The Myth of Santa Fe
“Coyote” was not a term of endearment when it was coined to describe residents of Santa Fe. The pejorative term “Coyote” refers to people who were a mix of Spanish, Indian, and African American. In fact, it was because of the said “Coyotes” (the Mestizos, Mulatos, and Indians) that New Mexico was one of the last territories to become a state. The other predominantly white states didn’t much like the idea of a state made up of such “diversity.” Ironically, today the Santa Fe Coyote is emblematic of a rich artistic and cultural tradition that many call the “Santa Fe style.” Tourists travel from all over the world to experience the authentic western feel that Santa Fe provides. The most fascinating aspect, however, of the Santa Fe authenticity, is the city’s great effort to tell their story, creating their own tourist-driven identity that would offer a “genuine” Southwest experience to any visitor.
A town way off the beaten path, Santa Fe was so remote in the Wild, Wild West that Santa Fe city leaders had to pay for an 18 mile rail road track, called spur line, to connect the city to the rest of the U.S. in 1880. People have lived in Santa Fe since 1050 A.D. in underground mud huts and later adobe houses in conditions less than desirable. The hope for the coming railroad and American capitalism was that as the town modernized, everyone would prosper. But by 1890, whatever boost the city’s economy got from the railroad had completely dissipated—a stagnation that lasted until well after New Mexico became a state in 1912. Grappling for a solution to stem the city’s depression, some began proponing tourism as an engine for economic growth. But others in the city were decidedly against it. The way the leaders, and perhaps the nation, saw it, New Mexico was only allowed into the Union because it stood between California and the rest of the country. Because of this image, the last thing the city wanted to do was promote its “otherness” as their primary image. Ultimately, city leaders feared that playing up the Native American and Mexican images of Santa Fe would further isolate the city and the state. What they hoped was to simply slip into the union known as Anytown, USA.
With decisions to make, things started changing on their own with the activism of the travel industry. Curio dealers, photographers, and writers were the first on the scene. They snapped pictures of adobe architecture, wrote about sunsets, and sold artifacts from Anasazi ruins to ancient pots and household items. And the people came. Though there were real adobe houses in New Mexico, in order to keep up with demand, “pseudopueblos” began to crop up. The most famous pseudopueblo was the Hopi House located on the Santa Fe trail next to the Grand Canyon—a perfect place for “real Indians” to come and sell talismans and trinkets. Designed by a white, woman architect, the Hopi House nevertheless was considered authentic. Soon hotels, stores, and even museums began adopting and adapting the Pueblo look to attract visitors.
Combine architecture with actors and you’ve got a theater. Just as New Mexico became a state, the country went wild for historical pageants. The first American pageant in Philadelphia in 1908 had treated spectators to their cherished traditions with costumes, story lines, and song and dance. In 1911, Santa Fe did what they do best by putting a unique spin on the old notion of the pageant making a Santa Fe fiesta. The first fiesta was a three-day event held during the 4th of July. City leaders, merchants, and other respected citizens dressed up like ancient Greeks, Bible characters, Egyptians, Indians, Spanish colonists, cowboys—the whole gamut. In this three-day bazaar, tourists could enjoy a special rendition of the history of the southwest. The first day, the pageant showed what it was like before Santa Fe, the second day was dedicated to Santa Fe Antigua, and the final day was a rendition of what they called “Santa Fe Moderna.” Tourists ate it up. Every year the fiesta got more popular and every year the emphasis of the fiesta shifted to the story of how the Spanish conquered the Native Americans. In the 1930s the acting company in charge of the fiesta fenced in the area around the Palace of the Governors, a historical landmark, and began charging admission to the event. And to keep it fresh, each year the fiesta presented new programs mined “from the annals of Spanish and American conquest.”
Many tourist destinations have pageants and interesting architecture, but Santa Fe evolved beyond the fiesta and hotels. Buoyed up by academic and artistic elites of the day, Santa Fe became the center of Pueblo-Spanish style, offering a unique style that built off their strengths making them anything but a mere “Anytown, USA.” The unique culture of this melting pot was written about, examined, and found to be worthy of emulation. Pundits were fascinated with the “Borderlands” cultural phenomenon that drew upon such a diversity of arts, cultures, and historical legend. Realizing the great interest in their culture and society, those same Indians who previously were seen hawking bracelets and pottery weren’t just selling merchandise; they were selling a piece of “po-wa-ha,” the spiritual tradition of a native way of life. Today, the “Coyote” culture is celebrated by internationally acclaimed artists recognizing the unique quality found at the crossroads of various cultures.
There are a number of major events each year where the locals dress up and act out the revised history of Santa Fe—a history in which the Spanish, Indians, and even the Anglos all contributed their best to the culture. In August there’s the “largest Native American arts and craft show in the world.” In September there’s the burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra fiesta weekend. (Zozobra is a “hideous but harmless fifty-foot bogeyman marionette.”) It goes on like that: every month a fiesta.
Voted in 2003 as Travel and Leisure’s tenth World’s Best Cities for vacationing, Santa Fe is renowned for its authentic hotels, cuisine, and nature excursions. It’s a city that seems alive, full of significance and splendor. Yet, that aliveness doesn’t come from the traditional engines of successful cities. There’s no major university, no powerful manufacturer, no technology company. After grocery stores, the next largest private employer group is the hotel industry. This is a tourist town (and a retirement community). Like Sydney, Florence, Bangkok, Rome, Cape Town, New York, San Francisco, Venice, or Istanbul—the other nine top cities of 2003, it feels real. Unlike the others, it is neither a major city nor place that would have ever survived without creating a story that people would travel to see. By telling the story of crossroads, tourists have become fascinated with the multicultural diversity provided by Santa Fe. Is it Spanish, Indian or Mexican? Is it a pure “American” town? It is all of these. Santa Fe had the makings to show and tell their diverse “Coyote” makeup, and they turned themselves into a gleaming tourist spot by telling their unique narrative.
The bottom line is that people are looking for real, live, authentic experiences that reconnect them to the lost lifestyles and cultures of our ancestors. More so than that, all we really want is to be transformed through our travels—to gain insights, memories, and emotions that we just can’t get from our La-Z-Boy at home. Places like Santa Fe remind us of authentic living and encourage us to revisit a simpler time, even if it only lasts until we get back to our luxury hotel suite. Unlike prefabricated vacation hot spots like Cancun (not that we wouldn’t want to go there), Santa Fe is a vacation destination filled with substance, history, and culture. It’s a place where unique experiences are abundant and no two days are ever quite the same.