Santa Fe Spanish: [santaˈfe], Spanish for ‘Holy Faith’; Tewa: Oghá P’o’oge; Northern Tiwa: Hulp’ó’ona; Navajo: Yootó) is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. With a population of 84,683 as of 2019, it is the fourth-largest city in New Mexico. It is also the county seat of Santa Fe County. Its metropolitan area is part of the Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area, which had a population of 1,178,664 in 2018. The city was founded in 1610 as the capital of Nuevo México, replacing the previous capital, San Juan de los Caballeros (near modern Española) at San Gabriel de Yungue-Ouinge,which makes it the oldest state capital in the United States. It is also at the highest altitude of any of the U.S. state capitals, with an elevation of 7,199 feet. Santa Fe is widely considered one of the world’s great art cities,due to its many art galleries and installations, and it is recognized by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. Its cultural highlights include Santa Fe Plaza, the Palace of the Governors, the Fiesta de Santa Fe, numerous restaurants featuring distinctive New Mexican cuisine, and performances of New Mexico music. Among its many art galleries and installations are the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, a gallery by cartoonist Chuck Jones, and newer art collectives such as Meow Wolf. The area around Santa Fe was occupied for thousands of years by indigenous people who built villages several hundred years ago on the current site of the city. It was known by the Tewa inhabitants as Ogha Po’oge (‘white shell water place’).The name “Santa Fe” means ‘Holy Faith’ in Spanish, and the city’s full name as founded remains La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís (‘The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi’).