New Mexico

Template:US state The State of New Mexico (IPA: /nuː ˈmɛk.sə.kou) is a state in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Some 12,000 years ago it was occupied by Native American populations and has been part of the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of a territory of Mexico, and a U.S. territory.

Among U.S. states, New Mexico has simultaneously the highest percentage of Hispanic Americans (some recent immigrants and others descendants of Spanish colonists) and the second-highest percentage of Native Americans after Alaska (mostly Navajo and Pueblo peoples). As a result, the demographics and culture of the state are unique for their strong Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. Amerindian cultural influences. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 1,954,599 in 2006, a 7.45% increase since 2000.

The names of several cities in New Mexico have become synonymous with different eras in American history. Clovis was the location of the discovery of the first artifacts of the Paleo-Indian culture (dating some 10,000 to 12,000 years ago) discovered in North America. Alamogordo is forever linked to the first detonation of an atomic bomb. Santa Fe's museums, galleries, International Folk Art Market and Opera House make the city a cultural center that is known worldwide. And then there is Truth or Consequences, the only town in America that changed its name to attract a national radio game show that would later become a television show.

In national politics, New Mexico has given its electoral votes to all but two Presidential election winners since statehood. In these exceptions, New Mexicans supported Republican President Gerald Ford over Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Democratic Vice President Al Gore over Texas Governor George W. Bush in 2000.

Geography

Desert scene approx. 20 miles (32 km) South of Santa Fe

Digitally colored elevation map of NM

The eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W longitude with the state of Oklahoma, and three miles (5 km) west of 103° W longitude with Texas. On the southern border, Texas makes up the eastern two-thirds, while the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora make up the western third, with Chihuahua making up about 90% of that. The western border with Arizona runs along the 109° 03' W longitude. The 37° N latitude parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in the northwestern corner of New Mexico.

The landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexico's arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state, especially towards the north. The Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains, the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains, run roughly north-south along the east side of the Rio Grande in the rugged, pastoral north.

Cacti, yuccas, creosote bush, sagebrush, and desert grasses cover the broad, semiarid plains that cover the southern portion of the state.

The Federal government protects millions of acres of New Mexico as national forests including:

• Carson National Forest
• Cibola National Forest (headquartered in Albuquerque)
• Lincoln National Forest
• Santa Fe National Forest (headquartered in Santa Fe)

Other protected lands include the following national monuments:

• Aztec Ruins National Monument at Aztec
• Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos
• Capulin Volcano National Monument near Capulin
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park near Carlsbad
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park at Nageezi
• El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
• El Malpais National Monument in Grants
• El Morro National Monument in Ramah
• Fort Union National Monument at Watrous
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument near Silver City
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Pecos National Historical Park in Pecos
• Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque
• Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument at Mountainair
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail
• White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo

A scene of Northern New Mexico, often noted for being somewhat wetter and cooler than the central and southern regions.

Visitors also frequent the surviving native pueblos of New Mexico. Tourists visiting these sites bring significant monies to the state. Other areas of geographical and scenic interest include Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The Gila Wilderness lies in the southwest of the state.

History

Wagon in the mechanics corral of Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico

The first known inhabitants of New Mexico were members of the Clovis culture of Paleo-Indians. Indeed the culture is named for the New Mexico city where the first artifacts of this culture were discovered. Later inhabitants include Native Americans of the Anasazi and the Mogollon cultures. By the time of European contact in the 1500s, the region was settled by the villages of the Pueblo peoples and groups of Navajo, Apache and Ute.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado assembled an enormous expedition at Compostela in 1540–1542 to explore and find the mystical Seven Golden Cities of Cibola as described by Cabeza de Vaca who had just arrived from his eight-year ordeal traveling from Florida to Mexico. Coronado's men found several mud baked pueblos in 1541, but found no rich cities of gold. Further widespread expeditions found no fabulous cities anywhere in the Southwest or Great Plains. A dispirited and now poor Coronado and his men began their journey back to Mexico leaving New Mexico behind.

Over 50 years after Coronado, Juan de Oñate founded the San Juan colony on the Rio Grande in 1598, the first permanent European settlement in the future state of New Mexico. Oñate pioneered the grandly named El Camino Real, "The Royal Road," as a 700 mile (1,100 km) trail from the rest of New Spain to his remote colony. Oñate was made the first governor of the new Province of New Mexico. The Native Americans at Acoma revolted against this Spanish encroachment but faced severe suppression.

Pueblo Ruins at Aztec Ruins National Monument.

In 1609, Pedro de Peralta, a later governor of the Province of New Mexico, established the settlement of Santa Fe at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The city, along with most of the settled areas of the state, was abandoned by the Spanish for 12 years (1680-1692) as a result of the successful Pueblo Revolt. After the death of the Pueblo leader Popé, Diego de Vargas restored the area to Spanish rule. While developing Santa Fe as a trade center, the returning settlers founded the old town of Albuquerque in 1706, naming it for the viceroy of New Spain, the Duke of Albuquerque.

The Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest government building in the nation. The Spanish built it as part of a fortress during the winter of 1609-1610. In 1909, it was converted to the Palace of the Governors History Museum which houses exhibits on Spanish, Mexican, and American colonization dating back to the late 1500’s.

Mexican province

As a part of New Spain, the claims for the province of New Mexico passed to independent Mexico following the 1810-1821 Mexican War of Independence. During the brief 26 year period of nominal Mexican control, Mexican authority and investment in New Mexico were weak, as their often conflicted government had little time or interest in a New Mexico that had been poor since the Spanish settlements started. Some Mexican officials, saying they were wary of encroachments by the growing United States, and wanting to reward themselves and their friends, began issuing enormous land grants (usually free) to groups of Mexican families as an incentive to populate the province.

Small trapping parties from the United States had previously reached and stayed in Santa Fe, but the Spanish authorities officially forbade them to trade. Trader William Becknell returned to the United States in November 1821 with news that independent Mexico now welcomed trade through Santa Fe.

William Becknell left Independence, Missouri, for Santa Fe early in 1822 with the first party of traders. The Santa Fe Trail trading company, headed by the brothers Charles Bent and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain, was one of the most successful in the West. They had their first trading post in the area in 1826, and, by 1833, they had built their adobe fort and trading post called Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River. This fort and trading post, located about 200 miles (322 km) east of Taos, New Mexico, was the only place settled by whites along the Santa Fe trail before it hit Taos. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail follows the route of the old trail, with many sites marked or restored.

Route of the Old Spanish Trail

The Spanish Trail from Los Angeles, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico was primarily used by Hispanics, white traders and ex-trappers living part of the year in or near Santa Fe. Started in about 1829, the trail was an arduous 2,400 (3862 km) mile round trip pack train sojourn that extended into Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California and back, allowing only one hard round trip per year. The trade consisted primarily of blankets and some trade goods from Santa Fe being traded for horses in California.

The Republic of Texas claimed the mostly vacant territory north and east of the Rio Grande when it successfully seceded from Mexico in 1836. New Mexico authorities captured a group of Texans who embarked an expedition to assert their claim to the province in 1841.

American territory

Following the Mexican-American War, from 1846-1848 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico forcibly ceded its mostly unsettled northern holdings, today known as the American Southwest and California to the United States of America in exchange for an end to hostilities, the evacuation of Mexico City and many other areas under American control. Mexico also received $15 million cash, plus the assumption of slightly more than $3 million in outstanding Mexican debts.

The Congressional Compromise of 1850 halted a bid for statehood under a proposed antislavery constitution. Texas transferred eastern New Mexico to the federal government, settling a lengthy boundary dispute. Under the compromise, the American government established the Territory of New Mexico on September 9, 1850. The territory, which included most of the future states of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, officially established its capital at Santa Fe in 1851.

The United States acquired the southwestern boot heel of the state and southern Arizona below the Gila river in the mostly desert Gadsden Purchase of 1853. This purchase was desired when it was found that a much easier route for a proposed transcontinental railroad was located slightly south of the Gila river. The Southern Pacific built the second transcontinental railroad though this purchased land in 1881.

During the American Civil War, Confederate troops from Texas briefly occupied the Rio Grande valley as far north as Santa Fe. Union troops from the Territory of Colorado re-captured the territory in March 1862 at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The Territory of Arizona was split off as a separate territory on February 24, 1863.

1867 map

There were centuries of conflict between the Apache, the Navajo and Spanish-Mexican settlements in the territory. It took the federal government another 25 years after the Civil War to exert control over both the civilian and Native American populations of the territory. This started in 1864 when the Navajo were sent on "The Long Walk" to Bosque Redondo Reservation and then returned to most of their lands in 1868. The Apache were moved to various reservations and Apache wars continued until Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886.

The railway encouraged the great cattle boom of the 1880s and the development of accompanying cow towns. The cattle barons could not keep out sheepherders, and eventually homesteaders and squatters overwhelmed the cattlemen by fencing in and plowing under the "sea of grass" on which the cattle fed. Conflicting land claims led to bitter quarrels among the original Spanish inhabitants, cattle ranchers, and newer homesteaders. Despite destructive overgrazing, ranching survived and remains a mainstay of the New Mexican economy.

Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, on the middle Rio Grande, was incorporated in 1889.

Statehood

Congress admitted New Mexico as the 47th state in the Union on January 6, 1912. The admission of the neighboring State of Arizona on February 14, 1912 completed the contiguous 48 states.

The United States government built the Los Alamos Research Center in 1943 amid the Second World War. Top-secret personnel there developed the atomic bomb, first detonated at Trinity site in the desert on the White Sands Proving Grounds between Socorro and Alamogordo on July 16, 1945.

Albuquerque expanded rapidly after the war. High-altitude experiments near Roswell in 1947 reputedly led to persistent but unproven suspicions that the government captured and concealed extraterrestrial corpses and equipment. The state quickly emerged as a leader in nuclear, solar, and geothermal energy research and development. The Sandia National Laboratories, founded in 1949, carried out nuclear research and special weapons development at Kirtland Air Force Base south of Albuquerque and at Livermore, California.

Located in the remote Chihuahuan Desert the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is located 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Carlsbad. Here nuclear wastes are buried deep in carved out salt formation disposal rooms mined 2,150 feet (655 m) underground in a 2,000-foot (610 m) thick salt formation that has been stable for more than 200 million years. WIPP began operations on March 26, 1999.

Demographics

New Mexico Population Density Map

(See also List of cities in New Mexico and New Mexico locations by per capita income) As of 2005, New Mexico has an estimated population of 1,928,384, which is an increase of 25,378, or 1.3%, from the prior year and an increase of 109,338, or 6.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 74,397 people (that is 143,617 births minus 69,220 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 37,501 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 27,974 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 9,527 people.

The center of population of New Mexico is located in Torrance County, in the town of Manzano.

As of 2004, 27% of the residents of the state were foreign-born, and more than 2% of state residents were illegal immigrants.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	61,547		–
1860	87,034		41.4%
1870	91,874		5.6%
1880	119,565		30.1%
1890	160,282		34.1%
1900	195,310		21.9%
1910	327,301		67.6%
1920	360,350		10.1%
1930	423,317		17.5%
1940	531,818		25.6%
1950	681,187		28.1%
1960	951,023		39.6%
1970	1,016,000		6.8%
1980	1,302,894		28.2%
1990	1,515,069		16.3%
2000	1,819,046		20.1%

Demographics of New Mexico (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN	Asian	NHPI
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native   -   NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2000 (total population)	86.64%	2.48%	10.67%	1.51%	0.19%
2000 (Hispanic only)	40.56%	0.49%	1.14%	0.21%	0.08%
2005 (total population)	85.85%	2.85%	10.99%	1.66%	0.20%
2005 (Hispanic only)	41.74%	0.69%	1.09%	0.23%	0.09%
Growth 2000-2005 (total population)	5.05%	21.88%	9.19%	16.09%	8.63%
Growth 2000-2005 (non-Hispanic only)	1.48%	14.84%	10.16%	15.68%	4.63%
Growth 2000-2005 (Hispanic only)	9.10%	50.54%	1.12%	18.71%	14.27%

According to the Census Bureau, 1.5% of the population is Multiracial/Mixed-Race, a population larger than both the Asian and NHPI population groups. New Mexico has the highest percentage of people of Hispanic ancestry of any state, some recent immigrants and others descendants of Spanish colonists. The state also has a large Native American population, third behind Alaska and Oklahoma. Hispanics of colonial ancestry, along with recent Mexican immigrants, are present in most of the state, especially northern, central, and northeastern New Mexico. Mexican immigrants, legal or illegal, are prominent in southern parts of the state. The northwestern corner of the state is primarily occupied by Native Americans, of which Navajos and Pueblos are the largest tribes. As a result, the demographics and culture of the state are unique for their strong American, Colonial Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultural influences.

Ancestry groups

According to the U.S. Census, the largest ancestry groups in New Mexico are:

• Mexican (18.1%)
• Native American (10.3%)
• German (9.8%)
• Hispanic (9.4%)
• Spanish (9.3%)
• English (7.6%)
• Irish (7.3%).

Many are mixtures of all of these groups and others.

7.2% of New Mexico's population was reported as under 5 years of age, 28% under 18, and 11.7% were 65 or older. Females make up approximately 50.8% of the population.

Languages

According the 2000 U.S. Census, 28.76% of the population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home, while 4.07% speak Navajo.

New Mexico is commonly thought to have Spanish as an official language alongside English, due to the widespread usage of Spanish in the state. Although the original state constitution of 1912 provided for a temporarily bilingual government, New Mexico has no official language. Nevertheless, the state government publishes election ballots and a driver's manual in both languages, and, in 1995, New Mexico adopted a "State Bilingual Song," titled "New Mexico-Mi Lindo Nuevo México."

January 6, 1912 Statehood Proclamation signed by President Taft

The constitution provided that, for the following twenty years, all laws passed by the legislature be published in both Spanish and English, and thereafter as the legislature should provide.

Prior to 1967, notices of statewide and county elections were required to be printed in English and "may be printed in Spanish." Additionally, many legal notices today are required to be published in both English and Spanish.

Source:

Religion

New Mexico has the highest percentage of Roman Catholics of any Western U.S state. In comparison to other U.S. states, and like many other states in the region, New Mexico has a higher-than-average percentage of people who claim no religion. {ref}

• Christian – 81%
  • Roman Catholic – 41%
  • Protestant – 35%
    • Baptist – 10%
    • Presbyterian – 4%
    • Pentecostal – 3%
    • Other Protestant or general Protestant – 18%
  • LDS (Mormon) – 4%
  • Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 1%
• Non-Religious – 19%

Within the Catholic church, New Mexico belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Santa Fe. New Mexico has three dioceses, one of which is an archdiocese:

• Archdiocese of Santa Fe
• Diocese of Gallup
• Diocese of Las Cruces

By the 1990s New Mexico has evolved into a "spiritual magnet" for a wide variety of faiths, many of which extended far beyond the traditional nineteenth-century quartet of Native peoples, Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. From the 1960s forward, utopians of various stripes found homes in Taos, Sikhs settled in Española, Moslems in Abiquiu, Scientologists in Trementina, Pentecostals in the Llano Estacado and elsewhere, and a variety of "New Agers" in the region of Santa Fe. All these faiths jostled with one other and with the traditional groups, not always, it must be admitted, with the greatest of good will. New Mexico Archbishop Michael Sheehan's six 1994 public billboards in Albuquerque reflected both the hope and the reality of this unique situation. Said the archbishop: "Let us all live together as the sons and daughters of God."

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Mexico's total state product in 2003 was $57 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $24,995, 48^th in the nation.

New Mexico Industries by 2004 Taxable Gross Receipts (000s)
Retail Trade	12,287,061
Construction	5,039,555
Other Services (excluding Public Administration)	4,939,187
Professional, Scientific and Technology Services	3,708,527
Accommodation and Food Services	2,438,460
Wholesale Trade	2,146,066
Health Care and Social Assistance	1,897,471
Utilities	1,654,483
Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction	1,238,211
Manufacturing	926,372
Information and Cultural Industries	849,902
Unclassified Establishments	725,405
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	544,739
Finance and Insurance	254,223
Transportation and Warehousing	221,457
Public Administration	159,013
Educational Services	125,649
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation	124,017
Admin & Support, Waste Management & Remediation	73,062
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	71,853
Management of Companies and Enterprises	48,714
Totals	39,473,429
Source: State of New Mexico Department of Labor

• Cattle and dairy products top the list of major animal products of New Mexico. Cattle, sheep, and other livestock graze most of the arable land of the state throughout the year.
• Limited, scientifically controlled dryland farming prospers alongside cattle ranching. Major crops include hay, nursery stock, pecans, and chile peppers. Hay and sorghum top the list of major dryland crops. Farmers also produce onions, potatoes, and dairy products. New Mexico specialty crops include piñon nuts, pinto beans, and chiles.
• The Carlsbad and Fort Sumner reclamation projects on the Pecos River and the nearby Tucumcari project provide adequate water for limited irrigation in those areas of the desert and semiarid portions of the state where scant rainfall evaporates rapidly, generally leaving insufficient water supplies for large-scale irrigation.. Located upstream of Las Cruces, the Elephant Butte Reservoir provides a major irrigation source for the extensive farming along the Rio Grande. Other irrigation projects use the Colorado River basin and the San Juan River.
• Lumber mills in Albuquerque process pinewood, the chief commercial wood of the rich timber economy of northern New Mexico.
• Mineral extraction: New Mexicans derive much of their income from mineral extraction. Even before European exploration, Native Americans mined turquoise for making jewelry. [1]. After the Spanish introduced refined silver alloys they were incorporated into the Indian jewelry designs. New Mexico produces uranium ore, manganese ore, potash, salt, perlite, copper ore, beryllium, and tin concentrates. Natural gas, petroleum, and coal are also found in smaller quantities.
• Industrial output, centered around Albuquerque, includes electric equipment; petroleum and coal products; food processing; printing and publishing; and stone, glass, and clay products. Defense-related industries include ordnance. Important high-technology industries include lasers, data processing, and solar energy.
• Federal government spending is a major driver of the New Mexico economy. The federal government spends $2 on New Mexico for every dollar of tax revenue collected from the state. This rate of return is higher than any other state in the Union. [2]. The federal government also a major employer in New Mexico providing more than a quarter of the state's jobs. Many of the federal jobs relate to the military; the state hosts three air force bases (Kirtland Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, and Cannon Air Force Base); a testing range (White Sands Missile Range); an army proving ground and maneuver range (Fort Bliss Military Reservation - McGregor Range);national observatories; and the technology labs of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). SNL conducts electronic and industrial research on Kirtland AFB, on the southeast side of Albuquerque. These installations also include the missile and spacecraft proving grounds at White Sands. In addition to the military employers, other federal agencies such as the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, and the United States Bureau of Land Management are a big part of the states rural employment base.
• Virgin Galactic, the first space tourism company to develop commercial flights into space, has decided to put its world headquarters and mission control in Upham, New Mexico (25 miles (40 km) south of Truth or Consequences); Virgin Galactic will have its inaugural launch of the VSS Enterprise spaceship in 2008, and will begin launching ordinary citizens in early 2009.
• Tourism provides many service jobs. For top attractions see: Tourism.
• Private service economy in urban New Mexico, especially in Albuquerque, has boomed in recent decades. Since the end of World War II, the city has gained an ever-growing number of retirees, especially among armed forces veterans and government workers. It is also increasingly gaining notice as a health conscious community, and contains many hospitals and a high per capita number of massage and alternative therapists. The warm, semiarid climate has contributed to the exploding population of Albuquerque, attracting new industries to New Mexico. By contrast, many heavily Native American and Hispanic rural communities remain economically underdeveloped.
• Feature films have used New Mexico as a location since The Indian School in 1898. Financial incentives and construction of facilities (such as The Albuquerque Studios) have created opportunities for locally based crew members with production reaching an all time high in 2007. As of the end of August 2007, 30 major projects have been filmed in the state, more than in any other calendar year in history.
• Film and television post-production is also growing with companies such as Sony Imageworks establishing a permanent home in the state.

Taxes

• Personal income tax rates for New Mexico range from 1.7% to 5.3%, within 4 income brackets.
• New Mexico does not have a sales tax. Instead, it has a 5% gross receipts tax. In almost every case, the business passes along the tax to the consumer, so that the gross receipts tax resembles a sales tax. The combined gross receipts tax rate varies throughout the state from 5.125% to 7.8125%. The total rate is a combination of all rates imposed by the state, counties and municipalities. Beginning Jan. 1, 2005, New Mexicans no longer pay taxes on most food purchases; however, there are exceptions to this program. Also beginning Jan. 1, 2005, the state eliminated the tax on certain medical services.
• In general, taxes are not assessed on personal property. Personal household effects, licensed vehicles, registered aircraft, certain personal property warehoused in the state and business personal property that is not depreciated for federal income tax purposes are exempt from the property tax.
• Property tax rates vary substantially and depend on the type of property and its location. The state does not assess tax on intangible personal property. There is no inheritance tax, but an inheritance may be reflected in a taxpayer's modified gross income and taxed that way.

Largest employers

(Not ranked by size)

• Northern
  • College of Santa Fe
  • Boy Scouts of America
  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • Mesa Air Group
  • Navajo Nation
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Central
  • PNM Resources and PNM Electric & Gas Services
  • Presbyterian Health Plan
  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • Intel
  • University of New Mexico
  • New Mexico State Government
• Eastern
  • Albertson's Supermarket
  • Kmart Corporation
  • U.S. Postal Service
  • Wal-Mart
  • Navajo Refining Company
  • U.S. National Park Service (NPS)
  • Allsup's Convenience Stores
• Southwestern
  • Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
  • Lockheed Engineering and Sciences
  • New Mexico State University
  • Lovelace Healthcare
  • Pepsi Bottling
  • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • U.S. Army (Fort Bliss)

_{Source: Economic Research & Analysis Bureau New Mexico Department of Labor}

Transportation

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States after it was first chartered in February 1859. Although the railway was named in part for the capital of New Mexico, its main line never reached there as the terrain made it too difficult to lay the necessary tracks (Santa Fe was ultimately served by a branch line from Lamy, New Mexico). The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996 when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).

Passenger trains

Today the New Mexico Rail Runner Express is a commuter rail system serving the metropolitan area of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It began operation on July 14, 2006. The system is in Phase I of planned development, operating on an existing BNSF Railway right of way from Belen to Bernalillo. Phase II, scheduled to open in 2008, will extend the line northward to Santa Fe.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief passes through daily at stations in Gallup, Albuquerque, Lamy, Las Vegas, and Raton, offering connections to Los Angeles, Flagstaff, Kansas City, and Chicago. The only true transcontinental train in the United States, The Sunset Limited makes stops three times a week in Lordsburg, and Deming.

Roadways

Gallup, New Mexico along old Route 66.

Interstate Freeways	Interstate 10
	Interstate 25
	Interstate 40
	U.S. Routes East–West Routes
U.S. Route 550
U.S. Route 54
U.S. Route 56
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 64
Old Highway 66 (Historic Route 66)
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 80
U.S. Route 180
U.S. Route 380
U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 84
U.S. Routes North–South Routes
	U.S. Route 285
	U.S. Route 491

Law and government

The Constitution of 1912, as amended, dictates the form of government in the state.

Governor Bill Richardson and Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, both Democrats, won re-election in 2006. Their terms expire in January 2011. Governors serve a term of four years and may seek reelection. For a list of past governors, see List of New Mexico Governors.

Other Constitutional officers, all of whose terms also expire in January 2011, include Secretary of State Mary Herrera , Attorney General Gary King, State Auditor Hector Balderos , State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons , and State Treasurer James B. Lewis. Herrera, King, Balderos and Lewis are Democrats. Lyons is a Republican.

The New Mexico State Legislature is comprised of a 70-seat House of Representatives and a 42-seat Senate. The Democratic Party generally dominates state politics, and as of 2004 50% of voters were registered Democrats, 33% were registered Republicans, and 17% did not affiliate with either of the two major parties. ^{[citation needed]}

New Mexico sent Democrat Jeff Bingaman to the United States Senate until January 2013 and Republican Pete V. Domenici until January 2009. Republicans Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson and Democrat Tom Udall represent the state in the United States House of Representatives.

Politics

In national politics, New Mexico has given its electoral votes to all but two Presidential election winners since statehood. In these exceptions, New Mexicans supported Republican President Gerald Ford over Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Democratic Vice President Al Gore over Texas Governor George W. Bush in 2000. No presidential candidate has won an absolute majority in New Mexico since George H. W. Bush in 1988, and no Democrat has done so since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. In the last four elections, New Mexico supported Democrats in 1992, 1996, and 2000. New Mexico was one of only two states to support Al Gore in 2000 and George Bush in 2004 (the other state was Iowa). In 2004, George W. Bush narrowly won the state's electoral votes by a margin of 0.8 percentage points with 49.8% of the vote. Democrat John Kerry won in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, two northwestern counties, and by large margins in six counties of Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Guadalupe).

Major political parties in New Mexico include the Democratic and Republican Parties; minor qualified parties include the Green Party of New Mexico, the Constitution Party, and Libertarian Party.

Important cities and towns

File:National-atlas-new-mexico.png

New Mexico

New Mexico's largest cities are Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Roswell, and Farmington.

Military

In addition to the National Guard,New Mexico has a State Defense Force. It is also home to Cannon Air Force Base west of Clovis, Holloman Air Force Base west of Alamogordo, Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, and White Sands Missile Range in Doña Ana and Otero counties.

The DAV Vietnam Memorial in Angel Fire was the nation's first memorial to soldiers who served in Vietnam. The official dedication took place on May 26, 1986. The following year, on November 13th, 1987 the United States Congress recognized the Memorial as being of national significance and President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation to that effect.

There were several internment camps in New Mexico during World War II, the ones at Santa Fe and Lordsburg held U.S. residents of Japanese descent. The camp at Lordsburg also held captured German and Italian soldiers. Another camp at Roswell held almost exclusively German prisoners, most of them from Gen. Erwin Rommel's elite Afrika Korps, until late in the war.

Roswell UFO Incident

In July 1947, an incident occurred in Roswell, New Mexico which has since become the subject of intense speculation, rumor, questioning and research. There are widely divergent views on what actually happened and passionate debate about what evidence can be believed. The United States military maintains that what was recovered was a top-secret research balloon that had crashed. However, many Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) proponents believe the wreckage was of a crashed alien craft and that the military covered up the craft's recovery. The incident has turned into a widely-recognized and referenced pop culture phenomenon, and for some, Roswell is synonymous with UFOs. It likely ranks as the most famous alleged UFO incident.

Science mecca

The father of modern rocketry, Massachusetts scientist Robert Goddard came to New Mexico in 1930 to test rocket-ship models. From those humble beginnings the aerospace industry became one of New Mexico's leading industries.

The world's first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 on the White Sands Testing Range near Alamogordo. Designed and manufactured in Los Alamos, the area of the first bombing site is today known as the Trinity Site.

After World War II Los Alamos and Albuquerque had many new laboratories. Hundreds of highly educated Scientists and Engineers moved to the state. New Mexico soon had a higher percentage of people with Ph.D.s than any other state.

The University of New Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics was officially founded in 1944 and was the first of its kind in the world.

Education

Public education was almost non-existent in New Mexico until the end of the 19th century. As late as 1888 there was not a single public college or high school in the entire territory.

Colleges and universities

Sculpture at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari

Central New Mexico Community College College of Santa Fe College of the Southwest Diné College Eastern New Mexico University New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology New Mexico Highlands University

New Mexico Military Institute New Mexico State University San Juan College St. John's College, Santa Fe The Art Center Design College, Albuquerque University of New Mexico Western New Mexico University

Miscellaneous topics

State symbols

State motto	"Crescit eundo" ("It Grows as It Goes")	1912
State nicknames	"Land of Enchantment" (Spanish: "Tierra del Encanto" or "Tierra Encantada")	19_?
	"The Colorful State"	19_?
	"The Spanish State"	19_?
State songs	"O Fair New Mexico"	1917
	"Asi Es Nuevo México"	1971
	"New Mexico-Mi Lindo Nuevo México"	1995
State flower	Yucca flower	1927
State tree	Two-Needle Piñon pine	1949
State bird	Greater roadrunner	1949
State fish	Cutthroat trout	1955
State animal	black bear	1963
State vegetables	frijoles con chile (frē∙hōl∙əs cōn chēlə) beans and chile pepper	1965
State gem	turquoise	1967
State grass	blue grama	1973
State fossil	coelophysis	1981
State cookie	bizcochito	1989
State insect	tarantula wasp	1989
State ballad	"Land of Enchantment"	1989
State poem	A Nuevo México	1991
State question *	"Red or Green?"	1999
State Tie	Bolo Tie	2007
State ship	"USS New Mexico (BB-40)"	1918–1946
	"USS New Mexico (SSN-779)"	**2006

(*)The official state question refers to a question commonly heard at restaurants, where waiters will ask customers "red or green?" in reference to which kind of chili pepper or "chile sauce" the customers wants served with their meal. This type of "chile" is usually distinct from salsa, as the chile sauce is much finer and thicker and more commonly served with meals. Natives are more likely to refer to the chili sauce put on their meal as just plain "chile," and not as any form of "salsa" (which is usually reserved by natives in English for the salsa served with chips; everything else is just "chile"). If the diner wants both they can answer with, "Christmas" (or "Navidad" in Spanish), in reference to the two traditional colors of Christmas—Red and Green.

(**)The second USS New Mexico, SSN-779, is scheduled to be constructed.

• In 1947, a craft of unknown origin crashed at or near Roswell, New Mexico. Allegedly, in 1949, another craft of unknown origin crashed near this city.
• Taos, New Mexico is known for a humming noise. See Taos Hum.

Culture

Symbols of the Southwest—a string of chili peppers and a blanched white cow's skull hang in a market near Santa Fe

With a Native American population of 134,000 in 1990, New Mexico still ranks as an important center of American Indian culture. Both the Navajo and Apache share Athabaskan origin. The Apache and some Ute live on federal reservations within the state. With 16 million acres (6,500,000 ha), mostly in neighboring Arizona, the reservation of the Navajo Nation ranks as the largest in the United States. The prehistorically agricultural Pueblo Indians live in pueblos scattered throughout the state, many older than any European settlement.

More than one-third of New Mexicans claim Hispanic origin, the vast majority of whom descend from the original Spanish colonists in the northern portion of the state. Most of the considerably fewer recent Mexican immigrants reside in the southern part of the state.

There are many New Mexicans who also speak a unique dialect of Spanish. New Mexican Spanish has vocabulary often unknown to other Spanish speakers. Because of the historical isolation of New Mexico from other speakers of the Spanish language, the local dialect preserves some late medieval Castillian vocabulary considered archaic elsewhere, adopts numerous Native American words for local features, and contains much Anglicized vocabulary for American concepts and modern inventions.

The presence of various indigenous Native American communities, the long-established Spanish and Mexican influence, and the diversity of Anglo-American settlement in the region, ranging from pioneer farmers and ranchers in the territorial period to military families in later decades, make New Mexico a particularly heterogeneous state.

There are natural history and atomic museums in Albuquerque, which also hosts the famed Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

A large artistic community thrives in Santa Fe. The capital city has museums of Spanish colonial, international folk, Navajo ceremonial, modern Native American, and other modern art. Another museum honors resident Georgia O'Keeffe. Colonies for artists and writers thrive, and the small city teems with more than 230 art galleries, making it the second-largest art market in the country. In August, the city hosts the annual Santa Fe Indian Market, which is the oldest and largest juried Native American art showcase in the world.

Performing arts include the renowned Santa Fe Opera which presents five operas in repertory each July to August, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival held each summer, and the restored Lensic Theater a principal venue for many kinds of performances. The weekend after Labor Day boasts the burning of Zozobra, a 50 ft (15 m) marionette, during Fiestas de Santa Fe.

Writer D. H. Lawrence lived near Taos in the 1920s at the D. H. Lawrence Ranch where there is a shrine said to contain his ashes.

Tourism

New Mexico tourist attractions:

• Santa Fe
  • Plaza of Santa Fe
  • Loretto Chapel
  • San Miguel Mission
  • Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
  • Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
  • Museum of International Folk Art
  • El Rancho de las Golondrinas (Spanish Colonial living history museum)
  • Santa Fe Indian Market
• Taos County
  • Taos Pueblo
  • Taos art colony
  • Taos Ski Valley
• Acoma Sky Pueblo
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• White Sands National Monument, the Trinity Site, and Missile Range, Alamogordo
• Albuquerque
  • Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
  • Old Town Albuquerque
  • Petroglyph National Monument
  • New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
  • Rio Grande Zoo
  • Albuquerque Biological Park
  • Sandia Peak Tramway
  • National Atomic Museum
  • Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
  • Expo New Mexico, formerly the New Mexico State Fairgrounds
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park, San Juan Basin
• Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, Chama
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Silver City
• Roswell
  • Roswell UFO Landing Site
  • International UFO Museum
• Upham
  • Virgin Galactic
  • Spaceport America
• Black Jack Ketchum in Clayton
• Billy the Kid Museum, Fort Sumner
• Historic Lincoln, Ruidoso, and Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation
• Silver City was a gold mining town in the Wild West.
  • The Piños Altos is a ghost town located near Silver City.
• Acoma Pueblo & Mission
  • Laguna Pueblo & Mission
  • El Malpais National Monument
  • Zuni Salt Lake
• Socorro
  • Very Large Array
  • Bosque del Apache
  • El Camino Real Heritage Center
  • Mineralogical Museum
  • Quebradas Region

Hasta la Vista

• Catron County
  • Site of the "Alma Massacre"
  • Catwalk National Recreation Trail
  • Mogollon Ghost Town
  • The Lightning Field
  • Whitewater Baldy

The state also has a number of casinos located on Native American Indian Reservations that attract thousands of visitors each year.

Notable New Mexicans

Many New Mexicans—those who were born, raised, or lived a significant period in New Mexico—have gained local, national, and international prominence. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is currently one of the candidates for the 2008 United States presidential election. Notable businessmen include Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, and Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotels Corporation. New Mexicans have also studied outer space, notably NASA astronauts Sidney M. Gutierrez and Harrison Schmitt. Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, a former New Mexico State University professor, discovered Pluto. Several New Mexicans have served roles in popular culture, including artist Georgia O'Keeffe, animator William Hanna, actor Neil Patrick Harris and actress Demi Moore, Pulitzer Prize winners Bill Mauldin and Ernie Pyle, and rapper Xzibit. Notorious criminals include outlaw Billy the Kid and attempted assassin Francisco Martin Duran.Athletes like Ross Anderson (skier) fastest skier in History for the Western Hemisphere and World Cup/Professional Speed Skier with a speed of 154.060 MPH on Alpine skis.

See also

• Dinetah traditional homeland of the Navajo tribe in northwestern New Mexico
• List of rivers in New Mexico
• Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains
• New Mexican Food
• New Mexico census statistical areas
• New Mexico State Police
• Scouting in New Mexico

Further reading

• Hubert Howe Bancroft. The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Vol. XVII. (History of Arizona and New Mexico 1530-1888) (1889); reprint 1962. online edition
• Warren Beck. Historical Atlas of New Mexico 1969.
• Thomas E. Chavez, An Illustrated History of New Mexico, 267 pages, University of New Mexico Press 2002, ISBN 0-8263-3051-7
• Joseph G. Dawdon III. Doniphan's Epic March; The 1st Missouri Volunteers in the Mexican War, Kansas Press [3]
• Richard Ellis, ed. New Mexico Past and Present: A Historical Reader. 1971. primary sources
• Lynne Marie Getz; Schools of Their Own: The Education of Hispanos in New Mexico, 1850-1940 (1997)
• Erlinda Gonzales-Berry, David R. Maciel, editors, The Contested Homeland: A Chicano History of New Mexico, 314 pages - University of New Mexico Press 2000, ISBN 0-8263-2199-2
• Nancie L. González; The Spanish-Americans of New Mexico: A Heritage of Pride (1969)
• Ramón A. Gutiérrez; When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away: Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500-1846 (1991)
• Paul L. Hain; F. Chris Garcia, Gilbert K. St. Clair; New Mexico Government 3rd ed. (1994)
• Tony Hillerman, The Great Taos Bank Robbery and other Indian Country Affairs, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1973, trade paperback, 147 pages, (ISBN 0-8263-0530-X), stories
• Jack E. Holmes, Politics in New Mexico (1967),
• Paul Horgan, Great River, The Rio Grande in North American History, 1038 pages, Wesleyan University Press 1991, 4th Reprint, ISBN 0585380147 , Pulitzer Prize 1955
• Sante Fe Trail: 72 References Kansas Historical Society [4]
• Robert W. Kern, Labor in New Mexico: Strikes, Unions, and Social History, 1881-1981, University of New Mexico Press 1983, ISBN 0-8263-0675-6
• Howard R. Lamar; The Far Southwest, 1846-1912: A Territorial History (1966, repr 2000)
• Robert W. Larson, New Mexico's Quest for Statehood, 1846-1912 (1968)
• John M. Nieto-Phillips, The Language of Blood: The Making of Spanish-American Identity in New Mexico, 1880s-1930s, University of New Mexico Press 2004, ISBN 08236324231
• Marc Simmons, New Mexico: An Interpretive History, 221 pages, University of New Mexico Press 1988, ISBN 0-8263-1110-5
• George I. Sánchez; Forgotten People: A Study of New Mexicans (1940; reprint 1996)
• Marc Simmons, New Mexico: An Interpretive History, 221 pages, University of New Mexico Press 1988, ISBN 0-8263-1110-5, good introduction
• Ferenc M. Szasz; and Richard W. Etulain; Religion in Modern New Mexico (1997)
• David J. Weber, The Mexican Frontier, 1821-1846: The American Southwest under Mexico (1982)
• David J. Weber; Foreigners in Their Native Land: Historical Roots of the Mexican Americans (1973), primary sources to 1912

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Hubert Howe Bancroft. The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Vol. XVII. (History of Arizona and New Mexico 1530-1888) (1889); reprint 1962. online edition
• Warren Beck. Historical Atlas of New Mexico 1969.
• Thomas E. Chavez, An Illustrated History of New Mexico, 267 pages, University of New Mexico Press 2002, ISBN 0-8263-3051-7
• Joseph G. Dawdon III. Doniphan's Epic March; The 1st Missouri Volunteers in the Mexican War, Kansas Press [5]
• Richard Ellis, ed. New Mexico Past and Present: A Historical Reader. 1971. primary sources
• Lynne Marie Getz; Schools of Their Own: The Education of Hispanos in New Mexico, 1850-1940 (1997)
• Erlinda Gonzales-Berry, David R. Maciel, editors, The Contested Homeland: A Chicano History of New Mexico, 314 pages - University of New Mexico Press 2000, ISBN 0-8263-2199-2
• Nancie L. González; The Spanish-Americans of New Mexico: A Heritage of Pride (1969)
• Ramón A. Gutiérrez; When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away: Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500-1846 (1991)
• Paul L. Hain; F. Chris Garcia, Gilbert K. St. Clair; New Mexico Government 3rd ed. (1994)
• Tony Hillerman, The Great Taos Bank Robbery and other Indian Country Affairs, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1973, trade paperback, 147 pages, (ISBN 0-8263-0530-X), stories
• Jack E. Holmes, Politics in New Mexico (1967),
• Paul Horgan, Great River, The Rio Grande in North American History, 1038 pages, Wesleyan University Press 1991, 4th Reprint, ISBN 0585380147 , Pulitzer Prize 1955
• Sante Fe Trail: 72 References Kansas Historical Society [6]
• Robert W. Kern, Labor in New Mexico: Strikes, Unions, and Social History, 1881-1981, University of New Mexico Press 1983, ISBN 0-8263-0675-6
• Howard R. Lamar; The Far Southwest, 1846-1912: A Territorial History (1966, repr 2000)
• Robert W. Larson, New Mexico's Quest for Statehood, 1846-1912 (1968)
• John M. Nieto-Phillips, The Language of Blood: The Making of Spanish-American Identity in New Mexico, 1880s-1930s, University of New Mexico Press 2004, ISBN 08236324231
• Marc Simmons, New Mexico: An Interpretive History, 221 pages, University of New Mexico Press 1988, ISBN 0-8263-1110-5
• George I. Sánchez; Forgotten People: A Study of New Mexicans (1940; reprint 1996)
• Marc Simmons, New Mexico: An Interpretive History, 221 pages, University of New Mexico Press 1988, ISBN 0-8263-1110-5, good introduction
• Ferenc M. Szasz; and Richard W. Etulain; Religion in Modern New Mexico (1997)
• David J. Weber, The Mexican Frontier, 1821-1846: The American Southwest under Mexico (1982)
• David J. Weber; Foreigners in Their Native Land: Historical Roots of the Mexican Americans (1973), primary sources to 1912

External links

• "Home Page". State of New Mexico. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• "Home Page". New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• "Home Page". Museum of New Mexico. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• New Mexico Magazine Nmmagazine.com. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
• "Religion in Modern New Mexico" Questia.com. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
• New Mexico Legends Legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
• "Science In Your Backyard: New Mexico". USGS. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• "New Mexico dataset". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• "Bureau of Elections". New Mexico Secretary of State. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• "New Mexico state facts". USDA. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
• "Indigenous Peoples of New Mexico" Cybergata.com. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
• "Documentary Film, Villa de Albuquerque". New Mexico PBS. Retrieved September 22, 2007.

	State of New Mexico Santa Fe (capital)
Topics	Culture | Economy | Education | Geography | Government | History | Landmarks | Military | Natural history | Politics | Transportation | Tribes | New Mexicans | Settlements
Regions	Central New Mexico | Colorado Plateau | Eastern New Mexico | Llano Estacado | Northern New Mexico | Permian Basin | Sangre de Cristo Mountains | San Luis Valley | Southwestern New Mexico
Cities	Alamogordo | Albuquerque | Angel Fire | Artesia | Carlsbad | Clovis | Corrales | Deming | Española | Farmington | Gallup | Grants | Hobbs | Las Cruces | Las Vegas | Los Alamos | Los Lunas | Lovington | Portales | Rio Rancho | Roswell | Ruidoso | Santa Fe | Silver City | Socorro | Sunland Park
Counties	Bernalillo | Catron | Chaves | Cibola | Colfax | Curry | De Baca | Doña Ana | Eddy | Grant | Guadalupe | Harding | Hidalgo | Lea | Lincoln | Los Alamos | Luna | McKinley | Mora | Otero | Quay | Rio Arriba | Roosevelt | Sandoval | San Juan | San Miguel | Santa Fe | Sierra | Socorro | Taos | Torrance | Union | Valencia

Political divisions of the United States

States Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming Federal district District of Columbia Insular areas American Samoa | Baker Island | Guam | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Northern Mariana Islands | Palmyra Atoll | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands | Wake Island

Preceded by: Oklahoma

List of U.S. states by date of statehood Admitted on January 6, 1912 (47th)

Succeeded by: Arizona

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