Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the plaza consists of a central park lined with grass, trees, and benches.

[4] The area now known as Santa Fe had been inhabited by Tewa and other peoples, for which there is archaeological evidence as near[clarification needed] to the Plaza as the Sena compound.

The original Plaza was a presidio surrounded by a large defensive wall that enclosed residences, barracks, a chapel, a prison and the Governor's palace.

In the early days, it was found at the end of El Camino Real (the Spanish Royal Road from Mexico City).

On October 12, 2020, Indigenous People's Day, the obelisk portion of the Soldiers' Monument in the center of the plaza was toppled by protestors.

[10] The Plaza has several mature trees, street lamps, a banco, a central monument, a buried time capsule,[11] a bandstand and a water fountain.