Licensees come to Santa Fe to find inspiration in the collections of our four world-class museums. They leave having seen the world. How is it that four museums in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the heart of Southwest history and style, have internationally diverse collections? Santa Fe’s role in international and US history explains how this phenomenon is possible.

As the second oldest city in the United States, Santa Fe has for centuries been an international hub of culture and commerce. Because New Mexico is home to over 19 Indian Pueblos, the region has a strong and long-lived Native American culture and craft tradition. As a colony of Spain and Mexico for more than 225 years, the city was the northernmost stop on the colonial Camino Real trade route that delivered Asian and European goods.

Thirteen years before Plymouth Colony was settled by the Mayflower Pilgrims, Santa Fe was established by the Spanish in 1607, eventually becoming the seat of power for the Spanish Empire north of the Rio Grande. In 1822, the city became the terminus of the famed Santa Fe Trail, which carried American-made products to the region. The 1850 designation of New Mexico as a U.S. Territory set the stage for the 1879 arrival of the railroad, bringing new residents and even more eastern American wares. These long-lived European and Latin American influences, combined with those of Native American art and culture shaped Santa Fe into a truly unique city know as, “the city different”. Thus, our museums have collections that are representative of both western and international cultures.

Here are a few examples of how our manufactureers translate items in our collections into unique products.

This Northwest Coast Indian basket was the inspiration for Pacific, a carpet by Shaw Rugs for the New West collection.

This shows a section of the 18th century silk on cotton, embroidered coverlet from Mexico that inspired this rug, Rosalia, by Odegard Carpets.