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Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
Perfect time for trip to fun, historic Santa Fe
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Photo by Mary Hanley
Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico offers visitors many shops and hotels, all made of adobe.
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Out & About
By Mary Hanley
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Editor's Note: Mary Hanley has announced her retirement from travel writing. After 12 years of writing faithfully for the River Valley Times, she will be moving permanently to Texas where she will join family members. Mary has been a dependable, irreplaceable part of our staff, and she will be missed. Her articles this month chronicle her move to Texas.
My travels this week took me to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is one of those towns that I would add to my list of places worth visiting more than once. The adobe pueblo look is a favorite of mine, and Santa Fe is the place to find this unique look. As a matter of fact, it is a mandate of the Santa Fe building code that all buildings must be of adobe.
I drove first to the historic downtown area to explore. Santa Fe is built like most Spanish towns, with a main plaza in the town center and streets going off in all directions like wagon wheel spokes.
I walked around the shops admiring the many selections of turquoise and silver. Some of the buildings are one story and others have two or three levels. No adobe buildings in town are just flat in front, as they stair-step to the top.
New Mexico became a state in 1912, and Santa Fe became the oldest state capitol in the United States. It was originally founded in 1610.
The history of Santa Fe is apparent in nearby structures and museums. The first building I wanted to see was the Palace of the Governors. It opened its doors as a museum 100 years ago and was designated a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1960.
I had to look several times at the sign before realizing that this rectangular, flat-roofed building was the palace. The structure was built by the order of the Spanish Crown in 1610-1612. It has been the residence of over 100 governors and other officials and is the oldest public building in the United States. Along the outside, Native American vendors spread blankets on the ground and sell their turquoise and silver jewelry. The museum contains 15,000 items including exhibits, collections and paintings telling the history of Santa Fe.
I walked over to the next block and found the Loretto Chapel. This is the chapel that is known around the world for the “miraculous staircase.” There are actually two mysteries that surround this spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of the builder and the physics of its construction.
The Sisters of Loretto found to their dismay that, when the chapel was completed around 1877, there was no way to get to the choir loft 22 feet above. Many carpenters were called in and none could figure out a way to build a staircase to the loft. Legend goes that the Sisters of Loretto made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.
On the ninth and last day of prayer, a man with a toolbox and donkey appeared at the Loretto Chapel. The elegant staircase was completed months later, and the carpenter disappeared. Many believe that Jesus Christ sent St. Joseph himself to answer the prayers.
This miraculous staircase has two 360-degree turns and no visible means of support. There are no nails - only wooden pegs. Nobody seems to know what the wood is or where it came from.
Take a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico and visit this wonderful city of quaint adobe buildings and historic museums. Be sure to visit the mysterious staircase at Loretto Chapel.
Enjoy!
Finding Your Way
Take Highway 99 south to exit 58 east to Highway 40 east to Albuquerque. From there, watch for signs north to Santa Fe.
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Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
Web page design,
Copyright 2005, EZ Edit Web Publishing.
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