Each September in downtown Santa Fe, a young man dons a silver helmet with a curling feather, and a gold-trimmed black velvet cape. Dressed as Spanish conquistador Don Diego de Vargas and accompanied by his cuadrilla, he approaches a man playing the role of a Pueblo Indian cacique as the two reenact the Spanish reoccupation of Santa Fe in 1692. This entrada, as it’s known, is the culmination of Fiestas de Santa Fe, a week of festivities honoring the history of one of America’s oldest cities. In a city conquered twice—first by Spanish conquistadores, then by the U.S. Army—the memory is a fraught endeavor. This year, the voices of Don Diego and the cacique competed with the voices of about...
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