| Neighborhood:
Downtown Address: The foothill of the Cross is on Paseo de Peralta, north of East Marcy Street |
 |
The
white Cross of the Martyrs sits highly visible atop
Fort Marcy Park and is on every tourist map of Santa
Fe. There are three very good reasons to visit it. First,
when you reach it you are rewarded with a stunning view
of Santa Fe, the Jemez Mountains and the Sangre de Cristos
(Blood of Christ Mountains). Second, the gentle gradient
of this easy, winding path is an enjoyable and energizing
hike. Third, you learn from the plaques placed alongside
the path by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation that chronicle
a 400-year history of this city. It starts with the
Spanish building the City of Holy Faith (Santa Fe) in
1610, to how they colonized the surrounding areas, and
onto the progress present-day New Mexico State has made.
Walking up this paved trail you may notice circular
fireplaces with remnants of charred coals. The fireplaces
are lit with farolitos or bonfires when, during the
first week in September, the city sponsors the oldest
community gathering of its kind in the country, the
"Fiesta de Santa Fe." This Fiesta was inaugurated
in 1692 to celebrate the peaceful return of the Spanish.
On the final night of Fiesta Week, Mass is celebrated
at St. Francis Cathedral followed by a candlelight procession
up to the Cross. The Cross was built to honor 21 fallen
Franciscan friars in the 1680 Pueblo Indian Revolt.
The Indians revolted because of dire straits and poverty
brought on by drought, slavery and mistreatment by the
Spanish colonialists; with the unfortunate consequence
of the 21 friars being killed. Even today, many older
Santafesinos of Hispanic ancestry consider walking up
this trail as making personal pilgrimages.
