The State of New Mexico get it’s name from a literal translation of the old Spanish territory of Nuevo México.

The capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe means “holy faith” in Spanish. However Santa Fe’s name was actually shortened as it was originally a town called “La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís” which honored an old saint named Saint Francis of Assisi.

While Santa Fe’s (New Mexico) original name by the Spanish was quite long and was to honor Saint Francis of Assisi, it was shortened eventually to just Santa Fe. Which literally means “Holy Faith” in Spanish.