Archaeologist investigating who built ancient chapel

Restoration work at San Miguel Chapel could turn up new evidence about who built what is billed as the nation's oldest church, says the group planning the restoration.

Tradition holds that Barrio de Analco, a neighborhood just south of the Santa Fe River, was founded by Tlaxcaltecan Indians—Christianized natives of Mexico who sided with the Spanish against the Aztecs in the 1500s and accompanied colonists north in the 1600s.

"The presence of Tlaxcaltecans in Santa Fe has long been assumed, but no evidence has ever been brought to light that undoubtedly proves their presence here," says a statement issued by Cornerstones Community Partnerships, which recently began assessing the chapel's condition. "Are they indeed the Indians who built San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe?"