“The brain teasers collected in this book encapsulate historical nuggets drawn from New Mexico’s dramatic past. Reading them, New Mexicans and others can test their knowledge of our local history and have fun in the bargain.” —Marc Simmons, historian and author of numerous books about New Mexico history

“From its ancient beginnings to modern times, Santa Fe’s history offers plenty of room for questions, and readers will find challenging, as well as entertaining, answers here.” —Martin W. Aguilar, former governor of San Ildefonso Pueblo

“The advantage to the nonchronological approach is that it reveals surprises as the reader turns the pages. The book presents scholarly information drawn from archives and published works as well as questions from visitors and recent arrivals to the City Different, and anecdotes from individuals whose families have been here for generations.” —From the introduction by Adrian Bustamante, ethnohistorian and retired Southwest Studies professor

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This question-and-answer book about Santa Fe contains 400 reminders of what is known and what is sometimes forgotten or misunderstood about a city that was founded more than four hundred years ago. Not a traditional history book, this group of questions is presented in an apparently random order, and the answers occasionally meander off topic, as if part of a casual conversation. What you find here will stimulate your curiosity and invite debate about what history is. References follow each entry.

Black-and-white illustrations, photographs, maps, an index, and study guides further enliven this unconventional approach. A compilation of four hundred questions cannot attempt to encompass all of Santa Fe’s history, but the bibliography extends an invitation to read more and connect to different topics. Also included is a game (“What Is It?”) scattered throughout the text.

Elizabeth West, the editor of this book, is a newcomer to Santa Fe, having arrived in 1966. Her first job in Santa Fe was as a waitress, working as a modern-day version of a “Harvey Girl” at La Fonda. She was born in Boston, but her children and grandchildren were born in Santa Fe. She worked at the Santa Fe Public Library off and on for over twenty-five years. During 2010 she served on the History Task Force for the Santa Fe 400th Committee for the Commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Santa Fe.

Sample Chapter
Inside This Book

Hardcover:
7 x 10
ISBN: 978-0-86534-875-2
374 pp.,$40.00

Softcover:
7 x 10
ISBN: 978-0-86534-876-9
374 pp.,$30.00