Sailor's Patches

The area of Santa Fe was originally occupied by indigenous Tanoan peoples, who lived in numerous Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande. One of the earliest known settlements in what today is downtown Santa Fe came sometime after 900 CE. A group of native Tewa built a cluster of homes that centered around the site of today's Plaza and spread for half a mile to the south and west; the village was called Oghá P'o'oge in Tewa The Tanoans and other Pueblo peoples settled along the Santa Fe River for its water and transportation. The river had a year-round flow until the 1700s. By the 20th century the Santa Fe River was a seasonal waterway.