Santa Fe, meaning "Holy Faith," is the oldest state capital in the United States and the oldest city in New Mexico.  Indigenous people built Pueblo villages about 1050 - 1150AD.  The village was called, "Ogapoge," and they settled along the Sante Fe river for water and transportation.

Starting in the 1700's, the year round flow of the Sante Fe became seasonal only and since 2007, it is recognized as the most endangered river in the United States.  The picture above is the Santa Fe river and I couldn't believe how little water flowed through it!

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is part of the town planning laid out around a central plaza with the Church sitting on the East and the "Palace of the Governer's situated on the North.  Traditional adobe construction made Santa Fe's nickname, "The City Different!"  Maybe it should be the "City that never changed!"  My opinion anyway!  HaHa!

Bill and I walked around the town, resting along the Sante Fe river, checking out art and just goofed off!

Talking about art, a notable artist, Georgia O' Keeffe was a long-time resident, known for her close-up pictures of flora and the mystical desert of New Mexico.  Living there sporadically, eventually, she made New Mexico her home.  I understand her love for this state as I lived in New Mexico for 9 years and is my second favorite place to live, with Hawaii being first!  Weird, because one is dry and sparse and the other is humid and lush! 

 I can't post any pictures of her art since it is copyrighted, but, I hope that you look at some of her art on the web!  By the way, she was commissioned to paint by Dole Co. in Hawaii, to do some pineapple.  She painted everything but!  Eventually, she did paint the pineapple that she was supposed to do!  Please check her works of Hawaii too!

The Hawaiian comes out of me, because I am always looking for some beautiful flora to take a picture of!  The skies of New Mexico are incredibly BLUE!  Believe it or not, bluer than Hawaii!  Maybe, its because Santa Fe sits at 7199 feet in altitude and is the highest state capital in the United States!  Yes, it beats out Colorado with it's mile high capital!

In 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state, so it is fairly young as states go!  Notable people who live in Santa Fe are: Gene Hackman, Ali McGraw and Shirley McLaine.  If you haven't been here, I hope that you will sometime in the future and see a vision of what the country looked like in the past!  Aloha no! ( Lots of love!)