LIST OF HISTORIC SITES IN THE SANTA FE AREA. In addition to the "living museum" aspect of the city, many specific sites have been preserved and created to honor local history.

BISHOP LAMY'S GARDEN by Marc Simmons. When the Catholic Church created the Diocese of Santa Fe in 1853, the pious Frenchman John B. Lamy became New Mexico's first bishop. In 1875 he was made archbishop. READ MORE .

MEMORIES OF OLD FORT MARCY by Marc Simmons. I had lunch not long ago with Keith Lummis, the 90-something-year-old youngest son of celebrated Southwestern author Charles F. Lummis. He and his wife were visiting Santa Fe from their home in San Francisco. In the course of the meal I asked Keith whether he'd ever been up to Marcy Hill and the old fort ruins that provide one of the best overlooks of the entire city. READ MORE.

A TRAGEDY AT THE PALACE by Marc Simmons. The date Sept. 6, 1844, was one that Santa Fe residents would long remember. On that day a bloody battle with the Ute Indians occurred on the Plaza, and New Mexico's Gov. Mariano Martinez narrowly escaped assassination. READ MORE .

SANTA FE STREET NAMES by Marc Simmons. A world of history can hide in the names of city streets. That's certainly the case with Santa Fe. But many residents use the street names daily with never a thought as to their origins. REST OF STORY.

SANTA FE HOTELS IN HISTORY by Marc Simmons. The history of public lodging in Santa Fe is a subject that has not received much attention. I can find practically no reference to roadhouses and hotels existing anywhere in New Mexico during the colonial period. Such places, of course, were common in Mother Spain. One has only to read "Don Quixote" to find vivid descriptions of rural inns and urban hotels. REST OF STORY.

ORIGINS OF SANTA FE by Marc Simmons. Santa Fe rates as one of the most historic cities in the entire United States. It often is touted, and rightly so, as the oldest capital in the nation. In spite of its large historical significance, however, the beginnings of Santa Fe are poorly known. That is because certain key documents relating to the founding have yet to be discovered in the Spanish archives. REST OF STORY.