The capital of New Mexico is Santa Fe, the highest U.S. state capital by elevation.
Santa Fe sits at roughly 7,200 feet, or about 2,200 meters, above sea level in the foothills of the southern Rocky Mountains. Its high location gives the city a much cooler climate than many other places at the same latitude and contributes to its distinctive high-desert environment.
Spanish authorities established Santa Fe in 1610, making it the oldest state capital in the United States by date of continuous founding. The city was built near the site of an earlier Pueblo settlement and became the administrative center of Spanish New Mexico.
Santa Fe is sometimes confused with Albuquerque, which is New Mexico’s largest city and lies about 60 miles southwest. Santa Fe remains the political and cultural capital. Its adobe-style architecture, historic plaza, and Palace of the Governors reflect Spanish, Mexican, Indigenous, and United States history.