The oldest capital city in the United States is Santa Fe, which has a rich and varied cultural history as well as the oldest public building still in use. Ancestral Puebloan Indians inhabited the area as early as 500 AD, and Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1540s. When Mexico gained independence from Spain, Santa Fe became the capital of Nuevo Mejico. It was not until 1912 that New Mexico achieved statehood. In the late 19th century, the Southwest became a haven for tuberculosis patients, and a number of sanatoriums were built in Santa Fe. Many creative individuals, including poets, artists and architects, stayed and significantly contributed to the city's cultural and architectural development. In 2005, Santa Fe received the distinction of being the first America community to be designated a "Creative City" by UNESCO.
Historical images of: Acoma Pueblo Mission Church, Alan Houser, Aldred Puyesva, Alfonso Roybal, bultos, Cady Wells, Carl G. Lotave, Carlos Vierra, Chaco Canyon, Cochiti Pueblo, Cristo Rey Church, Dorothy Stewart, E. Boyd, Edgar Lee Hewett, El Onate Theater, El Santuario de Guadalupe, Ernest Thompson Seton, Eugenie Shonnard, Fiestas de Santa Fe, Francis Suina, Frank Applegate, Fritz Scholder, George Lopez, Georgia O'Keeffe, Gerald Cassidy, Gustave Bauman, Helen Cordero, Herman Velarde, Isaac Rapp, John Gaw Meem, John Marin, John Sloan, Jose Delores Lopez, Jose Rafael Aragon, Julian Martinez, kachina dances, Kenneth Chapman, La Fonda Hotel, Laboratory of Anthropology, Laguna Pueblo, Loretta Chapel, Maria Montoya Martinez, Marsden Hartley, Mesa Verde, mission churches, Native American potters, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Pablita Velarde, Palace of the Governors, Paul Burlin, Pop Chalee, Randall Davey, Raymond Jonson, retablos, St. Michael's College, San Agustin Church, San Ildefonso Pueblo, San Miguel Chapel, sanitariums, Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe Plaza, Santa Fe School for the Deaf, santeros, Seton Village, Sheldon Parsons, St. Frances Cathedral, Sunmount Sanatorium, T.C. Cannon, Taos Pueblo, Tonita Vigil Pena, tuberculosis sanatoriums, Velino Shije Herrera, Will Shuster, William Penhallow Henderson, Zozobra.