Chapter I

Santa Fe Sketch Book

HISTORY
AND SKETCHES
OF THE CITY DIFFERENT

Santa Fe Sketch Book

Published by Ewen Enterprises

Santa Fe Plaza

During the 1600's, the Santa Fe Plaza extended to the approximate position of the present Cathedral.

All official, religious, and military functions of Santa Fe took place in the Plaza, around which were the government buildings, the jail, customs house and the residences of prominent citizens. The center of the Plaza was a market place and the scene of social meetings, fiestas, and cock fights and also the location of the public stock and flogging post.

In 1884 Governor Martinez de Lejanza erected a wooden bullring in the Plaza but it was torn down a few months later after it had served as an ambush for the Ute Indians who attempted an attack on the Palace and the Governor. It was in the Plaza that the Pueblo Indians revolted against the Spanish rule in 1680; it was here they capitulated to General Don Diego De Vargas in 1693. The Plaza was also the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail from Missouri and El Camino Real from Chihuahua.

The Cathedral of St. Francis

The Cathedral of St. Francis stands prominent at the east end of San Francisco Street in Santa Fe. Long a dream of world famous Archbishop John B. Lamy, the Cathedral became a reality (1869-1886). The bishop himself chose the unusual stone and because certain pioneer Santa Fe merchants were so helpful with time and money, he allowed a stone marked with the Star of David to be placed in the center arch of the main doorway.

As a commemoration of the Reconquest, and to honor the vow of De Vargas in 1693, a yearly procession carries the wooden statue of the Saint La Conquistadora to the Rosario Chapel, and back, from the Cathedral.

Like Santa Fe is "different", so are its museums. The Museum of Navajo Ceremonial Art, conceived and founded in 1937 by Miss Mary Cabot Wheelright, serves to preserve the art, culture and religion of the Navajo Indian race. Most famous are the sand paintings.

The Museum of International Folk Art displays, exhibits, holds lectures and demonstrates folk art and crafts from many countries and regions of the world.

This cluster of distinctive buildings are located off the old Santa Fe Trail.

Another unit of the museums of New Mexico is the Laboratory of Anthropology. Primarily a research center, the museum houses a collection of Indian pottery, textiles and jewelry.

The San Miguel Chapel

THE OLDEST CHURCH STILL IN USE IN THE U.S. IS THE SAN MIGUEL CHAPEL. One can feel the original adobe altar, walls and floor of this structure built in 1610 by the Tlaxcala Indians under the direction of the Franciscan Padres.

Restored, and hanging in the church are many fine old paintings, Icons and excellent wood carvings.

The oldest bell in USA is there for anyone to touch and ring. The six-hundred-year old bell was brought from Spain having been cast in 1356. The casting contains silver and gold from the jewelry, rings and necklaces of the faithful from the village of San Jose, Andalucia, Spain. A Santa Fean, Senora Loreta Baca Ortiz, ordered the famous bell to be brought to San Miguel Chapel in 1712.

Sena Plaza

Sena Plaza Courtyard

Note the inspiring flowing style of the FINE ARTS MUSEUM, on the Plaza in Santa Fe. The massive facade has six of the ancient Franciscan mission churches reproduced; all without destroying the unity of its appearance. They are: Acoma, San Felipe, Cochiti, Laguna, Santa Ana and Pecos.

A central patio has shady cloisters, carved corbels and primitive pillars and vigas.

Other historical and architectural features include the ceilings, floors, benches, carvings of the grills, the reproduction of the doors of Santa Clara and the Needle's Eye, along with the great painting of St. Francis--all truly a work of art to display great art treasure.

Cross of The Martyrs

New Mexico State Capitol

Canyon Road

El Zaguan on Canyon Road

El Zaguan the charming old hacienda with the long passageway from the house-to-the-patio-to-the-garden. A garden laid out by Adolph Bandelier with peony bushes and horse-chestnut trees over 100 years old.

Originally the James L. Johnson place in 1849, it became 24 rooms with a private chapel and a "chocolate room".

Santa Fe Ski Basin

Santa Fe Opera

Miraculous Stairway

El Cristo Rey

Over 200,000 hand-made mud bricks were used to build the imposing Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe. Housed within is the stone reredos, which were originally commissioned by Gov. Marin del Valle in 1760.

Massive on the outside, the interior is elegant in extreme detail.

This hidden courtyard has unusual charm acquired with age. It is part of the original Donaciano Vigil house of the 1830's. Vigil was Secretary to Gov. Manuel Armijo during the Mexican regime, as Secretary of New Mexico under Gov. Kearney in 1846, and later as Civil Governor among other prominent positions.

The Palace of the Governors

Stately and historic, the Palace of the Governors on the Plaza in old Santa Fe was part of extensive Casa Reales as constructed in 1610-12 as the larger portion of a fortress and house of government for the Kingdom of New Mexico under Spanish rule.

Now, officially the Museum of New Mexico, it houses a magnificent collection of early Spanish and Indian artifacts and The Hall of the Modern Indian, to the rear of the patio, has an entire Pueblo reconstruction.

These venerable walls housed the governments of the Pueblo Indians from 1680 to the DeVargas Reconquest, the Spanish Empire 1610-1680 and 1693-1821; The Empire of Mexico 1821-1822; the Republic of Mexico 1823-1846; the U.S. Territory of New Mexico 1846-1900, and for a short time in 1862 for the U.S. Confederate Army.

The wide, long, Portal of the Palace of the Governors where the Pueblo Indians display and sell their crafts.

The Bishop's Chapel, north of Santa Fe, built for Archbishop John Lamy, and featured in the book, "Death Comes for the Archbishop" by Willa Cather.

Restful beauty immortalizing the man and his mission.

St. John's College, in Santa Fe, the western campus of the parent 238 year old Annapolis, Md. College of great high learning. St. John's offers a rare adventure in liberal education to ambitious young men and women.

The headmaster of the Santa Fe Preparatory School explains that this outstanding prep. school offers grades 7, 8, 9, 10 and later 11 and 12 for solid basic preparatory education for both boys and girls.

Dynamic growing St. Michael's College on the south end of Santa Fe, founded by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. St. Michael's is open to male students seeking B.A., B.B.A. and B.S. Degrees, plus a professional curricula in engineering, medicine, dentistry, law and teaching.

The same original Indian Dances of religious and cultural significance are held at various times of the year at the many Pueblos of New Mexico. (Consult the local Chamber of Commerce for dates.)

Indian Pueblos of New Mexico

ACOMA--14 miles southwest of Laguna Pueblo
COCHITI--30 miles southwest of Santa Fe
ISLETA--13 miles south of Albuquerque
JEMEZ--30 miles northwest of Bernalillo
LAGUNA--50 miles west of Albuquerque
NAMBE--Five miles east of Pojoaque
SANDIA--14 miles north of Albuquerque
SAN FELIPE--Ten miles north of Bernalillo
SAN ILDEFONSO--Five miles west of Pojoaque
SAN JUAN--Five miles north of Espanola
SAN LORENZO (Picuris)--20 miles south of Taos
SANTA ANA--Eight miles northwest of Bernalillo
SANTA CLARA--Two miles south of Espanola
SANTO DOMINGO--31 miles southwest of Santa Fe
TAOS--Two and one-half miles north of Taos
TESUQUE--Ten miles north of Santa Fe
ZIA--16 miles northwest of Bernalillo
ZUNI--39 miles south of Gallup

Tesuque Pueblo

The Battle of The Glorieta Pass

A series of Civil War skirmishes along Apache Canyon, March 27-28, 1862, between Texas Mounted Volunteers and Union Troops, mostly Colorado Volunteers, climaxed with a decisive battle at Pigeon's Ranch and the burning of Confederate supply wagons at Canoncita, brought a swift end to Southern hopes for taking over New Mexico. The battle saved the West for the Union.

Zozobra

Fiesta

Rodeo de Santa Fe

Hyde Park

The Pecos Wilderness

Historic Pecos Mission

Up Truchas town way look for weather beaten crosses along the road, or out on the hills and you will know you are in Penitente country. These very religious people followed Christ in a "true" way at each Easter time.

The El Santuario Mission church is not only a picturesque structure, but it is also famed for its chamber of healing mud; a Lourdes of New Mexico.

The famous Chimayo rugs and blankets are woven in this area.

Los Cerrillos

The sun-drenched ghost town of Los Cerrillos, (Little Hills) lies quiet today, but it was host to many notables like Theodore Roosevelt and Lew Wallace, a former Governor of N.M. and who also wrote "Ben Hur".

When gold was discovered in the 1800's Cerillos was a whangdoodle western wide-open town. It hadn't changed much over the years to 1958 when Walt Disney came and filmed the "Nine Lives of Elfego Baca" using the main Saloon which still stands today, in the same old way.

Camel Rock

Strange And Unusual

Santa Fe Trail

While oxen and covered wagons plied the Santa Fe Trail in the early days, much of that trail is now paved and the road bears that same name.

Transcriber's Notes

--Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.

--Provided additional bibliographic information based on copyright
research.

--Silently corrected a few palpable typos.

--In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
_underscores_.

End of Project Gutenberg's Santa Fe Sketch Book, by Lewis Edward Ewen