page_title: Santa Cruz, New Mexico
section_title: Colonial period
hierarchical_section_title: Santa Cruz, New Mexico / History / Colonial period
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Diego de Vargas (1643-1704)
context_page_description: Santa Cruz is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 423 at the 2000 census.
context_section_description: The nearby, and unsuccessful, Spanish colony at San Gabriel established by the explorer Juan de Oñate at Ohkay Owingeh in 1598 produced Spanish haciendas and ranchos in the vicinity. During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Hispanic settlers  were forced to leave the area. In 1695, following the Reconquest of 1692-1694 and the second Pueblo Revolt in 1696, Governor and Captain General of New Mexico, Don Diego de Vargas reestablished the Hispanic settlement. It was established as a new Spanish villa for those that had arrived from Mexico City as settlers and participants in the military campaigns during the reconquest. It was named Villa Nueva de Santa Cruz de los Españoles Mejicanos del Rey Nuestro Señor Carlos Segundo (The New Town of the Holy Cross of Mexican Spaniards under the King Our Lord Charles II). It later shortened simply to Santa Cruz de la Cañada (la Cañada translates as "a small river or creek valley").
  The new Hispanic community was the second villa established by the Spanish in New Mexico and was one of only three established during the colonial period, the first being Santa Fe and the last, Albuquerque. The area surrounding Santa Cruz de la Cañada was described during this period as containing many copious fruit orchards irrigated by the Santa Cruz River and its tributaries.
  The original population of Tano Pueblo Natives in the area were at first grouped by Diego de Vargas into two pueblos with the same names (San Lazaro and San Cristobal) as previously established in this Galisteo Basin, but were relocated from the area by the end of the 17th century, following the second Pueblo Revolt. Many of the Tewa People left the area to join the Hopi people and became the Hopi-Tewas at First Mesa.
  The existing Santa Cruz Catholic Church building in the Holy Cross Parish was originally constructed between 1733 and 1748 to replace a structure that was reported to be in danger of collapsing and beyond repair, although the Archdiocese of Santa Fe archives do not have a record either that Santa Cruz was a parish or that there was a church building existing at that time. The first baptism in the community was recorded on September 15, 1710. Artwork in the church has been contributed by well known local Santeros. The church is currently maintained by the Sons of the Holy Family and is open to tourists and visitors Monday through Friday.
caption: Diego de Vargas (oil on canvas) by Julio Barrera, from the collection of the Palace of the Governors, date unknown.
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