The Doors Of Old Santa Fe

Doors.  Behind every door is a story.  

You can’t judge a person by their appearance.  It can be said that you can’t judge what’s behind a door by its appearance as well.  Appearances deceive, deflect, project one thing, while hiding what’s behind, beneath, what’s between the walls and under the roof…

In some ways Santa Fe, the older parts of town, is a city of doors.  Of appearances.  “The City Different.”  A town trying to project the image of celebrating its past, protecting its roots, simultaneously embracing the cultures of its indigenous people, the Spanish Conquistadors and Missionaries, the gringos who came later…

A walk around old Santa Fe, the Plaza and the businesses and the neighborhoods that are clustered together in mostly older adobe structures interspersed with newer faux-dobe stucco walled buildings, is a walk that leads past many doors, with many doors rooted in the past…

This is the iconic doorway, gateway to a home on Canyon Road, the door that’s featured on numerous postcards, in numerous calendars.  Most photos of this door show a wider view, taking in the courtyard walls.  I’d like to say that I deliberately chose to move in closer, to capture just a portion of the door itself, but my decision was guided more by the car parked in front of one of the walls than anything…

This door is from an older building that is directly across from the San Miguel Chapel.  Even when the sun is out the door is cloaked in shade…

This door, now sealed and transformed into a work of art, can be found a little more than a block from the Plaza…  

There there's this door, maybe fifteen feet from the one above, sharing the same wall, yet entirely different in character...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX (Top two photos)
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 35 DX (Bottom two photos)

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