Santa Fe Real Estate: FAQ On Talking Santa Fe

What on earth is "talking" Santa Fe? This is a very short list of many of the main words that today make up our local lingo which is sometimes called "talking" Santa Fe. Many of them were words I began to learn when I first passed through Santa Fe in 1968 and then finally settled here in the early 1990’s. Others are the ones “you” frequently ask me about all the time when we begin the process of helping you relocate to Santa Fe to make your lifestyle change.

Acequia - A hand-made irrigation ditch for water maintained by a local community association organized to share the water and distribute it to its members. Spring cleanings of the ditch are major community events.

Adobe - Hand-made sun-dried clay or mud in the form of bricks for use as a building material; a style of home as in pueblo adobe; a deep rich earth color.

Alameda - A road or path through cottonwood trees; the Spanish word for cottonwood trees.

Arroyo - Anarroyo means "dry creek" in Spanish is usually dry and quickly fills with water after a heavy rainstorm.

Banco - In Santa Fe, a banco is not a bird, a bank or a graphic font. Here it is a sculptured curved bench made of adobe and often covered with plaster around the fireplace in adobe homes to display something of value or importance; an outdoor bench for seating or as a low exterior wall of a courtyard.

Camino - The Spanish word for "way" and a frequent adjective in many street names.

Canale - A roof spout designed to carry water off the typical Santa Fe flat roof.

Corbels - Sculptured or decordated wood part of a post near the top; design feature that distributes the weight of the roof beams common in portals.

Horno - A bee-hive shaped outdoor oven often blended into an exterior courtyard wall; a traditional Native American Pueblo free standing adobe bread oven.

Nicho - A small niche carved into an adobe wall or interior wall or hallways of a home used to display pieces of art or other things of wonder or value or of a spiritual nature.

Portal - Outdoor covered patio or walkway connection attached to the home supported by posts with corbels.

Ristra - A string of red chili hung together to dry. The image above is a group of ristras!

Road-Runner - Adopted in 1949 as the State bird called "Paisano" (compatriot) by the Spanish is a long-tailed, long-neck bird with a crested head, olive brown body with legs built for running and is not a good flyer.

Saltillo Tile - Ubiquitous Santa Fe fired tile with many variations of color and shape made in Saltillo, Mexico.

Trombe Wall - A solar window-box structure built against a dark painted south facing adobe wall which acts as a thermosiphoning air collector named after Felix Trombe.

Viga - A horizontal roof beam; a round timber stripped of bark

Yucca - The State flower called by the Spanish "Las Velas de Dios" (the Candles of God) when in bloom bears many white cup-like blossoms hanging at the top of a solid stalk shooting from a clump of stiff and pointed green leaves.

Zozobra - A major community event during Fiesta where a large Marionette is burned to remove gloom, anxiety and worry.

If you are considering relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico for a lifestyle change you will quickly see how these words blend into making our City Different different. If you are interested in relocating to Santa Fe, contact us for experienced professional help and information about our Santa Fe Real Estate market. If you want to search for current homes, condos, land and ranches on the market, go towww.emilymedvec.com for a easy map or list search of current properties on the market. Or if you know Santa Fe is on your radar and you are ready to talk Santa Fe everyday, call Emily Medvec at 505-660-4541 to arrange for a brief phone consultation on current market trends and to schedule showings in advance of your visit. Remember a home is a place to live, work and play... and so is Santa Fe!

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See other FAQs about Santa Fe Real Estate

FAQWhy Buy A Second Home?
FAQWhat Are Property Taxes?
FAQGem? Fixer? Get Home Inspection
FAQIs The Air Clean?
FAQ Any Weather Disasters?