NMPedia

AKA: Martinez Hacienda. Surviving example of the Spanish Colonial hacienda estate house, near Taos. The Hacienda is a large adobe structure with 21 rooms surrounding two courtyards. On the northernmost point of El Camino Real, the Hacienda de los Martinez was an important destination during the Colonial period; after the passing of Spanish rule, it was a trade center along the Santa Fe Trail. The Hacienda, on the National Register of Historic Places, is now operated as a living museum by the Museum Association of Taos and features a gift shop and tours.

In the Spanish Colonial period, the hacienda (Spanish for "estate") was a grant of land under the control of the hacendado (also patron). The estate could include agriculture, mining, and manufacturing, and was expected to be a self-sustaining element of the colony - in effect, a productive village controlled by one man. Workers on the haciendas were known as peones (peons) or campesinos ("peasants"), and whole families sometimes worked for generations on the same hacienda. The hacienda system technically collapsed with the end of Spanish rule, but entrenched business interests and wealthy and influential landowners caused the system to be evident throughout the 1800s; Mexico formally abolished the hacienda system in 1917.

(1833-1922). Quaker educator who came to New Mexico in 1887 from Indiana. Founder and for many years President of the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (now New Mexico State University) in Las Cruce, later President of UNM. Strong proponent of education in New Mexico, especially among Spanish-Americans; started the first public school in southern New Mexico. Proponent of National Prohibition, Woman Suffrage, and International Peace. Nicknamed "The father of education in New Mexico".

(1871-1935) Herbert James Hagerman. Appointed Territorial Governor of New Mexico in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Replaced in 1907 amid a political turmoil and allegations of selling public lands without proper authority. Settled in the Roswell area, remaining active in politics. Son of J.J. Hagerman.
State Historian webpage on Herbert Hagerman

(1839-1909) James John Hagerman. Enterpreneur who spent millions to develop irrigation projects in the Pecos Valley, in conjunction with Charles B. Eddy with whom he later parted ways. Father of later-Governor Herbert J. Hagerman. The town of Hagerman in Chaves County is named for him. He also donated land to develop the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell.

Astronomer, now living in Cloudcroft. Earned Ph.D. in Astronomy from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Founded the Southwest Institute for Space Research (now called the Earthrise Institute). Co-discoverer in 1995 of Comet Hale-Bopp; Hale had previously tracked some 200 known comets, and discovered the new comet with a telescope from his driveway in Las Cruces. A noted advocate of scientific literacy, especially in the space sciences; often appears at science-related events.

AKA: Ham the Chimp, Ham the Astrochimp, First Chimp into Space, First Chimpanzee into Space. (1956-1983) First Hominid launched into outer space, on 31 January 1961 from Cape Canaveral. The name - initializations of the Holloman Aerospace Medical center where he was prepared for the flight - was given him upon his successful return. Ham lived out his life in several zoos including the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.; he is buried (less his skeleton and some other samples that were kept for the sake of science) at the New Mexico Museum of Space History (formerly, the International Space Hall of Fame) in Alamogordo, memorialized with a plaque below the facility's sign.

(1910-2001) Noted animator, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera Studio. Born in Melrose.

(1884-1966) Seventh governor of New Mexico, serving 1924-1926. Previously, practiced law in Gallup then served as mayor. Best remembered for "Hannett's Joke", a re-routing of Route 66 through Albuquerque that took place during the last days of his holding office. A former highway commissioner, Arthur T. Hannett had the connections to complete the 69-mile stretch of road in just 31 days, bypassing Santa Fe and in effect thumbing his nose at his political rivals. The rough-but-continuous road received federal funding to be part of Route 66, and the new access helped spur Albuquerque's growth. Autobiography: Sagebrush Lawyer.
State Historian materials on Arthur Hannett

1926 "redirection" of Route 66, performed by then-Governor and former highway commissioner Arthur T. Hannett. The new route from Romeroville to Santa Rosa not only provided a direct east-west access to Albuquerque but also bypassed Encino, an area where Hannett's rival Governor-elect Richard Dillon had extensive business interests. (And, legend has it, the exclusion of Santa Fe from the route was a deliberate jab by Hannett at the politicians there.) With the deadline of Hannett's leaving office, the 69-mile stretch was completed in 31 days including Christmas day; faced with the fait accompli of the prodigious accomplishment, Dillon praised the highway construction workers rather than, as expected, firing them as part of the old regime. The rough-but-continuous road received federal funding and became part of Route 66, and the story part of New Mexico's political legend.

Formally, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. Respiratory illness that can be transmitted by infected rodents via their urine, droppings, or saliva. Humans are most commonly infected by breathing in aerosolized particles containing the virus, and care should be exercised when encountering areas where rodents have been living including the use of masks and gloves and sterilization of dead mice and their living areas. The illness can be quite severe; New Mexico has had 100 cases since 1975, with 42 deaths. The deer mouse is the most common host and less likely to be found in urban areas; contact with deer mice is most likely among those living in remote structures or disturbing their nests during such actions as gathering pinon nuts.
New Mexico Dept. of Health webpage on the Hantavirus

(1973- ) Born in Albuquerque, raised in Ruidoso; attended La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Television and film actor, singer, director, producer. Named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010; received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2011. Has hosted both the Tony and the Emmy Awards shows.

Entrepeneur Fred Harvey contracted with the Santa Fe Railway to provide quality hotels and lunchrooms at the railstops; with imaginative and colorful advertising, the Harvey House became a worldwide symbol of sophistication and adventure and attracted many visitors to the American Southwest. Harvey further offered tours to cultural attractions, notably the Indian Detours in Harveycars. In New Mexico, Harvey Houses were in the towns of Albuquerque, Belen, Carlsbad, Clovis, Deming, Gallup, Lamy, Las Vegas, Raton, Rincon, San Marcial, Santa Fe (the La Fonda Hotel), and Vaughan.
LibGuide on Harvey Houses

Annual event, held late in August in/near the town of Hatch, celebrating its position in the center of a large chile-growing district. The Festival itself is located at the municipal airport west of town; merchants in town also join in the festivities, and events include a parade, carnival, live entertainment, and chile-eating contests.
Hatch Chile Festival website

19th President of the United States (1877-1881). Visited Santa Fe October 28, 1880. In the party was General William Tecumseh Sherman. Hayes and Sherman gave speeches in the Plaza and were honored with a reception at the Palace of the Governors.

Taos. "The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico (HWF) is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational and charitable organization committed to supporting the arts. Founded in 1954, the HWF manages one of the oldest artist residency programs in the USA. The Foundation’s mission is to 'Support the artist and the creative process' and serves as a haven for visual artists, literary artists and music composers. Foundation website

See Juan Maria Agostiniani

See Juan Maria Agostiniani

See Juan Maria Agostiniani

A mountain in San Miguel County, so named due to its association with Juan Maria Agostiniani, "The Hermit of New Mexico", who lived in a cave upon the mountain.

AKA: El Toro. (1865-1946) Educator, archaeologist, anthropologist, conservationist. First president of the New Mexico Normal School; first director of the Museum of New Mexico; first director of the School of American Archaeology. Formed archaeology and anthropology departments at UNM, and founded there the Museum of Anthropology. Helped bring about the Antiquities Act to conserve archaeological heritage. Had a key role in the formation of Bandelier National Monument and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The New Mexico Historical Society presents the Edgar Lee Hewett Award for Outstanding Public Service.

(1910-2002) Archaeologist, professor at UNM. Focus on the American Southwest; served as director of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. Noted for popular articles about Southwest archaeology, and his involvement in controversy (and possible fraud) involving the Sandia Man Cave site. Author of several works including Kiva Art of the Anasazi at Pottery Mound and The Lost Americans and books on hunting American big game.

AKA: The Christian Gang, The Black Jack Gang. Outlaw gang that operated in Arizona and New Mexico in the 1890s, usually targeting trains, train depots, stagecoaches, and post offices in smaller towns. Originally led by Cole Estes, later led by "Black Jack" Will Christian and his brother Bob. (The reputation of Black Jack Christian is sometimes confused with that of New Mexico outlaw Black Jack Ketchum, and as gang members often used several aliases the exact membership of the gang is debatable.)

Annual event held in April near Milnesand, to observe the distinctive, "sometimes comical", mating rituals of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. Attendance of the event is limited, requires reservations, and requires attendees to go out very early in the morning to establish viewing positions.

Colloquial name for the route between Santa Fe and Taos along state highways through high desert and mountainous terrain, as opposed to the "low road" along the Rio Grande Valley. The High Road passes by/through Nambe Pueblo, Chimayo, Cordova, Truchas, Ojo Sarco, Las Trampas, El Valle/Ojito, Chamisal, Picuris Pueblo, Penasco, Vadito, Talpa, and Ranchos de Taos.

Nickname often used for the Los Alamos facilities of the Manhattan Project during World War II; for security reasons those involved with the project were explicitly forbidden from mentioning Los Alamos by name. Other terms used were Project Y, The Site, Site Y, the Zia Project, and Santa Fe Area L.

(1925-2008) Anthony Grove Hillerman. Author and educator at UNM, noted for his deep love of New Mexico. Best known for his "Navajo mysteries" about Navajo police officers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, which attracted worldwide attention. Named a Friend of the Navajo Nation. Father of author Anne Hillerman. In Albuquerque, the Tony Hillerman Middle School and the Tony Hillerman Library of the ABCLS are named in his honor.

(1887-1979) Hotelier, founder of the Hilton Hotels chain. Born in San Antonio, near Socorro. Hilton attended New Mexico Military Institute, St. Michael's College (now Santa Fe University of Art and Design), and the New Mexico School of Mines (now New Mexico Tech). Served as a representative in the first New Mexico Legislature. Built a hotel in Albuquerque in 1939, now the Hotel Andaluz. Married actress Zsa Zsa Gabor in the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe in 1942.

(1937-2010) AKA: The Writer in the Window, Gentle Wind. Santa Fe, Albuquerque. Astrologer, actress, journalist, author; worked in radio. Nicknamed "The Writer in the Window" for her practice of sitting in the window of a shop on the Santa Fe Plaza writing and posting answers to questions on the glass for passersby to read; this experience resulted in her autobiographical one-woman stage show, Dear Writer in the Window. Author of The Hate Factory about the 1980 New Mexico state penitentiary riot.

See National Hispanic Cultural Center

(1852-1887) John Henry Holliday. Gunfighter, practicing dentist (hence his nickname "Doc".) Operated a saloon in Las Vegas New Mexico in 1879. After he shot and killed an unruly customer, Holliday left for Kansas City. Returned 1880 and had an altercation with a bartender of his previous acquaintance, whom he shot and left for dead; the bartender subsequently recovered.

Originally, Alamogordo Army Air Field. Major military base which has been heavily involved in rocket, missile and drone research. The Balloon Branch performed many high-altitude parachute drops and also deployed equipment to monitor Soviet weapons testing. The base features a high-speed centrifuge, and has performed many tests to measure physiological effects of acceleration; a variety of rocket sleds have allowed high-speed testing of safety equipment and containers. Through the Aeromedical Primate Facility, has trained chimpanzees for space flight including Ham, the "First Chimp in Space". The base has also been home to many test programs for drone aircraft and cruise missiles, and is a major training site for the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters.
Holloman Air Force Base website

(1936-1959) Texas native who, with his band The Crickets, became a rock and roll star. Famously recorded some of his early records at the Norman Petty Studios in Clovis. Killed in a plane crash while touring, which crash also took the lives of performers Ritchie Valens and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson

AKA: Holly Rene Holm-Kirkpatrick, "The Preacher's Daughter". (1981-) Born in Albuquerque, grew up in Bosque Farms. Boxer, kickboxer, mixed martial artist. Has won many world titles for boxing, in three weight classes. Appears in the 2016 film Fight Valley.

AKA: Earth pyramids, Earth towers, Fairy chimneys, Erosional cones. Distinctive geological features, spire- or cone-shaped, typically formed when softer material erodes out around and below a caprock of harder material. When caprocks finally tumble, hoodoos continue to erode into less upright shapes. In New Mexico hoodoos are common in areas where ancient layers of volcanic ash or sandstone were overlain with other materials. Notable examples of New Mexico hoodoos are in the Bisti Badlands and the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. While the term hoodoo technically applies to an entire cone or spire, people sometimes use the term as meaning the caprock itself; thus any balanced rock might be colloquially labeled a "hoodoo".

(1936-2010) Longtime resident of Taos. Noted actor with many film credits including projects in New Mexico and appearances in many TV series, especially Westerns. Filmmaker and director; winner of numerous awards including the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards and a National Society of Film Critics Special Award. Noted art collector. Artist and photographer with exhibitions in numerous institutions; author of many books of photography including Dennis Hopper : Out of the Sixties.

(1903-1991). Author of many fiction and non-fiction works; twice recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for History, first in 1955 for Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History and again in 1976 for Lamy of Santa Fe: His Life and Times. Attended New Mexico Military Institute, where he later served as librarian. Lifelong friend of artist Peter Hurd.

See La Castaneda Hotel

AKA: Hot Foot Teddy. Original name given by firefighters to the rescued bear cub who would become known as Smokey Bear.

See Warm Springs Reservation

February, 28, 1889, enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of New Mexico: "An act to establish and provide for the maintenance of the University of New Mexico, the Agricultural College and Agricultural Experiment Station, the School of Mines, and the Insane Asylum, and for other purposes." Also established the Territorial Institution Fund to support the institutions, and taxation in the Territory to fill the Fund.

AKA: J.D. Howland, Jack Howland. (1843-1914) Noted early painter of Western wildlife. Member of the Colorado Volunteers, saw action at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. Lived and painted in Santa Fe in the 1870s. Made a raft trip down the Rio Grande in 1874.

Nickname for Belen, due to its being a major junction for the railroad lines. Hub City "Pop with Personality" soda bottles may be found in area dumps and antique stores.

(1904-1993) Santa Fe. Journalist, studied at UNM. Wrote a history of UNM, Pueblo on the Mesa, the first fifty years at the University of New Mexico. Prolific author of mysteries, some of them set in New Mexico. Received the 1978 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Three of her books were made into films, including Ride the Pink Horse which is set in "San Pablo, New Mexico" and was filmed in Santa Fe during the Fiestas and features the burning of Zozobra.

See Nuclear bomb accident