Santa Fe Travel Diary

Word Pictures #8 from Santa Fe

by Mike Clay

Loretto Chapel

The Plaza is where we like to walk when we are downtown. It is an invigorating and ancient place. The Palace of the Governors is located on the north side of the Plaza. It is one of the best known buildings in the Southwest and the oldest seat of government in the United States. It is a single story adobe structure and was completed in 1610. The many rooms of the Palace are located around an open courtyard on the North side of the building. On the porch in front of the Palace the Indian merchants offer their crafts and goods for sale every day. It is an opportunity to see and purchase fine Indian made items.

Across the street on the East Side of the Plaza is the Dewey Trading Company. It is one of my favorite merchants and they have their Pendleton Blankets showroom on the second floor. The other merchant shops are fun to visit and worth a look. On the South side of the Plaza, we paid our last visit to Woolworth’s. It is a Plaza institution and is closing its doors in just a few weeks.

Just a few steps from the Plaza at the end of the Santa Fe Trail is the Loretto Chapel which was built in 1878. The unique thing about the Chapel is that it has a staircase that was built without the use of nails and has no visible means of support. The staircase is still standing.