La Fiesta De Santa Fe

This year, because of the coronavirus, La Fiesta de Santa Fe, traditionally held the weekend after Labor Day, will look a lot different. Not surprisingly, all public events have been canceled, including the arts and crafts festival in the Santa Fe Plaza and the Desfile de la Fiesta (aka the Historical/Hysterical parade). I took the photograph on the left of that parade when my sister Susan and I attended the fiesta back in 2018.  It was great fun visiting that beautiful and historic city, and I definitely want to go back for a long weekend. Unfortunately, New Mexico currently requires people (from the majority of the US) entering the state to self-quarantine for 14 days, which would make for a long, long stay at the Motel 6.

I took the photograph on the right on Sunday night, the last day of the 2018 festival. People were dancing in the streets in front of the Palace of the Governors, which was built sometime between 1610 and 1618. By that time, most of the tourists had left for home, and it was mainly locals in the plaza, making for a much less crowded atmosphere. As I recall, we had dinner that night at Maria's New Mexican Kitchen, which is the go-to place in Santa Fe for good, reasonably priced meals. I have to say, however, that after days of eating New Mexican cuisine, it was good to get home and eat something completely different for a change.

And what about this year? As I said, all public events have been canceled, but since the City Council of Santa Fe declared on September 16, 1712 that a fiesta must take place annually, some events will still be held, all of them religious in nature and requiring advance reservations. I myself will wait until next year, when hopefully this damnable virus will be history. And by the way, I took the photograph on the left under the eaves of the Palace of the Governors, showing spectators looking out at the festivities on the plaza, with Native Americans from the local pueblos selling their crafts and jewelry behind them, as they have done for many decades. Such a fascinating place - who can resist visiting, especially if you are just a 6 hour drive away, as we lucky Denverites are?