Oldest House Indian Shop Barrio De Analco Historic District 215 E. De Vargas St. Santa Fe. NM 87501 505-988-2488 inquiry@oldesthouseindianshop.com Open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm every day Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas

…where the past lives on…

Timeless Treasures

The Oldest House Indian Shop at 215 East De Vargas St. in Santa Fe is the new home of the Indian Shop at La Fonda, a Santa Fe retail destination for 27 years. “We are very excited to be at the Oldest House,” says owner Rick Smith. “This location is steeped in layers of history dating back to the 1200s. Here our love of the timeless treasures created in the spirit of the cultures of Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Southwest combines with a fascinating community history spanning eight centuries.” The Oldest House Indian Shop welcomes visitors into the Oldest House Museum in the National Historic Landmark Barrio de Analco Historic District, one of the oldest residential neighborhoods of European origin in the United States. A part of the Spanish barrio originally settled in 1620, the Oldest House is also believed to rest on part of the foundation of an ancient Indian Pueblo built in the 1200s. The New Mexico Tourism Department includes the Oldest House on its list of 15 must-see adobe structures. Smith’s passion for sharing Native American and Western collectibles shines through in the richly diverse pieces he offers. His cases are packed with the work of notable potters, jewelers, carvers and Native American flute makers, and his knowledgeable staff members are happy to tell the stories behind the pieces. The Oldest House Indian Shop features renowned artists including jewelers Murphy Platero and Ray Scott, Kachina carver Alton Honahni, flute makers Brent Haines and Colyn Petersen, folk artist Rory Alvarez and potters Robert Tenorio and Madeline Naranjo. Along with his top-tier, distinctly-curated pieces, Smith offers intriguing curios for every collector’s budget. “The pieces we offer in the Oldest House Indian Shop are touchstones to a moment or an experience,” Smith says. “They are things that spark the imagination and encourage curiosity and exploration. Here we provide a venue for the joy of being in Santa Fe.”

Welcome

The History

De Vargas Street House “The Oldest House”

De Vargas Street House located at 215 E. De Vargas Street on the eastern side of Old Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico within the Barrio De Analco Historic District , is one of the oldest buildings in America. The Oldest House rests on part of the foundation of an ancient Indian Pueblo dating from around 1200 CE. This pueblo was once inhabited by a tribe from the Tano speaking tribes of the northern part of the territory. Sometime around 1435 CE, this tribe abandoned their village, moving on to other sites farther south in search of water, better fields or hunting grounds. In 1598, Don Juan de Onate led a party of Spanish settlers into the area in search of a suitable place to establish a permanent settlement. Accompanying Onate were Tlaxcalan Indian warrior auxiliaries. The small band seems to have gravitated to their own ward, or barrio, soon known as El Barrio de Analco at the same time La Villa Real de Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asisi was founded in 1608. The Tlaxcalans found the river site met their every need. The river provided ample water for irrigation of cornfields to the south ot the San Miguel Church and an abundance of sweet tasting stream trout to grace their tables. During the Great Pueblo Rebellion, the Indians of the Barrio de Analco suffered greatly. Their homes were sacked and burned with a heavy loss of life. The survivors retreated across the river and joined the Spaniards in a spirited but successful defense of the Villa. The Spanish withdrew from the Villa with the Tlaxcalans. Only a few of the first Tlaxcalans are believed to have returned to Santa Fe after the reconquest by Don Diego de Vargas in 1692-1693. Between 1709-1710 the “Oldest House” became temporary residence to Spanish Territorial Governor Chacon Medina Salazar, Marquez de Penuela, while repairs were being made to the San Miguel Church. By the late 1800s, genizaros or acculturated plains Indians such as the Apaches and Navajos, as well as the families of Spanish soldiers were living in the Barrio. Up until the 1920s the Oldest House was continually occupied by people representing all the cultures of Santa Fe.

Barrio De Analco Historic District

The National Historic Landmark Barrio De Analco Historic District in Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods of European origin in the United States. Originally settled in 1620 by the Spanish, Barrio (or District) de Analco suffered major destruction during the 1680 Great Pueblo Revolt. The Spanish rebuilt Analco beginning in 1692 during their recolonization of New Mexico. The buildings of Analco are in the Spanish Pueblo and Territorial styles that reflect the merger of Spanish, Indian and eventually American building techniques. In the seven adobe brick buildings that make up the Barrio de Analco Historic District visitors can see how working-class Spanish colonists, Tlaxcalan Indians and other American Indians lived in Santa Fe during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Spanish first settled Santa Fe during the winter of 1609-1610 as they sought to “civilize” the North American continent and to expand their New World empire. Mirroring other Spanish colonial settlements of the era, the colony in Santa Fe was a defensible fort and village set around a central plaza. Also featured in this itinerary, the Santa Fe Plaza became the commercial, social and political center of the community. Fearing attacks from the local Pueblo Indians, many high-ranking Spanish officials and citizens built their homes around the plaza because it was a central defendable area. As Santa Fe prospered, the original settlement expanded to include growing neighborhoods on the opposite side of the Santa Fe River from the plaza. By 1620, the newly constructed Chapel of San Miguel was in place and a suburb, the Barrio de Analco, began to grow. The Tlaxcalan Indian word, “Analco,” means “the other side of the river,” which distinguished this barrio from the neighborhood on the plaza side of the Santa Fe River where government officials and other prominent citizens resided and attended mass. The Chapel of San Miguel provided laborers, artisans and Tlaxcalan Indian servants with a place to worship in the growing suburb.

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