Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
166
Museum Bingeing
Value
If you're a museum buff, pick up one of
Museum of New Mexico's 4-day
passes.
It's good at all five branches of the Museum of New Mexico: the Palace
of the Governors, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of International Folk
Art, and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, with the Museum of Spanish
Colonial Art thrown in for good measure. The cost is $18 for adults. Also ask
about the new
Culture Pass,
good for 1 year, to visit museums all over the state
for $25.
includes landscapes and portraits by all the Taos masters,
los Cincos Pintores
(a 1920s
organization of Santa Fe artists), and contemporary artists. The museum also has a col-
lection of photographic works by such masters as Ansel Adams and Elliot Porter. Modern
artists are featured in temporary exhibits throughout the year. Two sculpture gardens
present a range of three-dimensional art, from the traditional to the abstract.
Graceful
St. Francis Auditorium,
patterned after the interiors of traditional Hispanic
mission churches, adjoins the art museum. A museum shop sells gifts, art books, prints,
and postcards of the collection. Plan to spend 1 hour here.
107 W. Palace (at Lincoln Ave.).
&
505/476-5072.
www.museumofnewmexico.org. Admission $8 adults,
free for seniors Wed, free for children 16 and under, free for all Fri 5-8pm. 4-day passes (good at all 4
branches of the Museum of New Mexico and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art) $18 for adults. Tues-
Sun 10am-5pm; Fri 10am-8pm. Closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
7
St. Francis Cathedral
Santa Fe's grandest religious structure is an architectural
anomaly in Santa Fe because its design is French. Just a block east of the plaza, it was
built between 1869 and 1886 by Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy in the style of the great
cathedrals of Europe. French architects designed the Romanesque building—named after
Santa Fe's patron saint—and Italian masons assisted with its construction. The small
adobe Our Lady of the Rosary chapel on the northeast side of the cathedral has a Spanish
look. Built in 1807, it's the only portion that remains from Our Lady of the Assumption
Church, founded along with Santa Fe in 1610. The new cathedral was built over and
around the old church.
A wooden icon set in a niche in the wall of the north chapel, Our Lady of Peace, is
the oldest representation of the Madonna in the United States. Rescued from the old
church during the 1680 Pueblo Rebellion, it was brought back by Don Diego de Vargas
on his (mostly peaceful) reconquest 12 years later—thus, the name. Today, Our Lady of
Peace plays an important part in the annual Feast of Corpus Christi in June and July.
The cathedral's front doors feature 16 carved panels of historic note and a plaque
memorializing the 38 Franciscan friars who were martyred during New Mexico's early
years. There's also a large bronze statue of Archbishop Lamy himself; his grave is under
the main altar of the cathedral. Touring the cathedral will take a half-hour to an hour.
Cathedral Place at San Francisco St.
&
505/982-5619.
Donations appreciated. Daily. Visitors may attend
Mass Mon-Sat 7am and 5:15pm; Sun 8, 10am, noon, and 5:15pm. Free parking in city lot next to the
cathedral to attend church services.
Santa Fe Plaza
Moments
This square has been the heart and soul of Santa Fe,
as well as its literal center, since its concurrent establishment with the city in 1610.
