Sante Fe Founded

Santa Fe was established by the Spanish colonial government as the capital of the province of New Mexico in 1610, under the direction of Governor Pedro de Peralta. It was founded in the upper Rio Grande valley, a region the Spanish had been colonizing since Juan de Onate led settlers there in 1598. The town's full name honored Saint Francis of Assisi, the Holy Faith of Saint Francis.

The settlement served as the administrative and religious center for Spanish authority in the far northern reaches of New Spain. From Santa Fe, Franciscan missionaries and colonial officials sought to convert and govern the surrounding Pueblo peoples, often imposing harsh demands for labor and tribute. The remote outpost lay far from Mexico City along the difficult Camino Real trade route.

Tensions with the Pueblo population erupted in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, which temporarily drove the Spanish from Santa Fe before they reconquered the region in the 1690s. Santa Fe endured as the seat of government under Spanish, Mexican, and eventually American rule, and it is recognized as one of the oldest continuously occupied capital cities in what is now the United States.