Invite Ana Pacheco to your next office retreat or company luncheon! Her series on Santa Fe’s diverse history will enhance your love of Santa Fe. In doing so, your employees will attain a better understanding of doing business in the capital city.
Founded in 1610, Santa Fe has been the capital city under Spain, Mexico and most recently, the United States. Designated America’s first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Creative City in 2005, Santa Fe is home to people from around the world. Surrounded by ancient indigenous communities the story of Santa Fe comes alive through its unique history.
The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico are believed to be descendants of the Anasazi who populated the Four Corners region of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. During the 13th century the Pueblo Indians began settlements along major rivers, primarily the Rio Grande, which begins in south-central Colorado and flows through to the Gulf of Mexico. The most significant historical event in New Mexico was the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 when the pueblos successfully drove all the Spanish colonists out of the state for twelve years.
Just as the Native Americans were forced to convert to Christianity while secretly honoring their own spirituality, many of New Mexico’s early Spanish settlers also practiced a hidden faith. They were the Sephardic Jews who had eluded the Inquisition under the guise of being conversos, Jews who had converted to Catholicism. They became known as crypto-Jews because they practiced their Jewish faith secretly while presenting a different persona to the public. Of the 19 founding families of Santa Fe, 11 our believed to have been Jewish.
Photography began in Europe around 1839. The earliest image of the Santa Fe Plaza was taken in 1851, twelve years after the advent of photography. Most of Santa Fe’s first photographers travelled along the Santa Fe Trail with their bulky equipment to get to the Capital City. Since the mid-19th century, photographers have captured the essence of Santa Fe documenting history one image at a time.
April 30, 1926 was the day that the numerical designation for U.S. Route 66 was assigned. This year April 30, 2026 will mark the official kick-off for 100th anniversary. Learn about the people that trekked through eight states and three time zones in search of a better life via Route 66, America’s Mother Road.
The genesis of Santa Fe as an art mecca begins with Neolithic artifacts, the decorative shards of pottery from the 13th century. Iconic idolatry followed in the 1600s with the arrival of the Spanish colonists. By the mid-19th century, the third wave of artists trickled in, some as military mapmakers who did their part to secure the region for the United States. Finally, it was tuberculosis, the leading cause of death in this country from 1880 through 1940 that solidified the foundation of Santa Fe as a major art center.
A look at the demise of some fascinating people who left on an interesting note.
A unique overview of historic events that could have only happened in Santa Fe.
A Tribute to the Trailblazers during March’s Women in History Month and throughout the year
Georgia O’Keeffe is the most widely recognized female artist of the 20th century whose name has become synonymous with the forever changing breathtaking landscapes of New Mexico. The artist’s legacy was propelled early on by her biggest fan, her husband and fellow artist, Alfred Stieglitz.
As a result of the Mexican American War, a third of Mexico’s territory was handed over to the Americans as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The floodgates of old European-based religions opened, and Santa Fe was to be transformed.
The Pajarito plateau is a volcanic plateau in central New Mexico. It’s a part of the Jemez Mountains bounded to the west of the Valles Caldera, one of America’s super volcanoes. How this obscure mesa in northern New Mexico becomes the birthplace of the atomic bomb.
The tradition of subterranean church internment during the 17th & 18th centuries in Spain and Mexico was also followed in New Mexico. Special care was given to ensure that the cadaver’s head was positioned to the east because it was believed that Christ’s resurrection would come from that direction. An historic overview of caring for the dead in New Mexico that still reverberates today.
Santa Fe continues to attract people from all walks of life. Many are drawn to the physical beauty of its high-mountain desert. The quaint adobe architecture and temperate weather are also enticing, but mostly it’s the muddle of humanity that kept life interesting. Long before Santa Fe was dubbed the “City Different” during the middle of the last century, its small population was already a microcosm of a bigger reality.
There were around 250 men, a few with wives, children and servants, who came to New Mexico as soldier-settlers between 1598 and 1601. The story of the endurance of the people who created the only permanent, continuous Spanish outpost in the United States.
Since the mid-19th century, visionary pioneers have studied, captivated and enhanced the legacy of the ancient civilizations surrounding Santa Fe. Some were just passing through; others decided to stay, becoming part of the culture.
Edward Sheriff Curtis came to New Mexico to preserve the dignity of the proud people that he first encountered in 1900. He produced a twenty-five-volume series that featured over 2,000 original photos. Today, his remarkable oeuvre can be found in public and private collections around the world. The Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe has the complete set of The North American Indian.
From the late 19th century until 1940 tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in the United States. Many people that came west seeking treatment of the disease decided to stay. The ones who survived contributed greatly to the vitality of Santa Fe and the state of New Mexico.
This is the story of a woman who blazed the trail for thousands and was known to six U.S. presidents, 19 New Mexico governors, people in Washington and Hollywood and the people of New Mexico as Concha!
Cultural traditions during the Advent season that are just as relevant today as they were four hundred years ago.
On November 8, 2025 the Taylor-Mesilla Historic site opened in southern New Mexico. The eighth state monument is located four miles from Las Cruces in the village of Mesilla. The historic site is the culmination of the visionary Doña Ana’s statesman J. Paul Taylor. The Taylor-Romero family legacy dates back to the firt Spanish settlement in New Mexico.
The scourge of tuberculosis during the latter part of the 19th century brought many creative people chasing the cure to Santa Fe. Further north a flat tire resulted in the first art colony in Taos, New Mexico in 1898. Years later this art movement became the Taos modernists which helped to define abstract art in this country.
Catholicism was ingrained in New Mexico’s early history. With the passing of time some of its churches and the people that built them have faded away. Revisiting a foundation of spirituality throughout the state.
The forced conversion of the indigenous to Catholicism by the Spaniards lead to the most historically significant event in New Mexico history with the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. It was the only time in north American history where the oppressed defeated their oppressor.
A wealthy oil heiress, Mabel Dodge Luhan, was a patron to many creative souls in London, Paris and New York. The story of one woman’s cultural impact througout throughouy the world that is still relevant in New Mexico today.
For centuries Hispanic New Mexicans relied on their belief in the saints to get them through their daily lives. A whimsical look at a celestial solution living in today’s crazy world and a guide to salvation.
Winston Churchill once said: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” An overview of the world today that failed to heed this advice.
Millions of people around the world will venerate the Mexican Madonna on the Catholic feast day of December 12th. The history of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her spiritual impact in the state of New Mexico.