Santa Fe is founded
A capital ten years before the Mayflower
See it on the timeline →In depth
New Mexico was New Spain's northernmost outpost, over two thousand kilometres from Mexico City and only loosely tied to the rest of the colony. The chronology is worth holding on to, because American history is usually told from the Atlantic coast outward. Spanish North America is older, and St Augustine in Florida older still, founded in 1565. The northern frontier of New Spain was thinly manned and dependent on mission stations, a structure that left it vulnerable to precisely what happened in 1680.
For children
The Spanish founded Santa Fe in New Mexico in 1610. That is ten years before the Pilgrims reached Plymouth, and the town is therefore among the oldest in the United States. The Palace of the Governors there is the oldest public building in the country still in use.
Sources
This event has no source references yet. Do you know where it is well attested — a book, an article, a reference work? We would very much like to hear from you.
Help us with sourcesConnects to
Report a correction
Found something that does not hold? Tell us — sources help, but are not required.
Report a correctionPart of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org ·