Bright colors, festive music, and delicious smells greet me as I step into the plaza. An old man in a serape leans down and speaks in Spanish to a young boy, who is showcasing his wooden handicrafts here in the shadow of a centuries-old cathedral. A woman flips fresh corn tortillas on a hot griddle over an open fire. No, I haven’t traveled back in time. I’m not even overseas or south of the border. I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the annual Spanish Market.
Santa Fe is a city known for its strong culture and deep roots. My experience in the city was no exception: I had only to look around to see the strong Spanish influences in art, cuisine, and architecture. For instance, most of the buildings in Santa Fe are made of adobe, reddish-brown clay that is replastered every year. Set against the brilliant, cerulean-blue New Mexico sky, the adobe buildings lend a unique feel to Santa Fe: where else in America can you find a city that has not changed its architecture for 400 years?
The people of Santa Fe proudly display the artifacts of their heritage in their many museums. I visited the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, whose collections are the most comprehensive compilation of Spanish Colonial art. I loved its colorful retablos, or religious images painted on carved wood, and was inspired to make my own.The Palace of the Governors, located on The Plaza, is New Mexico’s state history museum. It includes artifacts that help tell the story of New Mexico’s past. I was struck by the history that had occurred here: the museum building itself was established and partially destroyed in the Pueblo Riots of 1680.
Santa Fe’s museums also represent New Mexico’s diversity, as is evident in the Georgia O’Keefe Museum (which houses the largest collection of works by Georgia O’Keefe in the world), and in Canyon Road, which is not a single museum but the second-largest art market in the nation, with over 100 art galleries. Canyon Road attracts thousands of talented artists a year, adding to the city’s already-thriving culture.
One of my favorite places to visit in Santa Fe was El Rancho de las Golondrinas, located on the outskirts of the city. It is the “Colonial Williamsburg” of Spanish America, a living history museum that allows 21st-century visitors like me to immerse themselves in the day-to-day life of Colonial Spanish settlers of the early 1800s. At Las Golondrinas, I got to experience some of the hard work the early Spanish settlers did daily, including grinding dried corn between rocks to make flour, spinning wool into yarn, and placing hot coals inside a beehive-shaped horno, or oven, all while dressed in period clothing.
Twice a year, the city of Santa Fe hosts the Spanish Market, an open-air festival that celebrates its colonial culture. Hundreds of artists and craftspeople sell their traditional handicrafts, ranging from woodcarvings, tinwork, musical instruments, and statues to embroidery, weaving, jewelry, and straw appliqué. My favorite part of the market was the time I spent with a 12-year-old artist selling his amazing crosses made using the art of straw appliqué. After receiving a crash course, I made my own cross, which is now hanging on my bedroom wall. Every time I look at it I am reminded of my time in Santa Fe.
As my stay in New Mexico drew to a close, I felt I had not only visited another modern American city, but encountered a culture that would remain a part of me always. The legacy of Santa Fe’s Spanish Colonial roots lives today in its people, culture, and way of life. New Mexico may be part of the United States, but it truly is a whole different country.
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Hello Lansdell family! This is a great place for a long weekend of outdoors exploration and a beautiful park. In late May, a new business is opening = https://www.floattheriver.net/ = which will run float trips on inner tubes on portions of the river. I asked some locals and they suggested that after biking and hiking and riding the train, your kids might enjoy day trips to nearby Canton, Akron or Cleveland. Each has lots of Metroparks (the public system of urban parks) and museums, etc to do and see. With some planning, all your days can be as full of variety as you would like. We hope you have a wonderful trip.
How did you get around the Darien Gap?
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Thanks for all the info. We are planning on going in August, and are trying to find a nature-centered vacation for our family of 4, kids ages 7 and 4. We are from Southern Ontario, Canada and we came across this national park. Would you recommend this place for 3-4 days? Is there enough to do (hiking, train rides, exploring etc)? Somewhere else? We also looked at the Smoky Mountains but its about a 11-12 hours vs the 5-6 hours to Cuyohoga. Any advice would be helpful.
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Traveling with your children in s Suzhou is super easy and safe. My family had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed there time there. One thing they really loved was going down all of the canals. Here is some great information on all the beautiful canals that you can explore.
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I think parents should focus more on preparing or educating their children about the proper etiquette and behaviors before the flight to avoid being a nuisance to others. I don’t know much about kids but as a first-time mom, that’s what I will do.
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Hi,
I would like to travel out of the US with my son. I understand that I would need his father to sign and notarize a letter. He had not been a stand up dad to take care of his responsibilities so he left and I can’t find him. What can I do in a situation like that to travel with my son?
happy you enjoyed the story. This park is in Ohio where the climate can be capricious! It’s hottest between late April and November, however even April has the danger of some snow. In case you’re enjoying the great outdoors with children, the most secure wager is June to August, since it’s hotter and there’s little downpour. Make the most of your trek.
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Tenerife is SO stunning! I love this volcanic landscape, sometimes you feel like you traveled to the Moon. This place has it all – great views, pleasant weather, awesome food, wine and laid-back people. Thanks for sharing ideas, I’ll use some of them on my next trip 🙂
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There is no Doubt, Dubai is most popular destination among tourists from across the world and have gained high popularity in last decade. If you are in Dubai and dhow go for dhow cruise, there is some thing missing on your list. There are Dubai dhow cruise, Musandam Dibba dhow cruise and Khasab Musandam dhow cruise. Try some of them and you will love.
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Great article! Wanted for Christmas again. Do you know anything about this place ? It is very interesting to know the opinions. How much advance it is necessary to book a hotel and various entertainment before the holidays?