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NEW MEXICO INSPIRATIONS | History
Burning of ZozobraThe influx of newcomers to New Mexico has always caused conflict. Each culture - Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo - has impacted the others in both positive and negative ways. First, Pueblo Indians dealt with the arrival of the Navajo and Apache Indians between 1300 and 1600. Scientists believe the pressure these groups placed on marginal farming land may have played a role in the abandonment of Chaco Canyon and other large settlements in the state.
Spanish colonists, who came to New Mexico for the first time in 1540, felt it part of their mission to Christianize the Native Americans. Their efforts at repressing the ancient Indian religion were met with fierce resistance. Finally, the Pueblo Indians united and in 1680 drove the Spanish out of their lands. In time, the Spaniards returned, and permanently established a Spanish colony in 1692. After the Pueblo Rebellion, the Spanish were more tolerant of native religion and, indeed, united with the Pueblo Indians against raids by other Indians from the Great Plains region.
The Spanish were very protective of their trade routes between New Mexico and Mexico City. They successfully kept Americans and other foreigners out of their territory. But in 1821, Spanish rule collapsed, and with the establishment of The Santa Fe Trail, Americans and Europeans poured into the territory. This touched off a great debate about whether New Mexico would be part of Mexico or part of the United States.
In 1846, during a war with Mexico, the United States claimed New Mexico. This was the beginning of American military presence in this region. The establishment of forts brought many economic benefits to the region, but the new military presence was devastating for the Navajo and Apache Indians who were commanded- and refused- to be confined on reservations. Congress created the Territory of New Mexico in 1850 and Santa Fe became its capital in 1851. In 1862, there was a brief, but important, Civil War battle at Glorieta, near Santa Fe. The Union forces won. New Mexico did not become a state until 1912.
Ideas of Places to Visit: Past
Native American
• Clovis Excavation Site. Arrowheads found in animal bones at this site proved that archaic people lived in New Mexico as early as 9,000 B. C. This site is near Portales and features a small museum.
• Folsom. This tiny town was home to one of the most important archaeological discoveries in North America. A finely shaped arrow point discovered with prehistoric bison bones was the first documentation of Folsom Man, a culture that existed at the end of the Ice Age. The town has a small museum which is open by appointment. Northeastern New Mexico.
• Pueblos and Reservations. There are 19 Indian Pueblos, two Apache reservations, and portions of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. All have sovereign governments and most allow visitors.
• Museums. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe has a history wing that vividly portrays the Native American past.
• Fort Sumner. Fort Sumner was the end of the infamous "Long Walk" in 1862, in which the American military herded thousands of Apache and Navajos and marched them 300 miles to imprisonment. The fort was later the scene of several escapades involving Billy the Kid. Near Ruidoso.
Hispanic
• Moradas. Priests were sometimes scarce in remote areas of Spanish Colonial New Mexico. Brotherhoods of laymen assumed some of their functions. Although these societies were sometimes controversial because of their practices of self-flagellation, they still exist. Moradas, their windowless chapels, can be seen in northern New Mexico. Most moradas are not open to the public, but the morada at Las Golondrinas, a living history museum near Santa Fe, sometimes allows visitors inside.
• El Morro. For 3,000 years, travelers have left inscriptions in the rock cliffs next to a water hole. Juan de Oñate camped there and left one in 1605. Don Diego de Vargas recorded his passage in 1692, after the reconquest of Santa Fe following the Pueblo Indian Revolt.
• Villages. Many historic Hispanic farming villages in northern New Mexico look much the same today as they did a century ago.
• Easter Processions. Many Catholic churches in New Mexico maintain the European practice of religious processions around Easter and other important dates.
• Camino Real. The "Royal Road” was the main route travelled between Mexico City and northern New Mexico by Spanish traders, soldiers, and colonists. Parts of it are now incorporated into New Mexico's road system, but many portions of the old route are still visible. The Camino Real International Heritage Center opens in Socorro in fall, 2005.
• Museums. The Spanish Colonial Arts Museum in Santa Fe exhibits Hispanic art and utilitarian objects which illustrate Spanish influence throughout the New World. El Rancho de las Golondrinas (open summers) is a living history museum which recreates life on a Spanish Colonial farm. Near Santa Fe. North of Española,
• Los Luceros was a Spanish land grant and later home to Mary Cabot Wheelwright, an heiress and anthropologist. It is beautifully restored.
Anglo
• Forts. Numerous military forts from the 19th century survive throughout New Mexico. They were built to protect trade routes and settlements. African-American Buffalo Soldiers were stationed at some of these forts. Theirs was the first significant presence of blacks in New Mexico.
• Railroads. Railroads first came to New Mexico in 1879, bringing the first manufactured goods and the first tourists. There are a number of historic train stations. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, on the New Mexico/Colorado border, features a historic steam-driven, narrow-gauge railroad.
• Route 66. Route 66 popularized highway travel and brought many Americans to New Mexico from the 1920s to the 1980s. The best-known and best preserved section is in Albuquerque. There is a Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa.
• Harvey Houses. Fred Harvey, an entrepreneur, built the famous Harvey House hotels throughout the Southwest. They operated through the 1920s and then under new management until WW2 and offered the first opportunity to see New Mexico in luxurious style. Harvey hired well-mannered, attractive young women as waitresses and they became known as Harvey Girls. He also started Indian Detours, a company which took visitors on tours of the Pueblos. The Harvey Houses were designed in a signature Southwestern style by Mary Coulter, a well-known architect. La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe was once a Harvey House.
• W.P.A Artwork. The Works Progress Administration was a project to put Americans to work on public projects in the 1930s. Murals in many public buildings date from this period. The program also revived several traditional arts, such as tinwork and Spanish Colonial furniture making, which were dying out at the time.
• Architecture. New Mexico's first archbishop, Jean Baptiste Lamy, wanted a cathedral in the Romanesque style of his native France. He hired European craftsmen, including a number of Italian stonemasons, to work on St. Francis Cathedral, built in Santa Fe between 1869 and 1886. Numerous Italian-American families date their presence in New Mexico to this time. Lamy was portrayed in Willa Cather's novel, Death Comes for the Archbishop.
Ideas of Places to Visit: Present
Native American
• Pueblos. From 1,000 to 700 years old, New Mexico's 19 Pueblos are still inhabited. Most allow visitors and some have visitor centers or museums.
• Casinos. Under an agreement with the state of New Mexico, many tribes have built casinos on their lands. They offer gambling from slot machines to table games. Several feature well-known entertainers. Some tribes have also built complexes which include luxury hotels and golf courses.
• Navajo Nation. Parts of the huge Navajo reservation are located in western New Mexico. The gateway to Navajo country is the town of Gallup. Many Gallup shops sell Navajo jewelry and arts and there is a famous auction of handwoven rugs and blankets there.
Hispanic
• El Museo Cultural. This cultural center in Santa Fe features a changing schedule of art exhibits, performances, and special events.
• Dances. Hispanic folkloric dancing is very popular in northern New Mexico. Many children take classes. Adults and children perform frequently at public events, especially the Santa Fe Fiesta. Flamenco dance is also very popular and an internationally known troupe, Marie Benitez Teatro Flamenco, is based in Santa Fe.
• Santa Fe Fiesta. The oldest continually celebrated festival in the United States, Fiesta commemorates the return of the Spanish in 1692 to Santa Fe after the Pueblo Indian Revolt. There are parades, music, food, and religious processions. An addition in modern times, the burning of Zozobra, a giant puppet representing gloom, is a very popular event.
Anglo
• Architecture. American architect John Gaw Meem revitalized traditional Pueblo/Spanish architecture in New Mexico. But there is also contemporary architecture, most notably colorful buildings designed by architect Ricardo Legorreta.
• Manhattan Project. The first atomic bomb was made in secret at Los Alamos, near Santa Fe. The Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos gives an excellent history of this world-changing event.
• Movie Sets. New Mexico has starred in many Western movies. There are famous movie sets near Santa Fe.
• State Capitol. The State Capitol building, located in Santa Fe, is in the shape of the Zia sun symbol. There is a large art collection with rotating exhibits. Outside, the grounds are filled with sculpture.
• Santa Fe Institute. This multi-disciplinary think tank attracts scholars and scientists from all over the world. It studies issues of complexity.
