All trails lead to Santa Fe
Welcome back to members of the Society of Applied Anthropology, now meeting here through Saturday. With 2,000 total room nights, the group’s revenue value — lodging and catering — is estimated at some $750,000, according to Tourism Santa Fe. That’s not counting whatever conference attendees spend in meals and shopping or other incidentals. Members have been here in the past, but had not returned since 2009. We hope they enjoy the visit and make Santa Fe part of their regular conference rotation. Nancy Owen Lewis of the School for Advanced Research is the local meeting chairwoman and has been a great cheerleader for Santa Fe.
After all, what better fit for anthropologists than a city with a sense of culture and history? The members are being hosted at La Fonda on the Plaza, with additional participants staying at Drury Plaza Hotel, Inn and Spa at Loretto and La Posada Santa Fe Resort and Spa. Consider the history just in the hotels. These are the kinds of visitors who understand the importance of a city such as Santa Fe.
Randy Randall, executive director of Tourism Santa Fe, said, “We always are pleased to see repeat clients in Santa Fe. Their returning underscores Santa Fe’s amazing ‘Sense of Place’ and the unique meeting environment that draws clients back to Santa Fe.” Earlier this year, Santa Fe won the prestigious Sense of Place award from National Geographic in its World Legacy Awards, an honor that singled out Santa Fe as a place that supports and appreciates history, architecture, indigenous heritage, artistic tradition and that values cultural authenticity. The perfect sort of place, in other words, for anthropologists to appreciate.
In announcing the choice of Santa Fe, the society called it, “a millennia-old location steeped in tradition, where ancient roads meet recent trails. In recognition of this rich legacy, the 77th annual SfAA meeting embraces ‘Trails, Traditions, and New Directions’ as its theme.”
The conference kicks off Tuesday with its New Mexico Day, featuring events and discussions free to the public. That’s a generous offering to the host city. A schedule is available at www.sfaa.net/files/3314/8906/9686/Santa_Fe_Day_Revised_ NOL.pdf. Offerings include discussions of Southwestern writing, changing climate, screenings of New Mexico films, musical traditions and public health issues in New Mexico. It’s a rich day of programming that locals would enjoy.
Field trips are part of the conference (although we are pleased to see the Cross of the Martyrs tour is not scheduled until later in the week. A tagger hit over the weekend, actually defacing the cross and several of the signs describing Fort Marcy park. On top of older graffiti that has been there for more than a week, the Cross of the Martyrs is not in the best shape right now. City of Santa Fe officials need to do better in staying on top of ugly graffiti, whether at the Cross of the Martyrs or on the side doors to the La Farge Branch Library. Private groups also help maintain the cross, but the graffiti extends beyond the cross itself on city park land.)
Other excursions planned by conference organizers will take people to nearby attractions, including Bandelier National Monument or Los Alamos. These visitors will be learning about the many facets of Northern New Mexico, getting out and about and enjoying the local sights and sounds.
So much about Santa Fe remains attractive and welcoming. The weather is crisp. There is new snow on the mountain. The sun is shining, at least for the moment. We trust our visitors will enjoy their stay, learn about this town and its intersection of people and cultures, and some day, come back again — whether as individuals or as a group. Welcome back. Santa Fe is glad that you are here.