attracted year-round by the climate and related outdoor activities (such as skiing in years of adequate snowfall; hiking in other seasons) plus cultural activities of the city and the region.
Most tourist activity takes place in the historic downtown, especially on and around the Plaza, a one-block square adjacent to the Palace of the Governors, the original seat of New Mexico's territorial government since the time of Spanish colonization. Other areas include “Museum Hill”, the site of the major art museums of the city, and the Canyon Road arts area with its galleries.
Some visitors find Santa Fe particularly attractive around the second week of September when the aspens in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains turn yellow and the skies are clear and blue. This is also the time of the annual Fiesta to celebrate the "reconquering" of New Mexico by Don Diego DeVargas, a highlight is when Santa Feans burn Zozobra, a fifty-foot puppet also called "Old Man Gloom".
Within easy striking distance for day-trips is the town of Taos, about 70 miles North and the historic Bandelier National Monument about 30 miles away. Santa Fe's ski area, Ski Santa Fe, is about 16 miles north of the city.
Smokers should be aware that the City Council recently passed a strict anti-smoking ordinance that bans smoking in all businesses and public places in the city. Bars are no longer allowed to set aside a smoking area.
Sorry, no tips were foundIt has a population of around 62,203 (2000) and is the county seat of Santa Fe County. It is the principal city of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Santa Fe County. The elevation of Santa Fe is nearly 7,000 feet (2,132 meters) above sea level compared with approximately 5,352 ft for Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Arts and Culture
Sculpture
The city is well-known as a center for many arts and all reflect the multi-cultural character of the city.
There are many outdoor sculptures, including many statues of Saint Francis, and several other holy people, such as Kateri Tekakwitha. Given that Saint Francis was known for his love of animals it is not surprising that there are great numbers of representations of crows, bulls, elephants, livestock and other beasts, all over town. The styles run the whole spectrum from Baroque to Post-modern.
Artists and art galleries
Canyon Road, east of the Plaza, has the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, and is a major destination for tourists and locals. Santa Fe's art market is the third largest in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles, and the Canyon Road galleries showcase a wide array of contemporary Southwestern, indigenous American, and experimental art, in addition to older Russian, Taos Masters, and Native American pieces.
The town and the surrounding areas have a high concentration of artists. They have come over the decades to capture on canvas and in other media the natural beauty of the landscape, the flora and the fauna. One of the most well-known New Mexico-based artists was Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived for a time in Santa Fe but primarily in Abiquiu, a small village 35 miles away. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe is named after her, and it is devoted to exhibitions of her work and associated artists or related themes. As of March 2006, it will hold about one thousand of her works in all media.
Music and opera
Music and opera are well represented in Santa Fe with the annual Santa Fe Opera productions, which take place between late June and late August each year, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival which is also held at the same time, mostly in the recently-refurbished movie theatre, the Lensic Theater, now a major performing arts venue.
Museums
Santa Fe has lots of world-class museums. Many are located around Plaza in downtown, and Museum Hill district.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
- The Museum of New Mexico
- Museum of Fine Arts - collections of Southwestern Arts.
- Museum of International Folk Art - various kinds of artistic stuff for every-day use, from jewerlies to toys.
- Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Laboratory of Anthropology - exhibits Native American arts and photographs
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indians - Native American potteries
- Institute of American Indian Arts Museum - Native American arts with political aspects.
- Museum of Spanish Colonial Art - arts during Spanish-colonial era.
Writers and other art forms
Performance artists and authors followed the influx of specialists in the visual arts. Famous writers like Cormac McCarthy, Roger Zelazny, and Jack Schaefer have been residents.
Tourism
After State government, tourism is a major aspect of the Santa Fe economy, with visitors attracted year-round by the climate and related outdoor activities (such as skiing in years of adequate snowfall; hiking in other seasons) plus cultural activities of the city and the region.
Most tourist activity takes place in the historic downtown, especially on and around the Plaza, a one-block square adjacent to the Palace of the Governors, the original seat of New Mexico's territorial government since the time of Spanish colonization. Other areas include “Museum Hill”, the site of the major art museums of the city, and the Canyon Road arts area with its galleries.
Some visitors find Santa Fe particularly attractive around the second week of September when the aspens in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains turn yellow and the skies are clear and blue. This is also the time of the annual Fiesta to celebrate the "reconquering" of New Mexico by Don Diego DeVargas, a highlight is when Santa Feans burn Zozobra, a fifty-foot puppet also called "Old Man Gloom".
Within easy striking distance for day-trips is the town of Taos, about 70 miles North and the historic Bandelier National Monument about 30 miles away. Santa Fe's ski area, Ski Santa Fe, is about 16 miles north of the city.
Smokers should be aware that the City Council recently passed a strict anti-smoking ordinance that bans smoking in all businesses and public places in the city. Bars are no longer allowed to set aside a smoking area.
Last edited by Gary (6:23, 09 August 2006)
Add Your Tip