More than a decade before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, Santa Fe, New Mexico began with a small group of European style dwellings. Before long, Santa Fe would grow to become a central spot for the Spanish Empire north of the Rio Grande. Santa few is the oldest capital in the United States and the oldest European community west of the Mississippi.

Although a community on a small scale in 1607, it was the conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta who started to make things happen by late 1609 early 1610.

While Santa Fe was inhabited on a very small scale in 1607, it was truly settled by the conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta in 1609-1610. Peralta and his men began to lay out the town at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the site of the ancient Pueblo Indian ruin of Kaupoge, or “place of shell beads near the water.”

Throughout the centuries, Santa Fe has been the capital for such things as the Spanish “Kingdom of New Mexico,” the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico, the American territory of New Mexico (modern day Arizona and New Mexico) and since 1912, the state capital of New Mexico. In fact, when it was over taken by US General Stephen Watts Kearny in 1846 during the Mexican-American War, Santa Fe became the first foreign capital over taken by the United States.
In addition, Santa Fe is home to both the countries oldest community celebration, the Santa Fe Fiesta which began in 1712 commemorating the reconquest of New Mexico by the Spanish during the summer of 1692 and the oldest public building, the Palace of the Governors.

Today, Due in large part to the city’s preservation of its historic buildings, and local ordinances, Santa Fe is recognized as one of the more intriguing urban environment in the country. The city’s also made great attempts to preserve the traditions of the communities rich cultural heritage helping to make Santa Fe one of the most diverse and fascinating places to live and visit.