About Santa Fe, New Mexico USA

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September in Santa Fe

Many locals will confide that September is their favorite month in Santa Fe. The summer crowds have thinned, there's rarely a wait for tables at favorite restaurants, and it's easier to find downtown parking. The city is steeped in the earthy scent of freshly harvested green chile roasting at roadside stands. In late September, the aspen leaves start to turn a brilliant shade of gold. As summer starts its fade to fall, the weather is crisp and clear, with high temperatures averaging 78 degrees and lows averaging 48 degrees.

September kicks off with the Santa Fe Fiesta, America's oldest community event. The week of festivities commemorate the reoccupation of Santa Fe led by Don Diego de Vargas in 1692, a dozen years after the Pueblo Indian Revolt. The celebration includes parades, music, dancing, feasting and the boisterous Burning of Zozobra, in which a 49-foot-tall marionette groans and grimaces as his demise by fire is cheered by a crowd of thousands. Burning Zozobra is a feverish, time-honored tradition that pre-dates Burning Man and provides a way for viewers to symbolically release any gloom from the year.

This month, a bountiful harvest arrives at the Santa Fe Farmers Market, where booths are bursting with ripe peaches, apples, corn and the revered roasted green chile. Sample this famous New Mexico staple in inventive dishes served by local restaurants or buy a bag to take home for use in your own kitchen. The celebration of food continues during the annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, which brings foodies to town from around the country to savor wine dinners, cooking demonstrations and other events showcasing world wines paired with New Mexico ingredients creatively prepared by talented Santa Fe chefs.