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Let's face it, whether we like it or not, the first languages spoken in the territory known as New Mexico, were the dialects of the different tribes of Native Americans, then came Spanish during the Spanish colonization and lastly English after the U.S. bought the land for a few million dollars. It's unavoidable that one could not hear some people speaking American Indian dialects or Spanish. As proof of the American Indian and Spanish heritage, we have many cities and places in New Mexico named after American Indian or Spanish names. Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Espagnola, Mesilla, Sandia, Rio Ancho, Madrid, Pinos Altos, Socorro, Santo Domingo, Las Vegas, Los Alamos, etc. etc. are all Spanish names. Some other towns have American Indian names like Taos, Zuni, Tucumcari, Chimayo, etc.
Language alone will not make NM more or less American. In many European countries their citizens speak more than one language. I don't consider myself unAmerican because I speak Spanish, Italian and some French besides English.
I found Santa Fe very touristy, with many galleries and interesting souvenirs shops. The quality of Art I saw varied from gallery to gallery, but the one that impressed me the most, was a gallery that shows only Russian art, really good in my estimation. Of course, this Russian gallery could have been in New York or Chicago and not necessarily in Santa Fe, since no local artists were represented. As a tourist destination, Santa Fe is fine, it reminded me a little bit of Las Vegas without the casinos and the fancy hotels. I'm planning to visit it again in April.
Ummmmm...Sana Fe reminded you of Las Vegas??????????
I think you were missing some things if that was the impression you got!
Anyway, I am interested that we all see things differently, and since I plan to be a resident of Santa Fe soon, I am happy that the people who aren't in love with all the city has to offer make the decision to live elsewhere.
I am Native American, actually I am injin ( , sorry bad joke. I have a friend who is a silversmith and the students of AIAI (American Indian Arts Institute) are making jewelry that is stunning nowadays. I had never dreamed of such new ways to make jewelry. They have a museum of artwork/paintings, etc made by the students. You should check it out.
A bit of history, my tribe has been going to SF since the 1700's to trade with other tribes. It was a unique place where old tribal wars were placed by the wayside while trading. I believe it was the site of peace made between the Kiowa nd Comanche, who both had been visiting the same person. When the warriors got up to fight, the trader brokered a peace between the two tribes. Bit of history there.
Now, who's in favor of spanglish as officio langua de americas? DOH!!!! another red mark for me!!! Just kidding folks!!!!!!!!
I LOVE your history lesson...something to laugh about and interesting facts on here more often would be nice. Thank you!
I have been living in Santa Fe for 2 years now and I am counting down the days until I can leave! It sucks!
It is a cool place to visit, but a terrible place to live! Most of the people that live here and tell you it is wonderful are locals that have never lived anywhere else, and thus have no idea what a civilized society is.
Here are my dislikes:
1. I tihnk the cost of living is very high.... and I come from Orange County, CA!
2. The New Mexico education system sucks so be prepared to deal with lots of idiots!
3. The roads suck, and suck even more so when it snows becuase they don't salt anything or have nearly enough plows.
4. If you are used to big chain stores and lots of strip malls you will be disappointed. There is a Best Buy, but no Circuit City or CompUSA. There is a Home Depot, but only recently did we also get a Lowes. There are only two Grocery Store chains in town unless you count Whole Foods. (Which I dont!) Generally, fast food places are all very, very over priced and the quality is inferior to their out-of-state or even Albuquerque counterparts.
5. For some reason the no one can explain to me (including my state represetative and senator) the price of gas here is very high!
6. The price of water is EXTREMELY high!
7. If you are not inclined to vote for Hilary in the upcoming election then you probably won't like it here. The political climate seems more liberal that San Fransisco if you can believe it.
8. Medical facilities here are terrible. There is one hospital, St. Vincents... it should be renamed St. Victims. If you value you health care you have to go to Albuquerque.
9. The Food! If you like Hot as Hell TexMex stuff you might like it here. Personally I can't stand any of the "Mexican" food here. It is very different than Mexican food in California and with few exceptions, I think it all sucks.
10. Bad Drivers! I have driven all over the country and New Mexico has the worst damn drivers I have ever seen! There is one major interchange in this entire state and no one here can seem to grasp the concept. It doesn't matter if you are on the freeway in Albuquerque, the Interstate, or just driving around the streets of Santa Fe.... bad drivers everywhere!
Those are my top 10 complaints about Santa Fe. If I was planning to stay in New Mexico I would move to Albuquerque in a heartbeat. Bad drivers aside, I like Albuquerque... the rest of the state pretty much blows as a place to live. there are lots of cool things to see and do while visiting here. Santa Fe is an awesome place to visit on a vacation... but is way to ass backwards for me to tolerate living here much longer.
It seems that cities that are geared towards tourism, somehow neglect the locals. I have Italian friends in Florence who complain a lot, about the rising prices in housing and first necessity articles. Other friends in Pisa told me that in their city, they have to pay even for the air they breath. They resent the hordes of tourists for tearing down their beautiful cities. In Florence, there is recent ondinance that prohibits to sit down on the steps of their cathedral because they are already very worn out. I guess Santa Fe might be heading in the same direction. Of course, this is the opinion of an outsider who has never lived in Santa Fe, forgive me if I'm off the mark.
This Summer, I am going to Ohio and I am counting the days!
If this puts things in perspecitve for anyone, I would rather live in Youngstown, OH than Santa Fe, NM.
In case you don't know... most of Y-Town is not a nice place. However: their roads aren't filled with ice in the winter; I can actually go to a McDonalds and get a combo meal for under $4; I don't have to go to another state to see Football, Baseball, or Basketball; I will not be taunted if I have a Bush sticker on my car; and get this... here are two other tidbits not on my list... Everyone there speaks English and probably 90% of the people there have American cars! I spent a month out there I didn't see one damn Japanesse Hybrid! If I go to the grocery store in Santa Fe I will see four of those damn things in thr parking lot... just one of those little things that kind of "irk" me.
Again, Santa Fe is a nice place to visit. What scares me about New Mexico is that so many people comment on what a good job Gov. Richardson has done and how much things have improved... my God, what was it like before?
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