Española is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Founded as a railroad village some distance from the old Indian town of San Juan de los Caballeros, it was named Española and officially incorporated in 1925. It has been called the first capital city in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was at 10,526.