Santa Fe National Historic Trail (Part 1)

Cimarron, NM is a village along the Santa Fe National Historic Trail that got its name from the Spanish word cimarrón, which means “wild” or “untamed.” In 1973, 1,940 acres of the village was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Cimarron Historic District.

In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain and lifted trade barriers with the United States. This prompted the deeply in debt William Becknell to lead a small party west from Franklin, MO along old indigenous routes to trade and sell goods in Santa Fe, NM, establishing the Santa Fe Trail. Many other traders soon followed along various routes of the trail. For much of the first two decades, the Santa Fe Trail was dominated by American traders heading west and most wagon traffic took the Cimarron Cutoff. By the 1840s, New Mexican traders heading east dominated the trail and the longer Mountain Branch along the Arkansas River became more popular due to better water access. During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the U.S. utilized the Santa Fe Trail to quickly transport soldiers and supplies to New Mexico. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war and annexed New Mexico as a U.S. territory. Cimarron became a major stop on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail and found prosperity in the 1850s and 1860s. The village was part of a massive land grant owned by Lucien Maxwell that included 1.7 million acres of Colfax County, NM and Las Animas County, CO. In 1870, Maxwell sold the land grant to an English syndicate which eventually led to the Colfax County War. This range war began in 1873 when the new owners tried to remove settlers from the land that they bought and the locals refused to leave, resulting in conflict and violence that lasted until 1888. By 1873, western expansion of railroads led to the construction of the Granada-Fort Union Military Route to better supply Fort Union and traffic along the Santa Fe Trail largely shifted to this new road. Travel along the Santa Fe Trail largely ceased about halfway through the Colfax County War after the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached Lamy near Santa Fe in 1879. The Santa Fe Trail was designated as Santa Fe National Historic Trail in 1987 to increase awareness and protection of the former trade route which covers 1,203 miles across Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico.

In 1872, Henri Lambert opened “Lambert’s Saloon,” which became the site of numerous killings during the Colfax County War. Davy Crockett, a descendant of the frontiersman with the same name, killed three Buffalo Soldiers inside the bar in 1876. In 1880, Lambert expanded the business into the Saint James Hotel. Many famous outlaws stayed at the hotel, including Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Billy the Kid, “Black Jack” Ketchum, Clay Allison, and Thomas James Wright. 

The Saint James Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1968.

Santa Fe, NM is the oldest European established capital city in the United States that remains a capital city. At 7,199 feet, it is also the highest state capital in the country. Santa Fe Plaza preserves various structures in the Pueblo, Spanish Colonial, and Territorial styles that reflect its long and rich history. Here at the center of the plaza once stood the controversial Soldiers’ Monument. The memorial was erected in 1867-1868 and dedicated to Union soldiers killed in the New Mexico Territory during the Civil War as well as “the heroes who have fallen in the various battles with the savage Indians in the territory of New Mexico.” Although the derogatory language referencing indigenous peoples was widely considered racist, preservationists blocked efforts to replace the monument for decades starting in the 19th century. In 1974, the word “savage” was chiseled off by an anonymous man. Finally, on October 12, 2020, Indigenous People's Day, protestors toppled the obelisk portion of the monument. In response, the city boarded up the pedestal as well as a memorial to Kit Carson and removed a statue of Diego de Vargas.

Santa Fe is Spanish for “Holy Faith” and the name can be traced back to the town of Santa Fe de la Vega in the Andalusia region of Spain, which has been called the “Hispanic Cradle.” Santa Fe de la Vega was founded c. 1491 by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I of Castile who held court there while sieging Granada to the east. The surrender of Granada the following year brought an end to the Reconquista, a nearly 800-year period of military campaigns by Christian kingdoms against the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Santa Fe de la Vega was also where Christopher Columbus signed the Capitulations of Santa Fe in 1492, securing funds for his first voyage to the Americas.

From around the 900s CE to the 1500s CE, the area of Santa Fe, NM was occupied by Puebloans and Navajos. The Tewa peoples knew it as Oghá P'o'oge, or “White Shell Water Place,” while the Navajo called it Yootó, or “Bead” + “Water Place.” In 1598, Juan de Oñate y Salazar became the first governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, or “Holy Faith of New Mexico,” in the Virreinato de Nueva España, or “Viceroyalty of New Spain.” He led an expedition north from Santa Bárbara (Mexico) following Native American trade routes and the Río del Norte (Rio Grande) to establish the first permanent Spanish settlement in the northern territory. At first, the colonists camped by the Tewa pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, which Oñate renamed San Juan de los Caballeros. The following year, the group moved into a nearby abandoned pueblo called Yunque that they renamed San Gabriel de los Españoles. By 1607, Oñate had created plans for the founding of Santa Fe but could no longer support the colony without assistance from the crown and resigned. Later that year, Juan Martínez de Montoya established the settlement as La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís, or “The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi,” which remains the full legal name of the city today. The viceroy appointed Juan Martínez de Montoya as governor but the cabildo (municipal council) rejected him and reelected Oñate. When he declined, the cabildo selected his son Cristóbal de Oñate to serve as governor until a more qualified candidate was sent. The viceroy then appointed Pedro de Peralta governor and he assumed the position upon his arrival in 1610. Peralta immediately moved the capital from San Gabriel to Santa Fe and had his men build a walled fort around the settlement to defend against potential attacks by natives. Santa Fe Plaza became the social and economic center of the town, where Native Americans traded goods with the Spanish. As for Juan de Oñate y Salazar, he was recalled to Mexico City where he was eventually convicted of multiple crimes committed during his governorship, including cruelty to indigenous peoples and colonists. He was banished from Santa Fe de Nuevo México for life and exiled from Mexico City for five years. After returning to Spain, the king appointed him head of all mining inspectors and he died in 1626. Juan de Oñate y Salazar is now commonly referred to as "the Last Conquistador."

The Palace of the Governors is an adobe Spanish Pueblo Revival building with Territorial Style elements originally constructed c. 1610 to house Governor Pedro de Peralta. It is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the continental United States, serving as the capitol and governor's residence in New Mexico during the Spanish Colonial Period (1610-1680; 1693-1821), the Mexican Period (1821-1846), and for many years following the formation of the New Mexico Territory (1850-1886). It was occupied by Pueblo people following the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish encomienda system of forced labor and Catholic conversion (1680-1693), by the American military prior to the establishment of the New Mexico Territory (1846-1850), and briefly by the Confederacy during the Civil War (1862). Following construction of a new capitol building in 1886, the Palace remained the governor's residence until 1909. In 1960, the Palace of the Governors and Santa Fe Plaza were declared National Historic Landmarks. In 1966, each site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1973, they were included as part of the larger Santa Fe Historic District. Today, the Palace of the Governors is managed by the Museum of Mexico and is known for its block-long Native American Artisans Portal Program where native artisans sell handmade jewelry and other crafts.

Decades of Spanish exploitation, famine, disease, and Apache raids took a toll on the native Pueblo peoples. The Spanish tried to eradicate every aspect of Pueblo culture and resentment grew as the Puebloans were forced to follow their religious practices in secret. Po’pay, a religious leader from Ohkay Owengeh (San Juan Pueblo), secretly united many separate Pueblo settlements along with the Ute, Navajo, and Apache in a coordinated revolt against the Spanish. Runners distributed knotted cords to each pueblo, with the number of knots indicating the number of days until the start of the rebellion. On August 10, 1680, the pueblos revolted together, driving over 2,000 Spanish colonists and Franciscan friars from Santa Fe de Nuevo México south to El Paso del Norte (Ciudad Juárez, Mexico). During the revolt, 21 Franciscan priests and friars were killed. In 1692, Governor Diego de Vargas forcefully reclaimed Santa Fe de Nuevo México for the Spanish, with the Puebloans surrendering peacefully at Santa Fe Plaza. In 1712, Santa Fe government leaders signed a proclamation for an annual fiesta celebrating the anniversary of the reconquest, called the Fiesta de Santa Fe, which is held every September. 

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi was named in honor of the patron saint of Santa Fe and serves as the mother church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The first church on this site was a jacal structure constructed c. 1610 and dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, or “Our Lady of the Assumption.” As early as 1626, Friar Alonso de Benavides rebuilt the church out of adobe and timber, and by the 1660s, the church was reidentified with the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. The church was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and, although the Spanish started recolonizing Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1693, construction on the next church did not commence until 1713. Completed in 1717, the new adobe church was dedicated to Saint Francis and called La Parroquia, or “The Parish Church.” This church was rebuilt twice from 1799-1808 and then remodeled by Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy in 1859-1860.

In 1869, Bishop Lamy initiated construction on a Romanesque Revival cathedral around La Parroquia, which was eventually torn down except for a small chapel that was incorporated into the north transept of the cathedral. Although the cathedral spires were never completed due to lack of funding, the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi was dedicated in 1887. Additional work on the building occurred in 1894-1895, 1935, 1939-1940, and 1966-1967. The cathedral was included as a contributing building in the Santa Fe Historic District when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Renovations to the building were completed in 1980. In 1982, Father Reynaldo Rivera, rector of the cathedral, was kidnapped and murdered while responding to a request to give the last rites to a dying man and the case was never solved. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI elevated the cathedral to a basilica in recognition of its importance in the history of Catholicism. Seven archbishops are buried in the crypt beneath the cathedral.

The Statue of Saint Francis of Assisi was sculpted by Betty Sabo and dedicated in 2006. Saint Francis of Assisi was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in Italy c. 1181 and led a life of poverty as a mystic and Catholic friar. He founded the Franciscans in 1209 and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1228. Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and the environment and as well as the patron saint of Santa Fe. He is typically depicted in a brown habit with a rope as a belt, symbolizing the three Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. At his side is the Wolf of Gubbio, who once terrorized the Umbrian city of Gubbio before being tamed by Saint Francis.

The Statue of Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy was sculpted by Jeno Juszko and dedicated in 1915. French American Jean Baptiste Lamy was appointed by Pope Pius IX as the bishop of the newly created Apostolic Vicariate of New Mexico in 1850. In 1853, the Apostolic Vicariate of New Mexico was raised to the Diocese of Santa Fe and Lamy was appointed as its first bishop. Lamy was responsible for the establishment of a school for girls in 1853, a school for boys in 1859, and a hospital and orphanage in 1865. He also orchestrated the construction of the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi in 1869 and the Loretto Chapel in 1873. When the Diocese of Santa Fe was raised to an archdiocese in 1875, Lamy became its first archbishop. Archbishop Lamy retired in 1885 and died in 1888. He is interred in the crypt beneath the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The Statue of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was created by Estella Loretto and installed in 2003. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was an Algonquin–Mohawk born c. 1656 in the village of Ossernenon in present-day New York State. The Mohawk people gave her the name Tekakwitha, which means “She Who Bumps into Things.” As a child, her family was killed by a smallpox epidemic that left her with a scarred face and impaired eyesight. When Tekakwitha was 19, she converted to Catholicism and was baptized as Catherine after Saint Catherine of Siena (Kateri is the Mohawk form of the name). Due to opposition to her conversion by some Mohawks, she moved to the Jesuit mission village of Kahnawake, near Montreal, Canada. She took a vow of virginity in 1679 and died of an illness in 1680. Kateri Tekakwitha was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. She is the first Native American to undergo beautification and canonization.

The stained-glass windows along the walls depict the 12 apostles and were imported from France.

The baptismal font is made of Brazilian granite and was dedicated in 2001.

The Ambry Cabinet holds oils used in the sacraments.

A reredos is a large ornamental altarpiece, screen, or decoration displayed behind an altar. This reredos was installed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral in 1987. An 18th-century statue of Saint Francis of Assisi stands in the center surrounded by paintings of New World saints.

La Conquistadora Chapel is the oldest part of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. It was constructed between 1713-1717 as part of La Parroquia and later incorporated in the north transept of the cathedral. The chapel displays La Conquistadora, or “Our Lady of the Conquest,” a wooden Madonna likely carved during the Renaissance that was brought to Santa Fe de Nuevo México by Friar Alonso de Benavides in 1626. The statue was the first Madonna brought into territory that would become part of the United States and may be the oldest representation of the Virgin Mary in the country. Originally known as Nuestra Señora de La Asunción, or “Our Lady of the Assumption,” the statue was taken by the Spanish as they fled the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and returned during their recolonization of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1693, when it was renamed La Conquistadora. In 1992, the statue was given the name Our Lady of Peace. The reredos behind the statue consists of two altar sections dating from the mid-1700s which were salvaged from La Parroquia and restored in 1957. It contains paintings of various saints including Saint Gertrude the Great, Saint Rosalie of Palermo, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Augustin of Hippo, Saint Diego of Alcala, and Saint Anthony the Abbot. Four of the paintings are attributed to Mexican Baroque painter Miguel Cabrera.