Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico

San Gabriel

The Spanish colony of New Mexico began in 1598, when Juan de Oñate’s colonists settled at Ohkay Owingeh, then called San Juan Pueblo. They soon moved across the Rio Grande to the village of Yungé Owingeh, which they renamed San Gabriel and made their capital.

The founding of Santa Fe

In 1610 Governor Pedro de Peralta founded Santa Fe as the new seat of the colony. The Palace of the Governors, built around the same time, housed the colonial government. It is the oldest public building in continuous use built by European settlers in the continental United States, and it is now part of the New Mexico History Museum.

Revolt and return

In 1680 the Pueblo peoples rose against Spanish rule, and the colonial government retreated to El Paso del Norte, today’s Ciudad Juárez. Diego de Vargas made a ceremonial reentry into Santa Fe in September 1692, and in December 1693 he retook the town and resettled colonists there, restoring it as the capital.

Spain, Mexico and the United States

Santa Fe stayed the seat of government when Mexico won independence in 1821. After the United States took control in 1846, the Palace of the Governors served as the first territorial capitol, and in 1851 Santa Fe was made capital of the new Territory of New Mexico. During the Civil War Confederate forces occupied the town in March and April 1862, and the Union territorial government briefly withdrew to Las Vegas, New Mexico.

A new territorial capitol opened in 1886 but burned down only six years later. When New Mexico became a state in 1912, Santa Fe simply continued as the capital.

The Roundhouse

The current State Capitol, dedicated on December 8, 1966, is known as the Roundhouse. It is the only round state capitol in the country, and seen from above its plan traces the Zia sun symbol from the state flag. Designed by W. C. Kruger and built by Robert E. McKee, it mixes Territorial style, Pueblo adobe forms and Greek Revival touches.

The building has four levels, one of them below ground. Its central rotunda climbs about 60 feet to a stained-glass skylight modeled on a Native American basket weave, above an inlay of the state seal in turquoise and brass in the floor. The Capitol Art Foundation, created by the Legislature in 1991, displays about 600 works by New Mexico artists in the building and on its grounds.

Visiting

The Roundhouse is open for self-guided visits on weekdays. The Palace of the Governors is part of the New Mexico History Museum.