31 December 2024
We awake to a clear, crisp morning in Santa Fe. Skies are blue and cloudless. Northwest winds bring the feel of snow in the air although snow has not fallen since November. I layer my sweaters, add my ski coat, cap and gloves, to set out and explore.
Santa Fe Plaza represents the heart of the city. Historically, it is the end of the 1203-mile Santa Fe Trail which started in Franklin, Missouri. Settlers traveled some 8-10 weeks across Kansas, through Oklahoma to end here in Santa Fe. History abounds around the plaza.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Toward the plaza’s eastern side is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Influenced by the French-born Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, Saint Francis is in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe buildings of historic Santa Fe. It features a classic Romanesque style with round arches and Corinthian columns. Built between 1869 and 1886 and dedicated in 1887, the cathedral sits on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717). An even earlier church, built in 1626, burned in 1680. There is a small chapel that remains from the La Parroquia.
The cathedral’s interior features Stations of the Cross created in the Santero style by artist Marie Romero Cash; all framed in Spanish-style carvings. Originally painted in the New Mexico Mission style, the walls were later whitewashed then restored to their historical appearance starting in 1997. Several paintings, sculptures, and the granite baptismal font are of note. The La Conquistadora Chapel, dating back to around 1717, houses La Conquistadora, a wooden Madonna statue brought to New Mexico in 1626.
Saint Kateri
Of note in the garden are statues of Archbishop Lamy and St. Francis. However, the prominent statue represents Katerina Tekakwitha (1656–1680), an Algonquian-Mohawk woman of New York State who converted to Christianity at an early age. She was the first North American Indian to be beatified, then canonized in October 2012.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Whether a fan or not, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum should not be missed. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986), an American modernist artist, created innovative and iconic works, especially large-scale flower paintings that magnify and emphasize their abstract forms. Her vivid depictions of New Mexico’s landscapes, desert scenes, and bones exemplify some of the best of her paintings.
O’Keeffe used bold colors, focused on detail, and beautifully blended abstraction with realism. A central figure in American modernism, she became known as the “Mother of American Modernism.” Not only does her art demonstrate artistic independence and vision, but so did her life.
Lensic Performing Arts Center
Nancy and I enjoyed an early dinner at Los Magueyes Mexican Restaurant. Great margaritas and delicious quesadillas eaten in a colorful, friendly atmosphere. A perfect stop between Georgia’s art and Beethoven’s symphonies.
A wonderful New Year’s Eve concert played at the Lensic. Conducting was composer, pianist and conductor Joe Illick. Also featured were top-notch operatic singers and a choral group of NM. Joe Illick acted as the Composer-in-Residence and Music Director at the Fort Worth Opera and as Executive and Artistic Director of Performance here in Santa Fe. He one of the most entertaining and expressive conductors I have seen in some time
The highlight of the evening was the beautifully orchestrated Symphony No. 9 in D minor with the opportunity for audience participation to sing along in the final movement, “Ode to Joy.” Couldn’t think of a more hopeful way to end the concert and 2024.
New Year 2025
We lodged at the Inn of the Governors, a short walk from the Plaza. They served hot chocolate, hot cider and traditional biscochitos in the lobby before the big celebrations scheduled in the Plaza.
The biscochito (New Mexico’s official state cookie), is a butter cookie made with lard and flavored with sugar, cinnamon, and anise. Shaped as fleur-de-lis, crosses, candy canes and stars, the cookie has roots in the traditions of Spanish colonists in New Mexico. The cookie dates back centuries and linked to celebrations like Christmas. Ourr cookie plates were colorful but I could have used the candy canes to pound nails.
To welcome in the New Year, we return to Santa Fe Plaza. Its trees sparkled with hundreds of colored lights. Stationary heaters as well as bonfires burn around the Plaza. Crowds gathered, local bands played, we all grouped closely around the warmth of bonfires. The mayor led the countdown to 2025.
Santa Fe marks midnight by raising a handcrafted Zia symbol, the icon that decorates New Mexico’s state flag. As the countdown finished and the Zia rose, the evening celebrations concluded with a fireworks display from the roof of the historic La Fonda Hotel.
Sante Fe, A Special Place
It was nice hanging out around the bonfires with the locals. The city seems a special place. Nancy asked a local why she thought Santa Fe was special.
The local woman paused, considered her answer, then replied, “It’s the radiation.”
Think we need to learn more about Los Alamos and its nuclear arsenal.
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