At Fiesta, let’s unite as one Santa Fe
Since 1712, the people of Santa Fe have remembered that once, they were exiles from this land. Kicked out — deservedly so in 1680 — by the Pueblo people who were tired of being beaten down by occupiers and forced to adopt a foreign religion and customs. A dozen years later, Don Diego de Vargas came to negotiate a return, bringing back settlers en masse in 1693. Over the years since, the different peoples of New Mexico have lived together, if not harmoniously, with a sense of respect and accommodation for one another.
This coming together of cultures is at the heart of the annual Fiesta de Santa Fe, commemorated in ways large and small for more than 300 years and celebrated once more this weekend, starting today and ending on Sunday with the beautiful procession by candlelight to the Cross of the Martyrs.
It all started in 1712, when then-city leaders drafted a proclamation establishing an annual celebration to recall the events of 1692. Signed by Gov. Marquez de La Peñuela, the proclamation
called for a Mass, vespers, processions and a sermon, all of which remain a central part of Fiesta today. Don Diego, we remember, prayed to the Virgin Mary for assistance in bringing people back to New Mexico from their exile near El Paso. In return, the people were to remember her each year. That continues to this day, first in the summer processions where La Conquistadora, Our Lady of Peace, is marched from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi to Rosario Chapel and back, and during Fiesta weekend itself.
Over the years, of course, there have been additions — the Burning of Zozobra, the Children’s Pet Parade, food booths and fun on the Plaza, and the selection of community members to portray Don Diego de Vargas and La Reina, along with a cuadrilla to support them in their various duties.
Still held every September, the Fiesta signals an end to the busy days of summer and a return to the Santa Fe that belongs to people who live here, as opposed to those who visit or summer here. On Fiesta weekend, locals return to the Plaza, visiting friends, family and neighbors — one Santa Fe, in one place, just like the good old days.
Yet Fiesta has its controversies, as we have seen over its history. In recent years, members of Los Caballeros de Vargas heard the concerns of local Native people, who said that the reenactment of Don Diego’s return — the Entrada pageant — was both hurtful and bad history. His return was not peaceful, and to claim such caused pain. Instead of that reenactment (itself a relatively late addition to the tradition), there now will be a ceremony honoring the unity of the community.
Some activists now want the Fiesta Court — which routinely makes community visits — out of the public schools completely. The visits generally bring music, dancing and Fiesta fun to children, specifically to those in history classes. This should not be a mini-history lesson, but a time for a bit of enjoyment during the day, with parents allowed to send their children elsewhere. And, yes, ensure similar visits from Native representatives, perhaps when the city marks Indigenous Peoples Day or in New Mexico history classes. We are richer when we present the different perspectives, not when we exclude.
The beauty of Santa Fe — when it works, that is — is that we have managed to live side by side for centuries, with the different groups of people maintaining their cultural traditions.
We are no melting pot, but a beautiful, strong mosaic. Native residents might live in town but return home for feast days at their various Pueblos. Hispanic families gather to make tamales and empanaditas at Christmas. Anglo residents — the Americans arrived here in 1847 as conquerors but were traveling the Santa Fe Trail for years before — share their stories of back East or cook up recipes that are exotic to folks raised on beans and chile. (Biscuits and gravy, anyone?)
We get along, if barely, no small achievement in this ever-fractious world. And every September, we come together for Fiesta de Santa Fe, a party that welcomes all — one Santa Fe, all together, on the Plaza. See you there.