Located just north of the Plaza on Paseo de Peralta and between Otero Street and Hillside Avenue, the Cross of the Martyrs is both an easily accessible vantage point with wonderful views of Santa Fe and a historical site.
20 plaques arranged chronologically along the path leading to the cross tell highlights of Santa Fe’s forming from 500 AD to modern times, incorporating the historical blending of our primary cultures: Native American, Spanish and Anglo. At the top of the walkway is the 25 foot tall white steel cross that can be seen from various spots downtown – which was erected to honor the 21 Franciscan Friars killed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
Dedicated during the Santa Fe Fiesta in 1920, The Cross of the Martyrs is still the destination of the final event of Fiesta, held annually in September. Hundreds of participants make their way from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in a candlelight procession through downtown and up the hill to the Cross of the Martyrs, where luminarias, small paper lanterns, dot the hill to light the way of participants.