Santa Fe Tram Tour

Linda and I took a long, very interesting tram tour of Santa Fe. Our tram driver/tour guide pointed out the Cross of the Martyrs overlooking Santa Fe. It commemorates the death of 21 Franciscan friars and numerous Spanish colonists during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

A mural on a wall.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Another art gallery.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

An old adobe structure.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Scottish Rite Temple, built in 1911 to look like the Alhambra.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

The New Mexico State Capitol––the only round capitol building in the United States––it is called the Roundhouse. It also doesn’t have a dome. It was built (1966) in the shape of the Zia Pueblo emblem, the sun sign, representing the Circle of Life: four winds, four seasons, four directions, and four sacred obligations.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Seal of the State of New Mexico. It became a state in 1912.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Statue on the Capitol grounds.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Sculpture in front of an art gallery.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Our tram guide told us there were over 250 art galleries in Santa Fe and about 98 of them are on a one–mile stretch of Canyon Road. Even if you don’t want to stop in any of the galleries, Canyon Road offers you a very interesting mile–long (uphill) outdoor sculpture garden and a view of many old adobe structures.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Canyon Road sculptures.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Canyon Road sculptures.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Canyon Road sculptures.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Canyon Road sculpture.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

An artist at work on Canyon Road.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Canyon Road art galleries.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Canyon Road sculptures.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Close–up of one of the sculptures in the last photo.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Old adobe building.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Side street of adobe buildings.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Sculpture by Reynaldo “Sonny” Rivera named “Journey’s End” in the hills above Santa Fe. It depicts the coming to the end of the Santa Fe trail, a familiar scene in the 60 years of use of the trail. “Six weary mules struggle to pull a heavy wagon up a rise.”

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

“One of the mules has stumbled. The muleskinner leans down to help the animal as it struggles with its footing.”

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

“Passing the trail, a Puebloan woman looks on,”

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

“while a young boy waves at the lead wagon––he and his dog have run out from town to greet them. In the same moment, the trail boss points toward the end of the trail on the Santa Fe Plaza. Soon, they will enter the plaza, marking the end of a long and difficult journey.”

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Starting to go down the hill back to the Santa Fe Plaza. There is a museum area here and also many residences.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

A view of the snow–capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

A pueblo–style house. Most of the houses in this area looked relatively new. There are strict building codes in Santa Fe as to the size, style of architecture, and color of houses, the effect being almost an entire pueblo–style city. Some of the houses are still being constructed from adobe bricks, more costly than using regular bricks, but using adobe results in the unsmooth lines of the pueblo houses.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Entrance to a pueblo–style house.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

A guest house?

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Another pueblo house.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Wall of a pueblo–style house.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

A pueblo–style house.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

And one last one.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

An acequias behind the road wall, which is an old irrigation ditch that carries water from the hills.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Mural on a wall.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Close–up of the mural.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, built between 1776 and 1796 by Franciscan missionaries. It is the oldest shrine in the United States honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

We passed the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, which is the only museum in the United States dedicated solely to one woman’s work. Georgia O’Keeffe spent much time in New Mexico and painted its landscape, flowers, etc. I scanned this Georgia O’Keeffe poster from a website. Linda and I had planned to visit the museum but ran out of time.

Santa Fe Tram Tour

Santa Fe Tram Tour

We are coming back now into the Plaza area. Linda and I ate some pastries and had coffee at a French bakery and then headed back to Albuquerque. We had a totally good day.

Santa Fe Tram Tour