Santa Fe Windows

Santa Fe, New Mexico was founded by Spanish colonists in 1610. When New Mexico was admitted to statehood in 1912, the first architectural controls were established in Santa Fe to preserve the city’s architectural heritage. These rules have been periodically expanded and strengthened in subsequent years. The predominant architectural style, known as the “Santa Fe style”, has also been described as the “Spanish-Pueblo Revival” style, a stucco facade with rounded corners that emulates native adobe construction. As would be expected, these rules have resulted in a lot of uniformity in the styles and, certainly, the color of Santa Fe’s buildings, both commercial and residential. However, a closer look reveals a great deal of variety in the details of the structures. On recent trips to Santa Fe, I have wandered around neighborhoods near downtown, camera in hand, checking out the windows. Here’s what I found.