San Felipe is one of the most conservative of the pueblos and has
retained much of its Indian heritage despite the impact of Spanish and
American influences. It has a close affinity with its neighbors,
particularly Santo Domingo only five miles distant. San Felipe was a
well-established village when the Spanish first arrived. Its people
joined in heartily when the pueblo uprising began in 1680 but abandoned
their village during a Spanish counteroffensive in 1681 (which failed).
When reconquest was completed in 1692, the people returned to their
village. Thereafter, they remained friendly to the Spanish and suffered
many attacks from the Navajo, who hated them for this loyalty.
One of the finest remaining structures showing early Franciscan mission
architecture can be seen at the San Felipe church. The present church is
not the original mission, for three different churches were located at
San Felipe over the centuries. The first was built in 1605 and destroyed
during the Pueblo Revolt. The second was built in a new part of the
village in 1694, but shortly after 1700, the village was moved and a new
church constructed. The latter church is the one now in use at San
Felipe. On May 1, the nearly 1000 people of the pueblo celebrate their
annual fiesta.