Overview
Discover the fascinating Jewish history of Santa Fe, from the early Spanish conversos to the 1846 arrival of Solomon Jacob Spiegelberg to today’s vibrant and varied expression of Jewish life. Spend time at the renowned pilgrimage site of El Santuario de Chimayo and take a walking tour of Taos Pueblo with a tribal member. Have lunch at Acoma Pueblo, which once had a non-Indian Tribal Governor, Jewish merchant, Solomon Bibo. On this journey, Jewish Heritage Scholar Dr. Ron Hart, Executive Director of the Institute for Tolerance Studies in Santa Fe, will share two fascinating lectures: “The Inquisition and Conversos” and “Santa Fe’s Historical Jewish Population.”
During this rich tapestry of experience in the iconic American Southwest, you are immersed in the elegance of La Fonda, the only hotel on the Plaza, in the heart of Santa Fe.
Highlights
- 5 nights of deluxe accommodations at La Fonda on the Plaza
- A walking tour of Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding streets, filled with Jewish history
- Excursion to Los Alamos historic district, headquarters of the Manhattan Project
- A morning at the captivating Petroglyph National Monument
- Drives through the spectacular southwestern landscape
- Backstage tour of the Santa Fe Opera House
- Free time to explore on your own the eateries, boutiques, and art of Sante Fe
Itinerary
Thursday June 12 | Santa Fe
Arrive in New Mexico and make your way to Santa Fe.
Our program begins with a meet and greet in the late afternoon and dinner at the hotel, followed by an informative lecture by Dr. Ron Hart titled “Inquisition and Conversos.”
Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Dinner
Friday June 13 | Santa Fe, Chimayo and Taos
After breakfast at our hotel, we make our way to the charming Spanish village of Chimayo, home to weavers and carvers since the 1600s. We will visit El Santuario de Chimayo, an important Catholic pilgrimage site famous for its healing soil.
We then take a spectacularly scenic drive to Taos for lunch on your own at an authentic Mexican grill. Taos, established around 1615, is now a famed arts destination.
Accompanied by a tribal member, we will take an afternoon walking tour of the ancient Taos Pueblo, the first living UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of multi-storied residential complexes of reddish-brown adobe, built between 1000 and 1450.
Our journey continues with a crossing of the breathtaking Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, a noted destination for views and photos. A few miles from the Gorge, we will take a tour of Earthship Biotecture, a unique style of autonomously self-sufficient housing set on a mesa.
Our day concludes with a Shabbat dinner, if possible at the Santa Fe Jewish Center, with the opportunity to meet local Jewish residents.
Accommodations: La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Saturday June 14 | Santa Fe
We’ll take breakfast at our hotel, then stroll through the Santa Fe Plaza and nearby hidden plazuelas during a walking tour filled with Jewish history. As we will discover, many of the stores here were once Jewish-owned. Nearby Staab Street is named for an early Jewish pioneer as is Polaco Street, for Polish-born Joseph Hersch (“El Polaco”), who came to Santa Fe in 1846 and was eventually considered the wealthiest man in New Mexico.
This afternoon, you are free to explore on your own. With guidance from the tour director, you might choose to visit one of the five museums located right on the Plaza or spend time exploring the nooks and crannies of this unique city and its art galleries, shops and boutiques, and Native American vendors. Dinner on your own, with numerous superb culinary options to choose from.
Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast
Sunday June 15 | Santa Fe, Albuquerque & Acoma
After breakfast at our hotel, we visit Petroglyph National Monument west of Albuquerque, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks 400 to 700 years ago. Home to an estimated 24,000 petroglyph images, the monument evokes a sacred history of culture and belief by Native Americans and later Spanish settlers
We then drive one hour through expansive southwest geography to Acoma Pueblo, where a welcome lunch is included upon our arrival, followed by a mesa-top tour led by a tribal member. Pueblo is the Spanish word for “village” or “small town” and
“the People.” Located atop a mesa, Acoma is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States and Acoma Pueblo is the only pueblo to ever have had a non-Indian Tribal Governor, Jewish merchant, Solomon Bibo.
On our way back to Santa Fe, we travel parts of Historic 66. After dinner on your own, we have the pleasure of an evening lecture by Dr. Hart on “Santa Fe’s Historical Jewish Population.”
Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Monday June 16 | Santa Fe & Los Alamos
We’ll take breakfast at our hotel, then be treated to a backstage tour of the famous Santa Fe Opera, renowned worldwide for its contribution to the living art form of opera.
We then travel to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for lunch on your own at Otowi Cafeteria, the only LANL building accessible to the public, where we dine among some of the smartest scientists in the country. We will tour the site with a guest guide and local historian and learn about the many Jewish scientists who have worked at Los Alamos National Laboratories, as well as visit the History Museum and Fuller Lodge, the first laboratory headquarters.
We round out our final day with a shared meal in Santa Fe.
Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Tuesday June 17 | Santa Fe
After breakfast and check out from the hotel, this morning concludes our shared trip.
Meals: Breakfast
Gallery
Traveling with you…
Each of our scholars are outstanding experts in their fields and play an active role in helping us design our journeys as well as accompanying us as we travel.
Ron Hart
Dr. Ron Hart, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist with postdoctoral work in Jewish Studies and a career as a research director in South America, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Tolerance Studies in Santa Fe. Former President of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, Dr. Hart is author of many award-winning books, including Crypto-Jews: The Long Journey (2020) and Fractured Faiths: Spanish Judaism, the Inquisition and New World Identities. He has received awards from the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Fulbright among others.
Tamara Chavez
Tamara Chavez has been guiding specialized tours in the four corner states, including New Mexico, since 2000 and Jewish group tours since 2016. She has served as a volunteer for the National Park Service at Chaco Canyon and at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center as a museum docent. As a tour guide, Tamara loves to showcase authentic local history, cuisine, scenic beauty, art, and culture.
Miriam Levinson
Miriam Levinson’s passion for travel and history was inspired by listening to her father talk about those subjects from her earliest recollections. Since her teens, Miriam has traveled extensively, focusing on Jewish history and culture of different countries. Miriam has presented on Latin American Jewish migration to numerous audiences and organizations throughout the United States. For the past eighteen years, Miriam has designed, organized, and led hundreds of trips to her native land, Cuba. Her knowledge and understanding of Jewish Latin America and, primarily, Cuba add a truly distinctive dimension to her portrayal of these communities. Levinson’s unique personal knowledge and experiences of life in Cuba bring a new perspective. She is presently writing a book on her recollections of life in Cuba.
Accommodations
La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe
Situated on the historic Santa Fe Plaza, the upscale La Fonda hotel combines 100 years of hospitality with vibrant decor and authentic New Mexican architecture. With unsurpassed access to the heart of Santa Fe, guests enjoy beautifully appointed rooms featuring authentic New Mexican craftsmanship and original artwork, along with luxury amenities.
Details
Program Cost: $3,990* includes:
- 5 nights’ accommodations at a deluxe hotel
- Full breakfast daily; two lunches; three dinners
- All group transportation via deluxe air-conditioned coach
- All lectures, guided tours, and museum and site entrance fees
*Per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $1,495. Fees not included: gratuities: $145.
Travel note: Plan to arrive in Santa Fe on Thursday, June 12, and depart from Santa Fe on Tuesday, June 17.
Secure your place
Book Now: use the link below to reach our easy online booking form.
By phone: 845-256-0197 Monday–Friday, 10am–4pm EST.
Payment Reserve your space with a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person. Final balance is due 120 days prior to departure.
Membership Participation on these tours is a benefit for active members of our museum partners. During the registration process, you will be asked about your membership status with your affiliated museum. If you are not a current member, you will have a chance to activate your membership.
Participation Tour sizes are limited to 28 participants unless otherwise noted. Trips entail considerable walking including over uneven terrain. Participants need to be in good health, be able to keep up with the group, be able to experience group and cultural differences with grace. Please let us know if you have any physical conditions that may require special attention while on tour.
Cancellations All cancellations must be received by Jewish Heritage Travel in writing. Cancellations received 120 days or more prior to departure: full refund less nonrefundable deposits, per person; 119–90 days prior to departure: 50% refund per person after nonrefundable deposits. 89–0 days before departure: no refund.
Trip Cancellation Insurance Jewish Heritage Travel strongly urges all participants to purchase travel insurance for coverage of losses necessitated by having to cancel due to illness or accident. For your convenience, we are providing a link to Allianz Global Assistance, which many past participants have used. Please use code ACCAM/Agency ID# F026815 or feel free to use your own insurance agent. When purchasing insurance, please consider the plans carefully to familiarize yourself with what is covered. In this context, do take note that most insurance companies generally will waive exclusion for preexisting conditions only if your application is received by them within 14 days from the date of your program registration. If you have a preexisting medical condition and are interested in taking trip insurance, you should do so either with Allianz or through your own insurance agent within 14 days of registration.
Changes All rights are reserved by Jewish Heritage Travel to make scholar substitutions and/or to modify the itinerary (including hotels) as needed. Every reasonable effort will be made to operate the program as planned; however, should unforeseen world events and conditions require the itinerary to be altered, Jewish Heritage Travel reserves the right to do so for the safety and best interest of the group. Any extra expenses incurred in this situation are the responsibility of the participant.
Disclaimer of Responsibility By registering for this program, participant specifically waives any and all claims of action against the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs for damages, loss, injury, accident, or death incurred by any person in connection with this tour. The Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs assume no responsibility or liability in connection with the service of any train, vessel, carriage, aircraft, or other conveyance that may be used wholly or in part in the performance of their duty to the passengers. Neither will the Museum of Jewish Heritage or the Jewish Heritage Travel office or their staffs be responsible for any injury, death, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity through neglect or default of any company or person engaged in carrying out the purposes for which tickets, vouchers, or coupons are issued. No responsibility is accepted for losses or expenses due to sickness, viruses, weather, strikes, wars, and other causes. In the event it becomes necessary or advisable for any reason whatsoever to alter the itinerary or arrangements, including hotels or scholars, such alterations may be made without penalty. All rights reserved to require any participant to withdraw from the tour at his/her own expense when such an action is determined by the tour staff to be in the best interest of the participant’s health and safety and that of the group in general. Prices subject to change. Cost in effect at time of registration will be honored.
