Santa Fe

73 2.5

The capital city of New Mexico in the north-central part of the state

proper noun
/ˈsæntə feɪ/

: Santa Fe

Have you ever visited Santa Fe, the beautiful capital of New Mexico?
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, N.M.
Santa Fe, NM

This is a poem called Afternoon and Your Tour, and your tour is the Navajo name for Santa Fe.

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Examples

Folks in Santa Fe and the rest of America... are waiting for a response from the White House... on these harsh allegations.

Wag the Dog (1997)
During the 1920s and 1930s, ever-increasing numbers of tourists traveled to Santa Fe and the Pueblo areas.

Academic text (1994)
I think it's a long way to Santa Fe and back.

Chisum (1970)
When we get to Santa Fe, I'd like to meet him.

The Kid (2019)
The organization is based in Santa Fe, N.M., but has regional and national reach.

Academic text (1999)
In the afternoon, we drive into Santa Fe to run errands and meet friends for supper.

Fiction book (1998)
Colleen Rae teaches writing at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico.

Academic text (1990)
If you haven't been to Santa Fe over Christmas, it's a truly magical place and there's amazing stores there, including a hat store from which I have procured.
During our road trip, we made a stop at Santa Fe to enjoy the local art scene.
Many tourists flock to Santa Fe for its unique adobe architecture and vibrant culture.

Surface Forms

Santa Fe main

Morphology

Santa + Fe

This is a place name (proper noun) whose referential meaning (the capital city of New Mexico) cannot be derived from its parts. Even if a learner recognised Spanish 'Santa' (saint) and 'Fe' (faith), that literal composition ('Holy Faith') does not indicate it is a specific city or its location, so the expression is not compositionally transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Santa Fe was named by Spanish settlers who used Santa ('holy') and Fe ('faith'). So the name literally means 'holy faith', and that is why the city still uses this Spanish name today.