Santa Fe Historic Downtown Smart Phone Audio App Self Guided Gps Walking Tour

Santa Fe, NM Founded in 1610 and home to the oldest North American community of Catholicism. Today it is a center of expression for Hispanic culture in the Southwest. Santa Fe has been called “The City Different”, a title honored as far back as 1872 when Henry James visited the area. It was once dubbed “The Tourist Capital of America” and is one of the most iconic cities in New Mexico.

This event will take you on a self-guided walking tour of Santa Fe’s Historic Downtown, which has been designated a National Historic District by the National Park Service.

The tour begins with a guided walk through the main plaza (pictured below) and finishes up at the Plaza Theatre, where you will be able to view the original curtain and stage before touring the historic theater building. The tour is approximately one mile long, and covers approximately 200 square blocks. As you progress through the tour, you will be able to see the evolution of Santa Fe from a relatively rural community in 1610 when it was founded to a thriving city in the 19th century and one of the top tourist destinations in the nation today.

Santa Fe’s Historic Downtown is composed of four different districts that were developed at different times throughout history, each contributing to the development of this unique and beautiful city. The downtown at present is located on Paseo de Peralta, which runs along Montezuma Street from Cerrillos Road to just past Plaza Street. The first European visitor to Santa Fe was Juan de Onate, who passed through this area sometime around 1598. He was looking for a new capital for the Spanish colonies in New Mexico.