The four-century-old central square laid out by the Spanish in 1610, when Santa Fe was founded as the capital of New Spain's northern frontier. The Plaza is still the social and ceremonial heart of the city — the place fiestas happen, the place politicians give speeches, the place tourists begin.
Adobe arcades line the surrounding streets and the whole quarter is built to a strict adobe-or-pueblo-revival code. The shaded portal of the Palace of the Governors on the north side hosts the daily Native American art market. Bring an afternoon, a coffee, and a bench.