1993 Mister Maps Pictorial View of Santa Fe, New Mexico

The City Different.

This is a colorful 1993 pictorial view of Santa Fe, New Mexico, by artist Paul Shaffer, operating as Mister Maps. It celebrates Santa Fe's identity as one of the oldest settlements in the United States and its unique culture combining Native American, Spanish, and Anglo/American elements.

A Closer Look

Major streets are labeled throughout, either on the street itself or with small yellow signs, which are also used to indicate local landmarks ranging from Santa Fe's historic Plaza to the San Miguel Chapel (the oldest church in the U.S., here as 'Oldest Church'), to the nearby State Capitol (here as 'Capital'). Similar blue signs refer to mountain peaks, distances to other cities along interstates and highways, and certain landmarks. This is not exactly a promotional view as few businesses are named, instead being referred to with generic titles such as 'gas,' 'antiques,' and 'market,' while others are represented graphically, such as an ice cream cone for an ice cream shop or a bag of money for a bank. Some of the signs and illustrations are humorous, such as 'My house' at left and the pair of signs in the foreground stating, 'Don Diego de Peralta [first governor of Spanish New Mexico in 1610] slept here' and 'Don Diego de Vargas [a somewhat later Spanish governor of New Mexico] woke him up!' Nearby, the seasonal waterway, the Arroyo Hondo, is deliberately misspelled and represented by a Honda motorcycle.

The Oldest Capital City in America

Here, Shaffer both celebrates and pokes fun at Santa Fe's pride at being 'the oldest capital city in America' (that is, the United States) and one of the oldest cities period, only postdating the English Jamestown colony by three years. The city's identity is anchored by its historic Plaza and the Palace of the Governors, which remains the oldest public building in continuous use in the country. This deep-rooted history is not just a chronological record but a living aesthetic; the city's strict adherence to Pueblo-style architecture and its preservation of the central Plaza create a 'City Different' atmosphere that feels centuries removed from the steel-and-glass skylines of younger American cities.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared in 1993 by Mister Maps, a Los Angeles-based firm operated by artist Paul Shaffer, about whom we have been unable to find more information. (Similar views were prepared by him of Vail and Aspen, Colorado, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Adak Island, Alaska, and the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and some of these were also issued as jigsaw puzzles.) Shaffer was known to put considerable research into his maps, referred to here in the text below the view, which mentions the 'year-long production of this poster.' The present view is not cataloged in the OCLC and has only minimal market history.

Condition

Very good. Edge wear. A few unrepaired edge tears.