See America First: Charles Lummis and the Spirit of Santa Fe

Long before Santa Fe became a must-see destination for art lovers and cultural travelers, a charismatic writer named Charles Fletcher Lummis was urging Americans to look west instead of across the Atlantic. He’s often credited with popularizing the phrase “See America First”—and few places embodied that idea better than Santa Fe.

Lummis didn’t live in Santa Fe—his base was Los Angeles, where he built his storied home, El Alisal—but his imagination roamed the same high desert landscapes that would soon define Santa Fe’s appeal. He once distilled New Mexico into a phrase that still feels perfectly tuned to the place: “sun, silence, and adobe.” In just three words, he captured the essence of what visitors continue to discover here today.

Through his books and articles, Lummis painted the Southwest as a place of deep time, vibrant cultures, and quiet beauty. He celebrated Pueblo villages, Spanish colonial traditions, and Indigenous artistry at a moment when many Americans overlooked them entirely.

Meanwhile, in Santa Fe, figures like Edgar Lee Hewett were turning those same values into reality—founding museums, shaping preservation policy, and helping establish the distinctive “Santa Fe Style.” Lummis and Hewett moved in overlapping circles of archaeologists, writers, and reformers, all working toward a shared vision: to honor and elevate the Southwest’s unique cultural heritage.

What Lummis did best was set the stage. He sparked curiosity. He invited travelers to see the Southwest not as remote or rugged, but as romantic—a place where history lives in adobe walls and mountain light.

So when you stroll the Santa Fe Plaza, you’re stepping into a story Lummis helped tell—one of sun, silence, and adobe, still waiting to be experienced.