Santa Fe ("holy faith") is the capital of New Mexico and the seat of Santa Fe County. Established in 1610 as the capital of the Nuevo México province of Spain, the city's full name is actually La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís, or "The Royal City of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi." The city remained Spain's provincial seat until 1810, with the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence. The 1824 Constitution of Mexico formalized Santa Fe's status as the capital of the New Mexico territory. In 1848, the U.S. gained New Mexico through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The state joined the Union officially in 1912, with Santa Fe as its capital.

The city of Santa Fe went through an economic decline during the late 19th century, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway decided to bypass Santa Fe and run its tracks through the town of Lamy instead. However, Santa Fe quickly rose to prominence as an important center for the arts and archaeology, especially with the School of American Research, which was created in 1907 by prominent archaeologist Edgar Lee Hewett. A renewed interest in Pueblo Indian pottery led to another major industry in Santa Fe, and led to the founding of the annual Santa Fe Indian Market.