The architecture in Santa Fe really is very distinctive and attractive. Thanks to the adoption of a far sighted Historic Zoning Ordinance (sorry to talk about planning) in 1957, all buildings in Santa Fe must follow the Pueblo Revival Style of architecture. While this style is based on the traditional architecture of New Mexico, it really is quite contrived and of more recent origin than most people assume. It does get a bit much sometimes when you see carparks, drive in car washes, and even ATM shelters built in the style, but when you go into the heart of the older parts of the city, away from the more touristy areas, the result is both architecturally coherent and very attractive. Most tourists stay in the city center, but the loveliest houses are in the older suburbs off the Old Santa Fe Trail. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning, riding around what were old farm tracks trying to guess which are the genuine old houses, and which are new.
