Santa Fe: History of an Ancient City, Revised and Expanded Edition

by David Grant Noble (Editor), Joseph Sanchez, Marc Simmons

In 2010, Santa Fe officially turned 400--four centuries of a rich and contentious history of Indian, Spanish, and American interactions. Pueblo Indians settled along the banks of the Río Santa Fe as long ago as the sixth century CE. By 1610, Spanish colonists had established the town as a distant outpost in Spain's expanding empire. Drawing on recent archaeological discoveries and historical research, this updated edition of a classic history details the town's founding, its survival through revolt and reconquest, its turbulent politics, its lively trade with Mexico and the United States, and the lives of its most important citizens, from the governors Peralta, Vargas, and Armijo to the Madam Doña Tules. The origins and transformations of the very building blocks of Santa Fe, from the iconic Palace of the Governors to the city's acequia irrigation system, are revealed in these pages.

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1989

About the author

David Grant Noble was raised in rural Massachusetts, attended Yale University, and began photographing seriously in 1962 while serving in army counterintelligence in Vietnam. In the 1960s, while living in New York City, he wrote and photographed for the weekly newspaper, Manhattan East, covering anti-Vietnam war rallies in New York and Washington, D.C. among other assignments. He also documented Mohawk iron workers (Mohawk Steelworkers), a project which led to photographing the Ojibwe wild rice harvest. (The Ojibwe and wild rice)

After moving to New Mexico in 1971, he was the photographer on the School for Advanced Research's archaeological excavations at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, a 14th-century site near Santa Fe. He remained on the SAR staff until 1989. He has long studied the Southwest's deep history and archaeology and traveled widely to photograph ruins, rock art (Rock Art), and landscape. His first book was Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: an Archaeological Guide, a fourth edition of which is in process. A selection of his other books can be seen on this web site, as well as selected photographs from In the Places of the Spirits.

David has been represented by photography galleries in New York City, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Dallas, and other cities. His pictures have been widely exhibited, published in magazines and books, and won awards. They can be found in the collections of the Museum of New Mexico, Yale University's Beinecke Library, New York City Public Library, the City of Phoenix, Museum of Art, Dallas, as well as corporate and private collections.

In 2003, David received the Victor Stoner Award from the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society for his "outstanding efforts to bring historical and archaeological awareness of the Southwest to the general public." In 2011, he received the Emil Haury Award from the Western National Parks Association's for "outstanding contributions in scientific research or other activities that advance the understanding and interpretation of the natural and cultural resources of western national parks

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of preparing for a first visit to Santa Fe, I wanted a general, but thoughtful overview of the history of Santa Fe in less than 200 pages. Options were limited and this book was apparently written in the late 1980s to fill a gap on the history of the city. The premise is interesting with a selection of essays by various experts covering the different historical periods of Santa Fe. The writing is all well done and well edited, but sections of it felt somewhat dry and more academic. There was the slightest unevenness and repetitiveness with the variety of voices. Would recommend for an scholarly purpose, but it may not be the best choice for a general historical understanding of Santa Fe.