NMPedia

(1884-1962) 14th governor of New Mexico, serving from 1947-51. Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court 1939–46. Attended UNM School of Law; was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1910. Noted for his involvement with "Brushy Bill" Roberts, who claimed to be the real Billy the Kid.

18-foot statue on the grounds of the Federal Court building in Albuquerque. The statue is one of 12 in cities along the Santa Fe Trail, as memorials to the "Pioneer Mothers of the Covered Wagon Days". Originally offered to Santa Fe by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Old Trails Association in 1927. The statue, of a determined woman in a bonnet with a baby in arms and a young child at her side, proved controversial; opponents led by feminist author Mary Austin and artist Frank Applegate felt that it did not represent New Mexico's original pioneer women. The project was voted down, and the statue was erected in Albuquerque.
State Historian webpage on the Madonna of the Trail statue

AKA: Madrid Baseball Diamond. Oscar Huber Memorial Ballpark. Built in 1920 by the Employees Club of the Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company; available power from the mines made it the first lighted ballpark in New Mexico and the earliest one west of the Mississippi. Home to the AA Minor League Madrid Miners, the Ballpark hosted games until the mines closed and Madrid faded in the 1950s. The town resurged in the 1970s and the Ballpark was used for softball games and rodeos, as an amphitheater, and hosting the Madrid Blues Festival in coordination with the New Mexico Jazz Workshop.

Coal-mining town to the East between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. At its peak in the 1930s Madrid was a thriving community; a "company town" with its own electrical power plant, the town featured amenities not present in most of New Mexico at the time, including electric streetlights and the first lighted baseball park West of the Mississippi. The town was also famed worldwide for extensive lighted Christmas displays. Madrid was almost unpopulated in the 1950s; in the 1960s "hippie squatters" moved into some of the dilapidated worker's homes and the town gained a reputation as a place to "drop out". Today, the remaining buildings have been renovated and the town has a reputation for arts & crafts and as a tourist destination. Home to the Madrid Old Coal Town Museum and the Mine Shaft Tavern. Films shot in Madrid include Easy Rider (1969), Convoy (1978), and Wild Hogs (2007).
Visit Madrid New Mexico website

Atop the Magdalena Mountains west of Socorro, operated by New Mexico Tech. "Consists of two major facilities: an operational 2.4-meter fast-tracking telescope and Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI), a ten-element optical/infrared interferometer, under construction. The mission of the observatory is to support astronomy, space situational awareness, and education." The site is not currently open for tours, but does host star parties throughout the year.
Madgalena Ridge Observatory website

See Maggie the Painting Bear

AKA: Maggie Oso. A black bear resident at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park in Carlsbad New Mexico. Following her rehabilitation after rescue, it was discovered that Maggie would slap her paws into (non-toxic) paints and create patterns by walking across sheets of paper. Her artwork proved popular and hundreds of pieces have been sold, the proceeds benefiting the Zoo.
Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park website

(1827-1855) Famous for her book Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico, detailing her experiences as one of the first Anglo-American women to follow that route.
State Historian webpage on Susan Shelby Magoffin

AKA: Majestic-12, Majic-12, MJ-12. Purported secret committee, created by President Truman in 1947 and composed of top scientists and military men, to study the particulars of the Roswell UFO Crash. The main support for belief in the committee comes from copies of documents, the "MJ-12 Papers", received by UFO researchers in 1984; the package containing film of the documents was postmarked Albuquerque. Stylistic errors and anachronisms lead most researchers to believe that the Majic-12 papers are a hoax. Though highly controversial, the Majestic 12 papers and the committee they allege to describe have entered UFO, and Roswell, lore.

Spanish word meaning "badlands". Though sometimes applied to any rough area, in New Mexico the word is most often used specifically for the lava flows around the state. (Early Spanish mapmakers used the term for such formations.) El Malpais National Monument is located south and west of Grants and encompasses the Zuni-Bandera flow fields which stretch nearly 60 miles. The Carrizozo Malpais to the west of Carrizozo in the Tularosa Basin stretches nearly 40 miles. Malpais areas are generally inhospitable with sharp rock surfaces, scarce shade, deep cracks down into the lava, and little water, but may also contain such features as lava tubes and ice caves, examples of which are present in the Zuni-Bandera system.

Albuquerque. Has worked as a teacher on the Navajo reservation, a public school administrator in Albuquerque, and as a commissioner in Bernalillo County. First African American elected to the New Mexico state legislature; first African American to earn a PhD in education from UNM. Author of Let's Roll This Train : my life in New Mexico education, business, and politics.

(1859?-1929?) Land speculator who came to New Mexico from England in 1883 with dreams of establishing a great empire. Strove for many years, and by various methods bordering on illegal, to gain land in the Taos area, finally succeeding in 1913 by gaining control of the Martinez Grant which he soon thereafter lost. Famously discovered decapitated in his Taos mansion, though questions remain as to the true identity of the body found. An unsolved mystery of New Mexico, the "Manby Mystery". Book: Headless in Taos : the dark fated tale of Arthur Rochford Manby by James S. Peters.

Popular name for the unexplained death of Arthur R. Manby in his home in Taos in 1929. The case was sensational -- the body found in his home, with the head in another room and partially consumed by his dog -- but the core of the Mystery is the true identity of the corpse. Some believe that Manby staged the death to escape his creditors, substituting a body for his own. If the body was Manby's and it was indeed murder, his killer remains unknown. Book: Headless in Taos : the dark fated tale of Arthur Rochford Manby by James S. Peters.

AKA: Kan-da-zis Tlishishen, Dasoda-hae, "He Just Sits There", El Fuerte. (1793-1863) Apache chief and war leader who resisted Mexican bounties against his people. Signed a peace treaty with U.S. forces, then again began raiding after the treaty was violated. Mangas Coloradas was active across southern New Mexico and Arizona, often in concert with Chiefs Natchez, Geronimo, and his son-in-law Cochise. Physically large and legendarily powerful, he was also a clever statesman who sought to unite the various Apache tribes into a strong alliance, marrying three of his daughters to leaders of other tribes.
State Historian webpage on Mangas Coloradas

Code name for the Allied project to develop atomic weapons during WWII. Though most often thought of as an American project the United Kingdom and Canada were also involved, with experimentation and development sites located around North America. The remote town of Los Alamos in New Mexico was chosen as the site for the development facilities, with General Leslie Groves in charge of the project; the Los Alamos arm of the project was initially designated Project Y. The Manhattan Project resulted in the detonation of the first atomic weapons in 1945, and remained in charge of the American atomics program until 1947.
State Historian materials on the Manhattan Project

AKA: Holy Boy, Black Reeds. (1818-1893) Chief of the Diné (Navajo) people in the late 1800s. As a war chief, resisted displacement of his people from their traditional lands. Was relocated with his people to Bosque Redondo, eventually was a signer of the Treaty of Bosque Redondo. After the return to Diné lands, was made head of their new police force; met with both President Grant and President Hayes to discuss treaty enforcement.
State Historian webpage on Manuelito

(1907-1986) Noted for his involvement with the purported Roswell UFO crash. Major Marcel was Intelligence Officer at Roswell Army Air Base when the debris was brought in, and later featured in the famous "weather balloon" photos the military released to the press to explain the incident.

Composer of the official bilingual state song, Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico.

AKA: Poh ve ka, Marie; signed variously as Marie + Julian, Marie + Santana, Maria Poveka, Maria Popovi. (1887-1980) San Ildefonso. As an established potter, Maria was asked by Edgar Lee Hewett to attempt to recreate some potteries turned up in excavations. Maria and her husband Julian Martinez were able to reproduce the classic "black-on-black" style, with Maria forming the pots and Julian painting them. Their works were displayed far and wide, including at several World Fairs. Maria taught family and other tribal members the "San Ildefonso Style", and such works are highly prized by collectors.
State Historian webpage on Maria Martinez

(1851-1886?) AKA: Mysterious Dave, New York Dave. Gunfighter of the Old West who (as was so often the case) served variously as lawman and outlaw. Gunman in the Railroad Wars in the Raton Pass then became part of the Dodge City Gang, a quasi-legal group that sought to control Las Vegas New Mexico. After the Dodge City Gang was ousted by an exasperated populace, Mather drifted around New Mexico and Texas before returning to Kansas and becoming a player in the so-called Dodge City War, where he interacted with Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.

(1921-2003) Born in Mountain Park, New Mexico. Editorial cartoonist, twice recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, best known for his "Willie and Joe" cartoons about the average soldier in World War II. Author/illustrator of numerous books, including A Sort of a Saga which is about his youth in New Mexico.

(1818-1875) (AKA: Luz B. Maxwell) Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell. Rancher and entrepeneur who gained control of over 1.7 million acres of land in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, one of the largest private land holdings in the history of North America, when he married into the Beaubien family. Maxwell controlled the Grant from his home in Cimarron, New Mexico until he sold the land in 1870. The land and resources of the Maxwell Land Grant became the subject of struggle after the sale, sparking the Colfax County War; the Santa Fe Ring was especially involved in seeking control of the land. Maxwell moved on to another "empire" in the south of the state centering around abandoned Fort Sumner; he rebuilt a structure there into a home, the Maxwell House, famed as the death place of Billy the Kid. Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1959.
State Historian webpage on Lucien Maxwell

See Lucien Maxwell House

Building in Fort Sumner, famous for being the place where Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid. The structure had been officer's quarters; after the Fort was abandoned in 1869, the buildings were acquired by Lucien Maxwell in 1871 and that structure remodeled into a 20-room home. The relocation of Maxwell's business focus caused the town of Fort Sumner to grow around the site of the former fort. Lucien Maxwell died in 1875; at the time of the 1881 Lincoln County War Lucien's son Pete was the owner. (Note: This site is sometimes confused with the Lucien Maxwell House, a rebuilt structure on the Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron which was Maxwell's early home.)

AKA: Beaubien-Miranda Land Grant. Land holdings of approximately 1.7 million acres in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, controlled by Lucien Maxwell from the 1840s to 1870. Rich in lumber and grasslands, with gold found in the 1860s, the Grant was one of the largest private land holdings in U.S. history. After its sale in 1870, struggles for control of the land sparked the Colfax County War, and attracted the interest of the powerful Santa Fe Ring. Today much of the land is privately held, with the exception of the Cimarron Canyon State Park and the Philmont Scout Ranch.
State Historian webpage on the Maxwell Land Grant

AKA: Maxwell Land Grant Company, Maxwell Land Grant and English Company. Formed in 1870 upon the sale of the Maxwell Land Grant. The Company went through several versions under English and Dutch investors, with ongoing court challenges as to the actual extent of the holdings. The new owners of the land were not as lenient as had been Lucien Maxwell in regards to miners and settlers on the land; efforts to remove these "squatters" led to the Colfax County War in which over 200 people were killed. Legal disputes over the Grant land lasted into the 1900s, with lawsuits both ways even as the Company sold off parcels.

AKA: Majordomo, Ditch Boss. Officer in charge of the acequia irrigation system, as is still common in many of New Mexico's smaller communities. As water is a precious resource shared by the community the "ditch boss" holds an important position, in charge of scheduling access and adjudicating disputes over water usage. (Many acequias are spring-fed and/or subject to limited supply in the fall and during drought periods, so judicious usage becomes essential.) The mayordomo oversees not only the ditch system (sometimes intricate, even in small communities) but has to bear in mind the snowpack that feeds the system, the weather that might affect water supply, the ripening period of different crops, and the protection of the watershed from contamination.

See Billy the Kid

Feature of the Zuni-Bandera lava flow fields; at 3000 years old, one of the most recent lava flows in North America. The McCarty's Flow is the most recent of 18 lava releases in the flow field that stretches nearly 60 miles south and east of Grants, with basaltic materials in pahoehoe and aa formations.

(1858-1918) First Governor of the State of New Mexico, serving from 1912-1916. Previously held the office of Lincoln County Assessor, then served in the New Mexico Territorial House of Representatives.

(185?-1922) African American cowboy, amateur archaeologist, and historian. While working as a ranch foreman, discovered bones and worked stones sticking out of the eroded bank of Wild Horse Arroyo near Folsom New Mexico after a flood. McJunkin alerted scientists to his find, and subsequent excavations beginning in 1925 revealed indications of humans hunting bison which had been extinct for approximately 10,000 years; this estimate more than doubled previous estimates for a human presence in North America. Folsom Culture sites were later identified across central North America. Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2019. McJunkin is buried in the Folsom Cemetery.
State Historian webpage on George McJunkin

Santa Fe. Invented the first computer simulation model of voting. Author of several works including Formal Theories of Mass Behavior and Public Opinion and Voting.

(1843-1878) Lawyer who came to New Mexico in the early 1870s and became a player in the Lincoln County War. McSween, who had served as an attorney for the Murphy-Dolan faction, became a target for their ire once he formed a partnership with their rival John Tunstall. After Tunstall was killed in February 1878, McSween's faction organized the Lincoln County Regulators, a small private army that included Billy the Kid. Violence between the factions escalated, culminating in the Battle of Lincoln during which McSween was killed. His widow Susan McSween sought legal action against his killers and amnesty for the Regulators; she eventually came to control a large holding of land and gained the nickname "Cattle Queen of New Mexico".

(1845-1931) Wife of businessman Alexander McSween, who was killed during the Lincoln County War during the Battle of Lincoln at which Susan was present, organizing the escape from a structure under siege and on fire. After her husband's death she sought legal action against his killers and amnesty for those who had tried to protect him. Came to control one of the largest landholdings in New Mexico Territory, and gained the nickname "The Cattle Queen of New Mexico".

Many New Mexicans have served with distinction in the military services. Fifteen were awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military award for valor, 1943-2011, spanning conflicts in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Five died in the events that led to receiving the award, including two who threw themselves upon grenades to save their comrades. Recipients include men born in Albuquerque, Farmington, Gallup, Governador, Loving, Santa Fe, Silver City, and Taos as well as those born elsewhere who made New Mexico their home.
State Historian webpage on Medal of Honor Recipients

(1894-1983) Architect based out of Santa Fe, a proponent of "architecture of place" and noted for his use of Pueblo Revival Style in his designs. In 1930 he entered and won a national competition to select a design for the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe. He was selected in 1933 as the official architect for the University of New Mexico, which position he held until his retirement in 1956; his best-known structure on the UNM campus is the Zimmerman Library. He was also influential in Santa Fe, designing numerous buildings and heading the committee which wrote the 1957 Historical Zoning Ordinance controlling the style of buildings in the city's center. A number of Meem's works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and the library at St. John's College in Santa Fe is named for him.
State Historian webpage on John Gaw Meem

(1775-182?) Last Spanish Governor of New Mexico, serving 1818-1822. Led a force north to counter reports of Americans pushing into the area; took Zebulon Pike's party captive then released them. After seeing action against rebel forces in Mexico, was appointed Governor of New Mexico and organized gathering of supplies to support troops against Navajo incursions, resulting in a formal peace with the Diné in August 1819. Although diligent in his campaign against the Navajo, Melgares is noted for interpreting the Constitution of 1812 as protecting the rights of the Pueblos.
State Historian webpage on Facundo Melgares

Dry climate and sparse vegetation makes New Mexico a good locale for meteorite hunting. The majority of meteorites in NM have been found along a transverse slash across the state, northwest to southeast. There are also several noted meteorite falls, resulting in "strewn fields" where meteorites are concentrated, most famous of which are the Glorieta pallasites highly prized by collectors. A witnessed fall June 13 1998 near Portales resulted in the collection of more than 71kg of materials. The Pasamonte Fireball of 1933 was witnessed across several states and left a huge glowing sphere and twisted trail of dust that lingered for several hours. Other noted falls: Willard, Los Lunas, Malaga. The Meteorite Museum on the UNM campus has a noted collection.

International computer / software corporation, founded in Albuquerque in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The company moved to Seattle in 1979.

1988 film directed by Robert Redford and based upon the book of the same name by New Mexico author John Nichols; the cast includes Ruben Blades, Sonia Braga, and Christopher Walken. The film witnesses a cascade of events resulting from a man irrigating his traditional beanfields, and is an observation on land & water rights and changing cultures in Northern New Mexico. Filming locations around Espanola, Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Truchas.

Officially, Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico. Official bilingual state song, adopted in 1995. Written and composed by Pablo Mares. The official English language state song is O Fair New Mexico; the official Spanish language state song is Asi Es Nuevo Mejico.

(1927-2003) Longtime radio and TV journalist; radio shows included "Dateline New Mexico" and "Roundhouse and Capital Report", with the weekly TV show "Report from Santa Fe" broadcast on PBS. Previously worked at The Gallup Independent and The Albuquerque Journal. Noted as a watchdog over NM politics. Was recruited as a negotiator to end the standoff of the 1980 State Penitentiary riot, as one of the few people the inmates could trust to be objective. Traveled to Vietnam in 1968 to interview New Mexico soldiers serving there.

AKA: The Catwalk, Whitewater Canyon Catwalk, Whitewater River Catwalk, Catwalk Recreation Area. Northwest NM, in the Gila National Forest near Glenwood. Originally a narrow wooden catwalk perched atop a pipeline coming down the narrow canyon, anchored in the canyon walls and projecting out over the river below. The pipeline brought water from reservoirs above, to provide water and power to mining towns which no longer exist. The dangerous original catwalks were replaced with tourist-friendly ones, and the Catwalk Recreation Area is now a popular destination.
US Forest Service webpage on the Catwalk Recreation Area

(1943-2007) Lawyer, first woman Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. On the Law School faculty at UNM. Numerous awards in her field, including the 1999 Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women. Both UNM and the State Bar present awards in her name.

AKA: Miraculous Stair, Miracle Staircase, Miracle Stairway, St. Joseph Staircase. Helix-shaped spiral staircase in Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, and a tourist attraction. Built by an itinerant carpenter in the 1870s who, legend has it, was perhaps St. Joseph himself.

See White Sands Missile Dogs

AKA: Ed Mitchell. Grew up in Roswell. Astronaut who became, as part of Apollo 14, the sixth man to walk on the moon. After retiring from NASA founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences; with an outspoken interest in ESP, the paranormal, and remote healing, Mitchell also publicly states that he believes at least some UFOs are visitors from other planets. Author of Psychic Exploration: A Challenge for Science and The Way of the Explorer: An Apollo Astronaut's Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds. Honorary doctorate from New Mexico State University.

(1880-1940). Actor famous for Western films. Made silent "one-reelers" in the Las Vegas area 1915-1916, with the Selig Polyscope Company. Returned to Las Vegas in 1928 for a visit.

(1934-) Navarre Scott Momaday. Author/poet/painter. Oklahoma-born Kiowa whose parents took teaching positions at Jemez Pueblo when he was 12. Earned Bachelors degree in Political Science at UNM, then Masters and Ph.D. at Stanford, where he also taught English. Received the Pulitzer Prize for House Made of Dawn (1968); other popular titles are The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969) and The Ancient Child (1989). Painted the poster for the 1990 Santa Fe Indian Market. Received the Governor's Art Award in 1996 and the National Medal of Arts in 2007.

See State of Montezuma

See Territory of Montezuma

Roswell-raised Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14, was the sixth man to walk on the moon. Harrison Schmitt, born in Santa Rita and later Senator from New Mexico, was the twelfth and last man to walk upon the moon, Apollo 17. Other moonwalkers used the terrain in New Mexico to train for their lunar missions, including using the area around the Rio Grande Gorge to train on the Lunar Rover.

(1962-) Actor, born in Roswell. Author of her memoir, Inside Out.

Meeting house (not technically a church of the Catholic faith) of the Penitentes of northern New Mexico. The morada is often distinguished as having its door facing away from roads, and no windows. Moradas serve as public house, church, and reliquary for Penitentes, which group arose to continue their Catholic practices in the absence of Spanish clergymen.

(1852-1917) Rancher, activist for women's suffrage. Wife to the manager of the Maxwell Land Grant; when he died she remarried and founded a ranch near Datil. Noted for her opposition of the Santa Fe Ring, which cabal may have been responsible for her first husband's death. Follower of healer Francis Schlatter, hosting him and recording his teachings which she gathered into a book. Advocate of women's suffrage; formed societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Mother to Agnes Morley Cleaveland, grandmother to Norman Cleaveland.

Volunteer force of approximately 550 people, composed of members of the Latter-Day Saints, the only religiously-based unit serving in U.S. military history. Formed in Iowa, the Battalion saw action as part of the Army of the West during the Mexican-American War, eventually reaching California. During its time 1846-1847, the Battalion featured heavily in the consolidation of the lands gained from the Gadsden Purchase, often serving to guard trade routes and fill garrisons.

Largest known prehistoric turquoise mine in North America, believed to have been operating as early as 1000 AD. Near Cerrillos in north central New Mexico. On the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties.
State Historian webpage on Mt. Chalchihuitl

Day of the Dead celebration held annually in Albuquerque since 1992, the largest such celebration in New Mexico. Traditionally held on the Sunday closest to November 2nd, All Soul's Day. The Parade is held in Albuquerque's South Valley and pours into a community center/park where ofrendas (altars) are waiting; vendors feature skeleton-themed arts & crafts, and music and dancing continues after dark. Traditionally all those in the parade must have skull masks or calavera (skull) makeup; in recent years increasing numbers of those viewing the parade also represent the dead, los Muertos, with hundreds of people in face paint and costume. The event now attracts thousands of people and is very popular with photographers. The marigold is the "flower of the dead" in Mexico, and is much featured in the Parade.
Muertos y Marigolds event website

(1831-1878) Irish-born businessman and a major player in the Lincoln County War. Owner of L.G. Murphy and Company, a mercantile and banking company in Lincoln County; added as a partner James Dolan and had influence with Sheriff William J. Brady. The Murphy-Dolan faction were direct competitors with the Tunstall-McSween faction, which conflict led to the Lincoln County War.

See New Mexico Museum of Art

Presenting the art, history, and culture of New Mexico. Oversees the:

• Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum
• Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology
• New Mexico Museum of Art
• Museum of International Folk Art
• Six New Mexico Historic Sites (formerly State Monuments)
  • Coronado H.S.
    
  • Fort Selden H.S.
  • Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner H.S.
  • Jémez H.S.
  • Lincoln H.S.
  • El Camino Real H.S.

Museum of New Mexico Foundation website

In Santa Fe, run by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. "The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art is the only museum in the country dedicated to exhibiting and interpreting the art of the Spanish colonial period including Hispanic New Mexico. The Museum houses an incredible collection of over 3700 pieces, including historically significant and contemporary works. The building itself, a Pueblo Revival-style building, was designed by renowned architect John Gaw Meem in 1930."
Spanish Colonial Arts Society website