Santa Fe, city, capital of New Mexico, United States, on the Santa Fe River. A year-round tourist centre situated near the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the city is particularly well known for its Native American and Spanish-style handicrafts. Other manufactured goods produced in Santa Fe include tableware and nuclear instruments. Los Alamos National Laboratory is situated about 45 km (30 mi) north-west of Santa Fe. A major nuclear research facility for the defence establishment, it is a significant employer in the region.

Among the points of interest here are the Palace of the Governors (1610), the San Miguel Mission (1610), the French-Romanesque-style Cathedral of St Francis (begun 1869), four State of New Mexico museums, the Museum of Fine Arts (1917), and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (1987). The city is the seat of the College of Santa Fe (1947), St John's College at Santa Fe (1964), and the Institute of American Indian Arts (1962). Performing groups include the Santa Fe Opera and the Orchestra of Santa Fe.

The region of Santa Fe, then occupied by the Tewa people, was explored in 1540 by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado for the Spanish Crown. Colonization began in 1598, and Santa Fe was founded (1610) to serve as the capital of New Mexico. Zebulon M. Pike explored the area for the American government in 1807, but Spain did not relinquish control until 1821, when the region came under Mexican control. Trade with the United States over the Santa Fe Trail began soon after. American troops occupied Santa Fe during the Mexican-American War (1846); New Mexico was ceded to the United States in 1848 and Santa Fe became the territorial capital in 1851. It remained the capital when New Mexico achieved statehood in 1912. The city's economy benefited from the establishment during World War II of a secret mountain laboratory to construct an atomic bomb at nearby Los Alamos, as part of the Manhattan Project. Population 72,056 (2006).