Santa Fe (/ˌsæntə ˈfeɪ, ˈsæntə feɪ/ SAN-tə FAY, - fay; Spanish: [santaˈfe]) is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents,[5] Santa Fe is the fourth-most populous city in the state,[6] and part of the Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Los Alamos combined statistical area, which had a population of 1,162,523 in 2020. Situated at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the city is at the highest altitude of any U.S. state capital, with an elevation of 7,199 feet (2,194 m).[7]
Founded in 1610 as the capital of Nuevo México, a province of New Spain, Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the United States and the earliest European settlement west of the Mississippi River. Its name is Spanish for "Holy Faith", and an abbreviation of its formal name, La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís—"the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi".[8][9]
The province of Nuevo México became a territory of Mexico after Mexican independence from Spain in 1821. It was ceded to the United States in 1848 following the Mexican–American War, and in 1851 Santa Fe was named the capital of the U.S. Territory of New Mexico. It became New Mexico's state capital in 1912.[10] The city prospered as the region's leading commercial and transportation hub for both Europeans and Native Americans,[11] driven by lucrative trade and migration routes such as El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and the Santa Fe Trail. Santa Fe maintained its status as the political and cultural center of New Mexico throughout the Spanish, Mexican, and American periods, which have each impacted the city's development and character.
Blending indigenous, Spanish, and American influences, Santa Fe is considered the cultural capital of the American southwest,[12] and is widely regarded as one of the country's great art cities due to its vibrant art scene.[13][14] In 2005, it was the first U.S. city inducted into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.[15] Santa Fe hosts over 250 art galleries, a large concentration of museums, and three annual art events: the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market; the Traditional Spanish Colonial Market and the Indian Market. One-tenth of all employment is related to artistic and cultural industries, with writers and authors comprising the highest proportion of the labor force of any U.S. city.[11]
Santa Fe's cultural highlights include Santa Fe Plaza, Santa Fe Historic District, the Palace of the Governors, and Fiesta de Santa Fe; the city is also known for its contributions to New Mexican cuisine and New Mexico music. Among Santa Fe's many artistic institutions are the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the Chuck Jones Gallery, and the art collective Meow Wolf. The cityscape is known for its adobe-style Pueblo Revival and Territorial Revival architecture, much of which is preserved and protected.[16]
Before European colonization of the Americas, the area Santa Fe occupied between 900 CE and the 1500s was known to the Tewa peoples as Oghá P'o'oge[a] ("white shell water place", one of a number of places named for their water access)[18] and by the Navajo people as Yootó ("bead" + "water place").[citation needed]
In 1598, Juan de Oñate established the area as Santa Fe de Nuevo México, a province of New Spain.[18] Formal Spanish settlements were developed leading the colonial governor Pedro de Peralta to rename the area La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís ("the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi").[18]
The area of Santa Fe was originally occupied by indigenous Tanoan peoples, who lived in numerous Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande. One of the earliest known settlements in what is known as downtown Santa Fe today came sometime after 900 AD. A group of native Tewa built a cluster of homes that centered around the site of today's Plaza and spread for