My Santa Fe Travel Guide
Photo: view of clouds over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the back patio
I apologize for not blogging the last couple of weeks – we are on vacation at my grandparents’ house in Santa Fe, NM. Sadly, they are no longer with us, but we visit the house as often as we can and think of them.
As mentioned in my Profile, I’ve been inspired by my grandmother’s interior design aesthetic since I was very young. She fell in love with Santa Fe and the Southwest décor … she found inspiration in the rich colors and patterns in fabrics, rugs, pottery, sculpture and art. As a tribute to her, here are some of her (and my) favorite places to visit in Santa Fe:
Native American Vendors under the Portal Palace of the Governors
Traditional Southwest Native American arts and crafts are displayed and sold by members of all New Mexico Pueblos under the portal (portico). My grandmother especially loved the black-on-black pottery with a gunmetal glaze from the San Ildefonso Pueblo artists who were inspired by the famous artist Maria Martinez.
This meandering uphill road is Santa Fe’s top art district with over a hundred art galleries boutiques, studios and restaurants. On Christmas Eve, the road is closed to cars, and all of the gallery walls and buildings are lined with luminaras or farolitos (a candle set in some sand inside a paper bag). It is magical, and a must-see.
Once a Roman Catholic chapel (now a museum), it was completed in 1878. Observe its “Miraculous Staircase” that took more than six months to build. It has two 360 degree turns with no visible means of support … very impressive.
This museum opened eleven years after the death of Georgia O’Keeffe. It’s collection includes over a thousand of her paintings, drawings and sculptures. Her later paintings included desert skulls and the New Mexican landscapes which I enjoy the most.
Museum of International Folk Art
Home to the world’s largest collection of folk art (and still growing), this museum has over 150,000 pieces that help promote cultural understanding. The museum resides on what is known as, “Museum Hill,” off the Old Santa Fe Trail. Other museums on “Museum Hill” include the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. The Santa Fe Botanical Garden is nearby as well, so check out as many of these as you can.
Stay tuned for my favorite Santa Fe restaurants in my next post.
Rachael Franceschina 