Old Town Santa Fe

May 4 Sunday and May 8 Thursday 2025                 Most Recent Posts:
Santa Fe RV Park                                                            Georgia O’Keefe
Santa Fe, New Mexico                                                   First Four Days in Santa Fe

SUNDAY MAY 4

On Sunday we went into Old Town Santa Fe to the Collected Works Bookstore.  I was checking on some books for my granddaughter Celia’s 9th birthday on May 19th. 

It’s a lovely little store, just the kind of independent bookstore that I love.

From there we drove a short distance outside of town to the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.  The aerial picture on the left is from thire website. The museum has a complex and interesting history which you can read about here. 

Originally it was a collaboration between Mary Cabot Wheelwright (1878-1958) and Diné (Navajo) ceremonial practitioner and weaver, Hastiin Klah (1867-1937).  The two created a substantial permanent record of Diné ceremonial knowledge.  In the 1970’s the museum was one of the first museums in North America to voluntarily repatriate sensitive ceremonial materials.  At this point, the Museum shifted emphasis from anthropological concerns to contemporary Diné and other Native North American arts. 

I love the round central display section of the museum. 

We were greeted by sculpture before we even went inside.

They have beautiful displays of contemporary pottery, baskets, paintings, jewelry textiles and other arts.

Once you travel through all of the galleries and are nearly overwhelmed with so much, you end up in the Case Trading Post where you can purchase vintage and contemporary authentic Native American art.

As we left, I took the opportunity to get pictures of the New Mexico license plates which I think are the most wonderful of all the states.

We had dinner at El Comal Cafe where Jodee wanted me to try the Sopaipillas which I’d never heard of.   She said these were the best and they were definitely delicious.

Sopaipillas are fried pastry stuffed with meat, beans or veggie filling.  There are also dessert ones.   We had both.  I took pictures of the menu but not the food when it came.  Or us.  I don’t know the woman in the picture I did take.

THURSDAY MAY 8

On Thursday we went into Old Towne Santa Fe again, this time not jut for a stop but for the afternoon.  It happened to be the day that the new Pope was announced and we were there when the Cathedral Bells rang and rang to announce his election.  Leo XIV is the first American Pope.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is commonly known as St. Francis Cathedral.  It serves as the mother church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  It has a full size labyrinth in its side yard.  We did not visit the inside of the church or the labyrinth on this day but I did on a later day.

The center of Old Town Santa Fe is the plaza founded in 1610 by the Spanish and now is surrounded by shops, restaurants and galleries.  It is a historic gathering place.

On one side are Native American artisans selling jewelry and crafts.

We walked all around the plaza and into the Worrell Gallery seen here where no pictures from the inside were allowed.  The three shamans were particularly wonderful.

I loved the adobe buildings surrounding the plaza and all of Santa Fe actually, especially the windows and alcoves I could look into.  This one was The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts which took up a large corner spot.

This is the other side of the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

Window shopping in Santa Fe is like no where else I’ve been in a long time.  How about this for your entry hall?

Notice the ceiling of this gallery.

This was a jewelry store not a boot shop but that’s one BIG boot.

We had lunch at the famous Plaza Cafe which has been on the plaza since 1905.

I checked out their dessert case as we walked to our table but after lunch there was n0 way I could possibly order any of them despite how delicious they looked.

From there, to walk off our lunch we went to the Loretto Chapel, the first gothic building west of the Mississippi built between 1873 and 1878. 

It is really lovely inside.

It is famous for its choir loft staircase described as miraculous due to its two complete spirals without center or side supports which defies engineering logic. 

I was disappointed to see banisters had been added in 1887.  Not sure why I had no idea it was no longer a “floating staircase”.  The picture on the right shows it when it was “floating”.   Not sure I’d have wanted to climb up and down but apparently they did.   I attempted many different angles to try not to get the reflection of the lights in the picture to no avail.

From there we continued our walk around Santa Fe.

Colorful vendors everywhere.

I liked this view of the side walk vendors from inside the court yard across the street

The adobe buildings are so picturesque throughout the city but none more so than the renovated Lensic Theater centerpiece of Santa Fe movie and vaudeville entertainment from the 1930’s to the 1960’s.  The pseudo-Moorish, Spanish Renaissance Lensic was built by Nathan Salmon and E. John Greer and opened on 24 June 1931

The Lensic was completely restored and renovated between 1999 and 2001 and reopened as the Lensic Performing Arts Center.  The detail at the top is just splendid.

Our trip to Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in  Abiquiu really is coming up next.