Santa Fe Highlights

This Tour Comes From...

An image of the book: Crossing America: National Geographic's Guide to the Interstate

Crossing America: National Geographic's Guide to the Interstates

For more National Geographic travel guides—from Europe to Antarctica and everywhere in between—visit National Geographic Books >>

1609-10, Spanish settlers erected the Palace of the Governors (+1 505 827 6483. Adm. fee for museum) on the central plaza. Considered the oldest capitol building in the United States, it served as the capital of this part of New Spain for two centuries. Today it houses an excellent museum, and its porticos serve as a thriving bazaar for Native Americans selling pottery and jewelry. CONTINUED

(Continued From Top)

At El Rancho de las Golondrinas living history museum, a woman strings dried chili peppers into a ristra, a kind of garland sometimes hung as a sign of welcome.

Photograph © Dave G. Houser/Corbis

Legend has it that the bell in 17th-century San Miguel Chapel (401 Old Santa Fe Trail. +1 505 983 3974) was cast in 1356 from 780 pounds [353.8 kilograms] of copper, silver, and gold. Just down the street is the Loretto Chapel (211 Old Santa Fe Trail. +1 505 984 7971. Adm. fee), one of the first Gothic churches built west of the Mississippi. Its spiral staircase was constructed without nails or visible support.

Sculpted in Spanish revival style, Santa Fe’s Museum of Fine Arts is one of the few major U.S. art galleries established by artists themselves.

Photograph © Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis

A cluster of museums overlooks the city 2 miles [3.2 kilometers] southeast of the plaza. These include the Museum of International Folk Art (706 Camino Lejo. +1 505 827 6463. Closed Mon. Jan.-Feb.; Adm. fee), noted for its Hispanic folk art, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (710 Camino Lejo. +1 505 827 8941. Closed Mon. Jan.-Feb.; Adm. fee), with displays of magnificent Pueblo pottery.