Prescott peeps(!), antiquities & churches

How bizarre that without prior planning (except for a bit of sneakiness), we breakfasted one day in Santa Fe with friends from Prescott, and dined that evening with cousin Barb from Green Valley.  The Prescott peeps had mentioned to the señor that they were off to Santa Fe, and since we were also, Chris suggested they call me when we were all there, and so they did.  We enjoyed a meal and a fun time with the four of them.

Cousin Barb emailed me when she read my Santa Fe blog but didn't realize we would be there on the same day.  We were able to get together for dinner with her and her friends, an occasion I am sorry I did not record photographically, probably too busy grousing about the Worst. Restaurant. Service. Ever.  The company was convivial, at least, although I began to wonder if I was in the twilight zone.

Loretto and St. Francis . . .

A visit to Santa Fe must include the obligatory visit to Loretto Chapel, famed for its miraculous spiral staircase.  In the midst of cramped spaces and crowds of lookers, I never managed to get a decent photo of the storied staircase.

In 1853, the Sisters of Loretto answered a call for a girls academy in New Mexico.  By the early 1870s, the order began construction of a chapel in Santa Fe.  Circumstances caused them to end up with a nearly finished small structure but without a way to access the upper choir loft and not enough space for a staircase.  As the story goes, after the nuns prayed for a resolution, a carpenter with simple tools arrived and built the beautiful staircase with two 360-degree turns and no center structural support.  It has been modified in intervening years with railings and stabilization.

I have to admit I was disappointed with Loretto Chapel.  It was very crowded and there was a annoying continuous running audio loop that was giving a garbled history of the place - at least I think that's what it was doing.

 

It felt very commercial with an admission fee and a gift shop; perhaps they felt the need to provide the audio after they charged to get in.  The stained glass was beautiful, something I greatly admire; however, I found the atmosphere stifling. 

 

In contrast to Loretto, the magnificent Cathedral Church of St. Francis of Assisi felt serene and calming, and also with an amazing history.  That church was constructed in 1886 on the site of the previous structure that dated from 1610.

We strolled through its park-like gardens and admired the lovely statuary.

Along the walls on each side of the huge sanctuary are massive stained glass windows depicting various figures, their deep rich colors reflecting a soft light throughout.

A side chapel houses a number of incredible historic artifacts; the centerpiece is a figure, La Conquistadora (Our Lady of Peace), said to be the longest venerated Madonna in the United States, that was brought to Santa Fe in 1625 by Fray Alonso Benavides.  During the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish in 1680, she was removed from Santa Fe and returned with them in 1693.  From the scale in the photo, it's difficult to tell, but I saw another picture showing the crown being placed on her head and she appeared to be over five feet tall.  The crown was placed in 1960 after the precious metals and jewels for it were donated by New Mexicans.

The oldest church and the oldest house . . .

Well certainly, those designations would get my attention.  I was very disappointed that the San Miguel Chapel was closed when we arrived.  I would like to have seen the interior.  Purported to be the oldest church in the continental United States, it dates from about 1610 when it was built by Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico, was partially destroyed during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, and rebuilt in 1710, although some of the original walls remain.  

It is an active church and a central gathering place for Barrio de Analco, a historic neighborhood that was originally established by Tlaxcalans, a section populated by the working class.  We accessed the Barrio after a foot crossing of the Santa Fe River on the Brothers Lane Bridge and wandered roads even more winding and narrow than Santa Fe's main avenues.

The oldest house in the United States, of course a designation that is challenged, is without a doubt a place of great antiquity and is recognized as such by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation.  Its two ground floor rooms are open to the public.  The structure's original construction date is not known, but is believed to be in the Spanish Colonial era, circa 1610, possibly even prior to that.

 

 

 

 

It was an other-worldly feeling to walk through those rooms and imagine the multitude of lives that had come and gone within. 

 

 

 

 

The ceiling reflected many many years of age and degradation.

 

 

Seven buildings comprising the Barrio de Analca historic district are a representation of the early working class/lower class residential neighborhood, and are deemed "worthy of preservation".

 

 

 

The Palace of the Governors, the museum & birds . . .

 

We returned to again enjoy Santa Fe's central plaza, marvel at the vendors along the Palace of the Governors walkway, and to tour the New Mexico History Museum.

     

 

I was thrilled that as part of the museum, we were able to enter the actual Palace of the Governors, but faced with the reality that its interior bears not the slightest resemblance to the original.  That was a bit of a letdown for me, but there were interesting displays that showed cutaways of excavations under the floors and into the walls.  

Although I took no photos within the museum, we found it to be a fascinating and incredible historic timeline of New Mexican history.  Beautifully curated, the museum is so extensive that we took a break partway through and returned later.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history.

We've added to the bird list for the trip; at the RV park, we've identified collared doves, western bluebirds & bushtits.

And somewhere along the line, I availed myself of a coleus cutting.