Santa Fe is the capital city of New Mexico and was actually founded in 1610. It is the fourth-largest city in the state population-wise, with a population of about 84,000 in 2019. Fun facts: Santa Fe is actually the oldest state capital in the United States and also the capital with the highest elevation, at 7,199 feet.

Santa Fe is a town of small boutiques and is the perfect place to hunt for knickknacks and bargains you've always wanted.

The Plaza is the most historic area in the city, the place where Santa Fe was founded, and where most of the shopping and restaurants are located. Most tourist activities take place in and around the Plaza, a long portal in front of the Governor's Palace, with a variety of shops and restaurants.

Santa Fe Plaza was not only one of the most popular tourist attractions in New Mexico, but it also was a commercial corridor that connected the city with the Missouri River before the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. Soon it would become a popular destination for travelers who want to move further west. The square became so popular that the city guides considered tourism as their ticket to a future, even though the new railway made it obsolete.

After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, its subsequent rule over New Mexico further increased trade. In 1839, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ceded New Mexico and California to the United States. Two years later, in 1848, it signed another treaty, the Treaty of Santa Fe, which ceded parts of the Rio Grande Valley and the San Miguel River Valley.

The force, known as the Santa Fe Expedition, was ill-prepared and easily pushed back by the Mexican army. After Vargas' defeat of the peoples, he brought in an army of conquistadors, clergy, and settlers to extend from Mexico City to Santa Fe.

The city quickly became one of the most important cities in New Mexico, and over the course of six decades, the Santa Fe Trail was cemented. In 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state in the United States, and Santa Fe was named the capital.

In the 20th century, Santa Fe became a tourist city and a town where artists and writers resided. It is home to the School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico, as well as the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, and many more. There are several theater houses in the city, as well as the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and National Dance Institute of New Mexico.

The part of town known for housing art galleries is called Canyon Road, and it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city. Another famous historic structure people visit is the San Miguel Chapel, the oldest standing church in the U.S.