Rambling Wanderers: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Native Americans? First Nations? Indians? No matter what you call them it is very obvious they were here before the white man. When you travel across southern Utah, Arizona, SW Colorado, and New Mexico, you are aware of the reservations & pueblos and their lands encompass a very large area. It took us a whole day’s drive just to get through the Navaho reservation, which is the largest. Ute, Navaho, Zuni, Hopi, Apache, Jicarilla, Zia, Jemez, Santo Domingo, & Taos Pueblo are some of the reservations/pueblos we passed through.

Santa Fe was our destination for 2 nights but we ended up here 5 nights as it was so interesting; what a lovely city. We were fortunate we could leave the van at the campground and take the city bus in for the grand total of $1 a day, in and out. The “Old Town” was only 20 minutes away so we were there every day. Around the central Plaza the stores are all independent, with no chain stores allowed. Many selling native designed jewellery, leather goods, locally made rugs, pottery representing each tribe, art work and south-west style clothing (looks good here but at home under a Gore-tex jacket would look foolish), as well as many excellent restaurants. Temperature had dropped 10* so it was more comfortable in the mid 30’s C now.

One of the reasons we extended our stay was the fact that the Fiesta was coming up on the weekend. While at the town Plaza we saw the ‘Spanish’ character actors in full dress practising for the ceremony so decided to stay for at least part of it. This is a 300 year old, quasi religious ceremony to celebrate when the Spanish reconquered the “natives” in 1610; in a supposedly ‘bloodless takeover’ (aside from the 19 native leaders they hung). “Whatever', the natives said, as long as there was no more killing, and then they carried on with their own ways. They continued in peace, even after the Americans took over from the Spanish.

On Friday the town plaza was encircled with carnival-style food booths, as well as many arts and craft venders. We saw the official opening ceremony of the 1610 ‘entry’ of the Spanish delegation to the town; the promise that there would be no more killing; and a ceremonial baptizing of the native children. It was interesting to see the natives, and their children, in their traditional dress. On Saturday there will be many activities including a parade that takes 2 hours to pass by; a ball on Saturday night; culminating in a religious walk on Sunday from the plaza to the Basilica. As much as we’d have liked to stay for it all, we knew we had to move on.