What is The Oldest City in The State of New Mexico?

The Founding: 1610

Santa Fe's origins lie in the Spanish colonization of the American Southwest.

• The Move: In 1598, Juan de Oñate established the first Spanish capital at San Gabriel. However, in 1610, the new governor, Don Pedro de Peralta, moved the capital to a more defensible and strategic location at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
• La Villa Real: He named it La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís (The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi). The city was built around a central plaza and the Palace of the Governors, which remains the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States.

Indigenous Roots

While 1610 marks the European founding, the land had been inhabited for centuries prior. The site of Santa Fe was built upon the ruins of several abandoned Tanoan Indian villages. The Tewa people referred to the site as Ogapoge ("White Shell Water Place"). The relationship between the Spanish and the Pueblo people was tumultuous, culminating in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, where the indigenous tribes successfully drove the Spanish out of Santa Fe and occupied the Palace of the Governors for 12 years before the "Reconquest" by Don Diego de Vargas in 1692.

A Technical Distinction: The Pueblos

While Santa Fe is the oldest European city, it is mere infant compared to the indigenous settlements of New Mexico.

• Acoma Pueblo: Known as "Sky City," Acoma Pueblo is widely recognized as one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. Archaeological evidence suggests it has been occupied since 1150 A.D., nearly 500 years before Santa Fe was established.
• Taos Pueblo: Similarly, Taos Pueblo has been inhabited for over 1,000 years. Therefore, while Santa Fe is the oldest "city" in the legal and colonial sense, the Pueblos are the true oldest settlements in the state.

Settlement vs. Incorporation

Santa Fe functioned as a colonial capital (under Spain, Mexico, and the U.S.) for nearly 300 years before it legally incorporated as a municipality. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1891. This makes it older in practice than any other U.S. capital, even though its legal incorporation under U.S. law came later.

Santa Fe is the oldest city in New Mexico and the oldest state capital in the U.S., founded in 1610 by Don Pedro de Peralta. It served as the seat of power for the Spanish Empire north of the Rio Grande. However, the region's history of continuous habitation goes back much further, with Acoma Pueblo (1150 A.D.) holding the title of the oldest continuously inhabited community.

Sources

• New Mexico History Museum. "The Founding of Santa Fe."
• City of Santa Fe. "History and Heritage."
• Britannica. "Santa Fe: History."
• Acoma Pueblo. "About Sky City."
• National Park Service. "Santa Fe Plaza National Historic Landmark."