⛪The Oldest Church in the US & Santa Fe’s Legend of the Seven Cities !

We all know the United States isn’t exactly known for its long history—especially in the West, which was largely developed over just the past 200 years. But there’s one clear exception: Santa Fe, New Mexico. !📍✨ If we don’t count Puerto Rico, Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the U.S., dating all the way back to 1610. That’s right—this is American history you can actually touch !🏛️👀. The story begins with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. After settling in Mexico, they heard tales of the legendary “Seven Cities of Cibola” rumored to be filled with gold far to the north !🗺️💰. Conquistadors were sent north into what is now New Mexico… There, they found clusters of adobe villages and called the farming communities “Puebloans” (meaning “villagers”). When asked about gold, the Puebloans cleverly misdirected the Spanish to the Great Plains of eastern Colorado! 🤫🌾. Colorado did have gold—but hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains. The Spanish found nothing. Following their typical colonial playbook, they established a settlement in the regional trade hub: Santa Fe. Here they built the oldest church in the U.S., the San Miguel Chapel !⛪🕯️ (photos 1/4/5). They did, however, adopt the local adobe building style, which evolved into today’s “Pueblo Revival architecture”—the iconic look of Santa Fe and much of New Mexico !🧱🌞. Honestly, it kinda resembles Kashgar in Xinjiang… but a bit rougher and less refined (see photo 15 – Santa Fe panoramic). Santa Fe feels like a mini-Cusco… but with less to do. The architecture is unique and photogenic, but beyond a few museums !🖼️ (photos 3/13), souvenir shops! 🛍️ (photo 12), and picturesque resort hotels !🏨 (photos 2/9/10/11), there isn’t a ton to explore. The Plaza in downtown Santa Fe is cute, but in my opinion, not as interesting as Old TownAlbuquerque (photos 7/8 – ABQ). The must-sees are the oldest church and the oldest house—but you can cover both in under 30 minutes !⏳. Where Santa Fe shines is in its surroundings: national monuments and great hiking trails are nearby !🥾🏞️. So it’s actually a perfect place to relax—book a nice hotel, eat well, and take day trips now and then. Think of it as a mini-Cusco… for vacation mode !😎🧳. #US#SantaFe#SantaFeHistory #OldestChurchUSA #PuebloRevival #NewMexicoTravel #AmericanSouthwest #HistoricSantaFe #TravelDeep #CibolaLegends #SpanishColonial #USHistory