Santa Fe Loop

Today dawned bright and sunny, but got cloudier as the day went on.  The sky is now quite gloomy - they expect snow in Santa Fe tonight, and cold weather for a few days.  But I think we will be running away from it, so we will only get cloudy and cool (no snow.)

The landscape is pretty, and much greener than other parts of New Mexico.

A nice 1800’s church we saw from the highway.  The surnames in the attached graveyard are all Hispanic.

Built by the wives and children of Tlaxcala, to be precise, because Friar in charge had the left foot of each Tlaxcala male amputated so they wouldn't run away.

There is a bronze statue of this friar in Santa Fe.  Strangely enough, the state keeps finding it with its left foot sawn off; they have given up trying to replace it.

The inside of the mission.

 The New Mexico state assembly is housed in a modern, beautiful circular building.  The inside is decorated with art from state artists, worthy of any museum, on each of four floors.  Freely open to the public; the security guard recommended we see the art in the Governor's office, his secretary obliged.

The state Capitol building.

The assembly room, not in session of course.

Beautiful.  Made of scrap 35mm film, paintbrushes, rusty nails, roofing, etc.  .

Note detail.  Right eye is a fishing reel cover, with a clear plastic spoon providing the glint of a lens.

Doors here, by tradition, are painted blue.  Allegedly, during one of the periodic persecutions of Spanish Jews in the empire, the local governor was ordered to ensure that the doors of Jewish houses were painted blue, so the coming Conquistadors knew who to kill.  Out of compassion (or perhaps just economic self-interest) he instead ordered that all doors be painted blue.

Good public art is everywhere.  This is in front of the Land Title Office.

The Loretta Chapel, home of the miraculous staircase, built by an itinerant carpenter who left mysteriously after completing it, without asking for payment.

The staircase winds two complete turns without apparent support.

The banisters were added at a later date, at the nuns' request.

A Franciscan cathedral.

We admired the pretty ironwork.

More nice ironwork.

Water Street, looking west to plaza.

Water Street, looking east.

Yes, it's a parking garage.

This is why Elfrida is a better photographer than I am.

A section of the earliest Rt66 that we gave a miss.  Look closely, it wends it way up the distant mountain in a series of switchbacks.  Now it is open only to hikers.