NMPedia

AKA: Sandia Peak Tram. Formally, Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. Opened May 7, 1966 after 24 months of construction. 2.7 miles in diagonal length; the cables at midway point are 1,000 feet above the ground. Makes over 10,000 trips a year.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation interbasin water transfer project that directs over 5,000 acre feet/year of water from the San Juan River area in Colorado into the Rio Grande Basin watershed. A series of dams, catchments, and tunnels are used to redirect the water. The 25 miles of tunnels, built 1964-1970, have been worked into a mythos regarding alien underground bases in northern New Mexico.

Town about 25 miles south of Socorro. Founded in the 1850s; the town was destroyed by a flood in 1866 and relocated to the other side of the river, then almost completely destroyed by fire in 1881. The town grew again, with a railroad roundhouse and yards. When Elephant Butte Reservoir was developed in 1917 small communities to the south were condemned, and many of those people moved to the San Marcial area. A flood in 1920 again damaged the area, but it was the flood of 1929 that rang the death knell, heavily damaging buildings and causing the closing of the rail yards; with those jobs removed, the town had little reason to rebuild. Today little remains save the cemeteries on nearby hillsides.

Name given to a loose society of artists who began congregating in the Santa Fe area starting in the early 1900s. Some came to seek a cure from tuberculosis, while others came after hearing reports about the culture from those already there. Noted early members of the art colony were John Sloan, Randall Davey, Carlos Vierra, Sheldon Parsons, Gerald Cassidy, Fremont Ellis, Will Shuster, Raymond Johnson, and William Lumpkins. While not noted for a specific "style" (such as with the Taos Art Colony, with which there was some friendly rivalry and interchange), the Santa Fe Art Colony grew a reputation which continues to this day.

AKA: Fiesta de Santa Fe, Fiestas de Santa Fe. Annual autumn event in Santa Fe New Mexico, usually in the second week of September; observed since 1712 as a celebration of the resettlement of the town by the Spanish after being driven out in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The modern expression of the Fiestas include special Masses, parades, the Fiesta Ball, and the internationally-recognized burning of Zozobra.
State Historian webpage on the Santa Fe Fiesta

AKA: Santa Fe shatter cone, Santa Fe Crater. Geologic indications of an ancient impact in the Sangre de Cristo mountains northeast of Santa Fe. Identified in 2005 when a visiting geologist noticed "shatter cones" - distinctive radiating structures formed by the shock of high impacts, with the pattern repeating down to the microscopic level - in a road cut while he was traveling along State Road 475. The impact structure is eroded to the point where no crater is evident; estimates place the impact, likely from a large meteorite or cometary mass, as occurring between 1.6 and 1.4 billion years ago.

"The Santa Fe Institute is a private, not-for-profit, independent research and education center, founded in 1984, where leading scientists grapple with some of the most compelling and complex problems of our time." - from the website. Cross-disciplinary research involving systems and organization; 30 full-time researchers with fellows and visiting faculty from around the world, hosts workshops and summer schools.
Santa Fe Institute website

One of two National Cemeteries in New Mexico, the other one located at Fort Bayard. "Open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable." First interment in 1868 prior to designation as a National Cemetery, formalized to receive Union casualties of the Civil War, including those involved in the Battle of Glorieta. The more than 68,000 interments include New Mexico notables and remains transferred there after being discovered near military installations such as Fort Craig. Administered by the U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs; on the National Register of Historic Places.
Santa Fe National Cemetery website

See Santa Fe Playhouse

Founded in 1919 by author Mary Austin as the Santa Fe Players as part of the Little Theater movement, incorporated in 1922. Presented performances in various locations including the Santa Fe Plaza, and under names including Santa Fe Little Theater and Santa Fe Community Theater; name formalized as Playhouse in 1997. With short interruptions, the oldest theater operating west of the Mississippi.

New Mexico's first English-language newspaper; began publication in September 1847. Succeeded two years later by The New Mexican.

Nickname for a coalition of lawyers, bankers, politicians, businessmen, ranchers, and land speculators who strove to gain control of land in northern New Mexico in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Ring was especially interested in gaining control of the huge Maxwell Land Grant and other land grants. Involved in both the Lincoln County War and the Colfax County War, which action involved the driving off of squatters from the Maxwell Land Grant territory and resulted in over 200 deaths. Since many of the tactics used by the Ring can only be described as corrupt or fraudulent, those accused of being members of the coalition typically denied any affiliation. Letters to the Editor of the Las Vegas Optic in July 1884, under the pseudonym "Ithurial", presented a list of supposed Ring members that included Thomas Catron, Stephen Elkins, and governors, generals, judges and other notables.

Runs excursions along the historic rail spur between Santa Fe and Lamy.
Railroads in New Mexico Libguide

Important, major trade route from Missouri to Santa Fe. The Trail was the main source of supply and route of transportation from the East until the railroad reached New Mexico in 1880. Fort Union in northern New Mexico was an important stop along the Trail, providing security and acting as a staging area, and the growth of Las Vegas was due to its location nearby. Variants of the Santa Fe Trail included the Cimarron Cutoff and the Aubry Cutoff.

AKA Santa Rita del Cobre. See El Chino Mine

Mining town 15 miles east of Silver City. Founded in 1803 as Santa Rita del Cobre (Saint Rita of the Copper) in honor of St. Rita of Cascia and recognizing the town's existence was due to the large Chino copper mine nearby. Large amounts of copper were extracted until 1837 when the Johnson Massacre of Apaches caused hostilities which led to the town being abandoned. The mine was reopened in 1873 and made an open pit in 1901. The town of Santa Rita no longer exists, as the open pit mine has undercut and devoured it; Santa Rita natives including Harrison Schmitt in the 1970s formed the Society for People Born in Space to keep memories of the community alive. A nearby pinnacle of rock, The Kneeling Nun, is a well-known landmark and subject of postcards.

Wood-carver of images of saints or holy persons, usually from the Catholic Hispanic tradition. The practice came from Europe; in New Mexico, santeros continued through the Spanish Colonial period when imported religious images were scarce. The statues, revultos or more commonly bultos, are often seen in older churches and are a highly valued folk art in New Mexico. Typically carved from soft cottonwood or pine but sometimes aspen or cedar, bultos range from very simple mannequin figures to highly decorated statues of various sizes. Santeros and santeras often do a wide range of devotional art including flat paintings, retablos, similar to European icons, and altar screens, and the term has come to include any artist who does such devotional work.

Church / Shrine in Chimayo, named a National Historic Landmark in 1970. Noted pilgrimage destination, especially walking pilgrimages around Easter where tens of thousands may attend. While the Church takes no official stance on miracles associated with the site, the Santuario has a reputation for healings revolving around the "sacred earth" taken from a small pit within the Santuario.

In addition to the eight routes designated as National Scenic Byways, there are 15 routes designated by the NM Dept of Transportation as Scenic Byways: the Abo Pass Trail, Corrales Road Scenic Byway, Enchanted Circle S.B., Guadalupe Back Country Byway, La Frontera del Llano, Lake Valley Back Country Byway, Mesalands S.B., Narrow Gauge S.B., Puye Cliffs S.B., Quebrada Back Country Byway, Salt Missions Trail, Socorro Historical District S.B., Sunspot S.B., Trail of the Ancients, and the Wild Rivers Back Country Byway. These byways are selected as showcasing "the intrinsic scenic, historical, and cultural qualities of our state".
NM Dept. of Transportation website on State Scenic Byways

There are eight National Scenic Byways designated in NM : the Billy the Kid Trail, the El Camino Real, the Geronimo Trail, Historic Route 66, the Jemez Mountain Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, the Trail of the Mountain Spirits, and the Turquoise Trail. Each route is selected by the US Dept. of Transportation Highway Department to feature cultural, historical, and geological points of interest.

(1907-1991) Longtime resident of Santa Fe; owned the Turquoise Six Ranch near Cerrillos. Author of many Western novels, several of which were made into motion pictures. Noted titles include Shane (1954) and Monte Walsh (1963). Author of the history New Mexico.

AKA: The Healer, El Sanador, The New Mexican Messiah, The Christ Man. (1856-1896) Alsatian-born mystic who gained reputation as a healer during an 1890s pilgrimage walk around the American West. In July 1895 he established himself in and around Albuquerque, where hundreds of people from the surrounding villages flocked to him. Went on retreat near Datil, hosted by Ada McPherson Morley who became one of his strongest supporters. Journeyed into Mexico where he disappeared. A skeleton and his possessions were discovered in the Sierra Madres in Mexico in 1897, though some dispute that they were actually Schlatter's remains especially as several imposters tried to use his name. His "Healer's Rod", a heavy copper rod associated with him, is held at The Palace of the Governors museum. Sometimes confused with Juan Maria Agostiniani, "The Hermit of New Mexico".

(1935-) Native of Santa Rita New Mexico (which town no longer exists, having been consumed by the nearby open-pit copper mine) and raised in Silver City. Geologist, who worked to develop techniques to be used by astronauts; he joined NASA in 1965 when there was increased focus on having scientist-astronauts in the Apollo program. Became Lunar Module Pilot to Apollo 17, and in December 1972 became the 12th man to walk upon the Moon. After retiring from NASA, was elected a Senator from New Mexico. Author of the book Return to the Moon : exploration, enterprise, and energy in the human settlement of space; noted for his efforts to encourage exploitation of Helium-3 in lunar soils as a fuel source.

AKA: SAR. Founded in 1907 as the School of American Archaeology; name changed to School of American Research in 1917. The mission statement of the SAR is to provide "a dynamic environment for the advanced study and communication of knowledge about human culture, evolution, history, and creative expression." In its history the SAR has sponsored many archaeological digs around the state with published findings, and from 1909-1959 had de facto control of the Museum of New Mexico. Hosts the Indian Arts Research Center, the Resident Scholar Program and the Advanced Seminar Program. The School for Advanced Research press has been publishing works on anthropology, Indigenous arts, and the American Southwest since 1908.
School for Advanced Research website

Founded in 1907 with Edgar Lee Hewett as director. Changed its name to School of American Research in 1917 to reflect the broader scope of its mission. In 1909, the legislature established the Museum of New Mexico as a de facto agency of the School; it was formally separated from this jurisdiction in 1959. The School sponsored archaeological digs around New Mexico, and in 1922 sponsored the first Southwest Indian Fair, precursor of today’s popular Santa Fe Indian Market. In 2007 changed its name to the School for Advanced Research.

See School for Advanced Research

An index measuring the "heat" - chemical pungency - of chile peppers. The measurement scale, in Scoville Heat Units, goes from 0 to 2 million, and allows quantitative analysis by liquid chromatography to measure capsaicinoid content. While the Scoville Scale is used commercially and sometimes referred to in cookbooks, in New Mexico the more user-friendly 1-to-10 Nakayama Scale is prevalent.

Nickname for the town of Santa Rosa due to its proximity to the Blue Hole, a 91-foot deep artesian lake visited by divers from around the Southwest.

1947 dramatic film starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn; socialite Lutie Cameron (Hepburn) and cattle baron Jim Brewton (Tracy) are husband and wife in New Mexico during a time when ranchers and homesteaders are at odds. Scenes shot around Gallup and on the Plains of San Agustin near Magdalena. Based upon the novel of the same name by New Mexico author Conrad Richter.

Motion picture company that shot several dozen films in New Mexico 1913-1915, mostly Westerns and mostly around Las Vegas. Among these films were some of the early work of cowboy star Tom Mix. As with many films from the silent era, there are no existing copies of the majority of these films.

AKA: Sigismund Seligman, Sigismundo Seligman, Siegmund Selegman. (1830-1876) Early, perhaps first, commercial photographer in New Mexico.

(1860-1946) Co-founder and first Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America. A naturalist, author, and artist, he also wrote The Boy Scout Handbook. Founder of the Woodcraft League of America and the School of Indian Wisdom. Author of stories for young people, some set in New Mexico. Illustrated The Rhythm of the Redman written by his wife Julia M. Seton. Produced numerous paintings and thousands of articles about the natural history of North America, becoming a world-famous environmentalist and lecturer. Moved to New Mexico; built a house on the "Seton Village" estate outside of Santa Fe; this house, Seton Castle, is now home to the Academy for the Love of Learning, which includes the Seton Gallery and Seton Library. The Philmont Scout Ranch hosts the Philmont Museum and Seton Memorial Library.

Home built by naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton on an estate near Santa Fe, in "Seton Village". The Castle was acquired by the Academy for the Love of Learning in 2003, and now includes the Seton Gallery and Seton Library.

Mountainair. 1923 structure noted for being highly ornamented in a folk art style by builder/owner Clem "Pop" Shaffer. The media includes sculpture and rocks arranged into patterns, with bright paintings on many surfaces. Shaffer utilized Native American symbols and themes including what at first glance seem to be swastikas but are in fact Native American symbols, pre-WWII. The artwork and themes are also featured around a ranch that Shaffer built outside of town, the produce from which was used in the hotel; Rancho Bonito is sometimes open for tours. The Shaffer Hotel continues to operate as a hotel and restaurant.

Near Lordsburg, in the southwestern corner of the state. Well-preserved ghost town, on the National Register of Historic Places. The town arose during area silver mining booms in the 1870s and 1880s, and is noted as being frequented by a young Billy the Kid. Shakespeare is on private ranch land; guided tours are available and include the Grant House Saloon, the Butterfield Stagecoach Station, and the Stratford Hotel.

AKA: La Colonia. Founded near Las Cruces in 1884 by Dr. John B. Newbrough to follow the teachings of "OAHSPE: A New Bible" which Newbrough wrote; followers called themselves Faithists. The purpose of the community was to raise orphans in a perfect environment, "to become sinless leaders of the world" as followers of Newbrough's Church of Tae. Numerous buildings were built in the community, around a central structure called The Fraternum. The community operated on agriculture and animal husbandry but ran into financial troubles in the early 1900s, despite Newbrough and others spending over $1 million in development; Shalam Colony was abandoned in 1907.
State Historian webpage on the Shalam Colony

(1859-1953) Painter; one of the "Taos Six", the founders of the Taos Society of Artists. He first visited Taos in 1893, moving to live there in 1912 after several other visits; hearing of his visits led Ernest L. Blumenschein and Bert Geer Phillips to visit in 1898. Noted for his historical themes, Western landscapes, and portraits of Native Americans, Sharp was commissioned by President Teddy Roosevelt to paint portraits of 200 Native American warriors who survived the Battle of Little Bighorn. Sharp maintained a studio in Taos until the age of 93; his lifetime body of work was over 10,000 pieces.

See Santa Fe Impact Structure

Visited Santa Fe October 28, 1880 in the company of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Albuquerque boy who in 1996 found a rare dinosaur egg shell in sands along the Rio Puerco. Three years old at the time, David dug the piece up with his toy backhoe and stoutly maintained that it was part of a dinosaur egg. Examination by experts at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science confirmed that it was a rare specimen dating back 150 million years.

Prominent geological formation in northwestern New Mexico, on Navajo Nation land and sacred to the Navajo who call the peak Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings". The formation represents the eroding remains of the throat of an ancient volcano.

AKA: Turin Shroud Exhibit. Alamogordo. Non-profit; features displays involving research on the Shroud and a professionally back-lit full-size photograph of the Shroud of Turin.
Exhibit website

(1893-1969) William Howard Shuster Jr. Santa Fe artist primarily in painting but also bronzes, ceramics, and plaster; member of Los Cinco Pintores. Noted as a regionalist painter with many New Mexico landscapes, murals, and portraits. Painted a WPA mural at Carlsbad Caverns. Famed for his 1929 creation of the Zozobra tradition as part of the Santa Fe Fiesta, where the huge effigy of "Old Man Gloom" is burned to dispel woes.

(1816-1886) Served in the U.S. Army, then resigned and joined the Confederate States Army during the Civil War as he had Southern leanings. His New Mexico Campaign in 1862, which he commanded with the rank of Brigadier General, sought to capture Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Fort Union on the Santa Fe Trail to open the West to Union control. His efforts were initially successful at the Battle of Valverde and again at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, but the destruction of his supply column there forced him to retreat and the Campaign was overall unsuccessful.

AKA: Sibley's Brigade. A force of some 2,500 Texas Confederate troops, backbone of the Army of New Mexico and commanded by Confederate General Henry Hopkins Sibley.

AKA: Sibley's Campaign, Invasion of New Mexico. New Mexico and Nevada Territories were contested during the Civil War. The Confederacy wanted ports in California, access to California gold and Nevada silver, and eventually Colorado. The New Mexico Campaign, led by Confederate Brigadier General Henry Sibley, was designed to capture key points along the Santa Fe Trail and open a corridor to the West Coast. The Army of New Mexico marched north from El Paso in February 1862, engaging Union troops near Fort Craig during the Battle of Valverde and moving on to occupy Albuquerque. The Army then moved to take Fort Union but met Union forces at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. Destruction of the Army's supply column forced a retreat south; Albuquerque was briefly re-occupied, but an engagement with Union forces (the "Battle of Albuquerque"), low supplies, and uncertainty over Union numbers led to the Confederacy's withdrawal from New Mexico.

AKA: Siege of the Pueblo de Taos, Siege of Taos Pueblo. February 1847 action during the Taos Revolt. The Mexican rebels inside the Pueblo came under cannon fire from Ceran St. Vrain's militia, and were eventually forced to withdraw after many were killed.

(1845-1892) Saloon operator operating out of Las Vegas New Mexico. Organized two outlaw bands (which loosely shared membership): the White Caps which promoted forceful protests against the loss of Hispanic land rights, and The Bandit Society which performed more outright banditry. Silva became increasingly unstable, first ordering one of his men to be hanged and then stabbing his own wife to death. He was killed by his own lieutenants and his gangs broke up.

(1937-) Cerrillos. Historian specializing in Colonial New Mexico, the Santa Fe Trail, and New Mexico's history. Has published dozens of books and hundreds of articles; recipient of many awards, including the 1987 Humanities Service Award from the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities. Many well-known titles, including New Mexico: An Interpretive History and Albuquerque: A Narrative History. Biography: Marc Simmons of New Mexico: maverick historian by Phyllis S. Morgan.

(1902-1993) Writer. Raised in Scotland, cowboyed around New Mexico until serving as research assistant for the Museum of New Mexico 1938-40, curator at the Lincoln County Courthouse Museum 1940-42, then superintendent at the Coronado State Monument 1944-62. Retired to his home on the open mesa west of Bernalillo. First work published in 1937; best known for Cowboy Riding Country (illustrated by his friend and neighbor, painter Edmond DeLavy), New Mexico the Shining Land, In Time of Harvest, and his memoirs A Cowboy Writer in New Mexico.

A Catholic order that arrived in New Mexico in 1852, expanding throughout the territory at the direction of Archbishop Lamy and under Mother Magdalen Hayden. The Sisters opened schools in Santa Fe (1853), Taos (1863), Mora (1864), Las Vegas (1869), Las Cruces (1870), and Socorro (1879).The Sisters of Loretto Academy in Las Cruces was the first school in southern New Mexico, and operated until 1943.

Nickname for Acoma Pueblo, due to the location of the Old Pueblo atop a mesa.

Part of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. "Strenuous adventure" ranger-guided tours are available through the unimproved cave system, which features one of the world's highest cave columns.
National Park Service Slaughter Canyon Cave website

(1829-1867) Union General during the Civil War; commanded the Union forces at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. Appointed Chief Justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court in 1865, where he sought to halt the peonage system in the Territory, likening it to the slavery the Civil War had been fought to stop. Shot by William L. Rynerson in an argument over slander, for which killing Rynerson was acquitted on grounds of self defense.

AKA: Variola. Several outbreaks of smallpox struck New Mexico in the 18th century, with the most severe being the epidemic of 1780-1781. The 1780 flare-up appeared in the late spring and quickly spread among the larger towns in northern New Mexico, then progressed at stages into outlying areas. While the outbreak was serious in the Spanish towns the effect among the Pueblo and other tribal peoples, who had no immunities, was devastating: estimates indicate over 5,000 Pueblo deaths. In the wake of such depopulation, the number of Spanish missions in the area was reduced by consolidation. Smallpox outbreaks also occurred in northern New Mexico in 1877, 1882, 1889, and 1898, by which date most citizens had been vaccinated.
State Historian webpage on Infectious Disease in 18th Century New Mexico

AKA: Smoky Bear, Smokey the Bear. Smokey Bear (sometimes popularly referred to as Smokey "The" Bear, partly due to a song that used that version) was both an icon of advertising and a living bear adopted to embody that icon. The first use of the cartoon bear and his anti-forest fire message was in 1944, in part to impress upon Americans how harmful such fires could be to the war effort. The living animal was a survivor of a 1950 wildfire in the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico; the black bear cub was found up a burnt tree, singed but alive. Originally called "Hotfoot Teddy" by his rescuers, he was renamed Smokey Bear in line with the anti-fire mascot and flown to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where he lived for the next 26 years. Becoming a national symbol, Smokey received millions of visitors and so much mail he was issued his own zip code. Smokey's remains were returned to Capitan New Mexico, and he is buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park.

Cave system branching from the Fort Stanton cave, named for the white calcite flow, resembling a frozen river, along the cave floor.
BLM Snowy River Cave website

Founded in the 1970s by NASA workers Gilbert Moore, Ted Arellano, and astronaut Harrison Schmitt to recognize those whose actual birthplace no longer existed and was thus "in space". The three men were born in Santa Rita NM, which town was undercut and devoured by the open pit of the Chino Copper Mine that caused the town to form. With other members, the Society met nearly every year from 1981 through 2000 to keep the memory of their removed community alive.

AKA: Socorro Sowbug. Small crustacean, Thermosphaeroma thermophilum, known to naturally occur only in a hot spring near Socorro. The isopods went technically extinct when an accident closed off water flow from the spring; however, they were re-introduced to their restructured habitat from laboratory populations. Captive populations are maintained in several locations around the state, including the Albuquerque Biological Park and New Mexico Tech.

AKA: Socorro crustal uplift, Socorro magma dome. Along the Rio Grande Rift north of Socorro, one of the three places in North America where magma is closest to the surface, a "mid-crustal" concentration of magma 19 kilometers (11 miles) beneath the surface. The magma body is causing a small (2-3 millimeter/year) but measurable rise of the surface; the Rio Grande in fact runs differently above and below the "bulge" atop the magma body, being gentler to the North and more vigorous to the South. There are constant small earth tremors in the Socorro area, in part due to this uplift.

April 24, 1964 sighting of a landed UFO by Socorro policeman Lonnie Zamora. Oval-shaped craft with two small jumpsuited "beings" in attendance. Craft took off, leaving physical traces (burnt vegetation and impressions in the ground.) Despite investigation by police, civilian UFO groups, and the military, no conclusion was reached about the incident; there is a local tradition that it was a prank by New Mexico Tech students. The town of Socorro, seeking tourism from the incident, later built a small visitor's center near the original site.

See Spaceport America

See SpaceX

See White Sands Space Harbor

AKA: New Mexico Spaceport, formerly the Southwest Regional Spaceport. "The world's first purpose-built, commercial spaceport, designed to enable affordable, efficient and effective space access and unlock the potential of space for everyone." - from the website. Under construction since 2006 under the auspices of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. As of August 2012, more than 25 successful suborbital launches have been staged from the Spaceport. Noted for the involvement of anchor tenant Virgin Galactic, which Sir Richard Branson has announced will use the Spaceport as its world headquarters for suborbital space tourism. The SpaceX Corporation has leased facilities at the Spaceport to test its reusable launch vehicle. The Spaceport also hosts events like the Spaceport America Cup -an international intercollegiate rocketry competition - and drone competitions.
Spaceport America website

Space Shuttle Columbia landed at the White Sands Space Harbor dry lakebed runway March 30 1982 as part of STS-3. The alternate landing site was used when the primary runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California was flooded.

Formally, the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. California space development corporation that has leased facilities at Spaceport America to test its Grasshopper reusable launch vehicle. The first private company to send a payload to the International Space Station, SpaceX also has a NASA contract to develop space vehicles for passengers. Other company plans include the launch of satellites and a robotic mission to Mars.
SpaceX website

Founded in 1925 to to preserve Spanish Colonial art and history and emphasize community traditions. Maintains the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe, in a building designed by John Gaw Meem. Presents the annual Traditional Spanish Market in Santa Fe, which has grown to attract tourists from around the world.
Spanish Colonial Arts Society website
State Historian webpage on the Spanish Colonial Arts Society

AKA: 1918 Pandemic. The worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918 reached New Mexico in the fall. First and hardest hit were the towns along the railways, where travelers brought the Flu with them. The 1918 influenza was noteworthy for affecting young healthy adults as well as the aged or weak, and being especially virulent; victims sometimes died within hours. An estimated 1,000 - 5,000 New Mexicans were lost to the flu, out of a population of 360,000; the cemeteries in most small towns in New Mexico include burials from 1918. Dubbed the "Spanish Flu" by newspapers of the time, as Spain was one of the few stricken European countries not exercising a news blackout to support public morale in WWI.
State Historian webpage on the Spanish Flu

Formally, the Traditional Spanish Market. Annual event in Santa Fe organized by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. Held in the summer since 1941, the Market is "the oldest and largest juried Spanish Market in the United States and attracts over 70,000 visitors and collectors from throughout the world". Since 1988, the Society has also run the Winter Spanish Market.
Spanish Colonial Art Society Spanish Market webpage

See La Liga Obrera de Habla Espanol

10-year-old Las Cruces boy who literally fell over a fossilized skull while hiking with his family in July 2017. They reported the find to the New Mexico State University, and after negotiations with the owner of the land the skull was removed and now resides at the NMSU Vertebrate Museum. The stegomastodon, a megafauna with tusks like an elephant and one of three proboscideans known to have lived in the Rio Grande Valley, lived in NM more than 1 million years ago.

In 1916, Taos poet Witter Bynner and his friend Arthur Davison Ficke, writing as Emanuel Morgan and Anne Knish, published Spectra: A Book of Poetic Experiments. The work was intended as a satIrical commentary on the many experimental poetic forms of the day: Imagism, Futurism, Idealism, etc. However, Spectrism was taken as a serious "movement" and the pair soon found their alter egos in demand. The misperception lasted for almost two years, until Bynner finally admitted the hoax in an interview. In the long run the hoax rather backfired, as the fame of the joke poetry sometimes overshadowed their other works.

Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts, in Alto New Mexico near Ruidoso. Designed by NM architect Antoine Predock to reflect the presence of the nearby mountains. The Theater, built in 1997 at a cost of $22 million, has a 514-seat indoor theater as well as an outdoor amphitheater seating 1200. Funded by Dr. A.N. Spencer in memory of his wife Jackie. The theater features four works by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Introduced March 13 1888 by William M. Springer, chairman of the House Committee on the Territories. Formally H.R. 8466, the Bill allowed for the citizens of Dakota, Montana, Washington and New Mexico to form constitutional and State governments and be admitted into the Union. One Section of the Bill directed the constitutional convention to submit to the public for approval a proposal to change New Mexico's name to Montezuma, a suggestion that met with much public resistance. The broad omnibus Springer Bill generated much discussion in political circles.

See Llano Estacado

Annual event held on the grounds of the New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs. Hosted by the Western Heritage Museum Complex and the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, the event is a celebration of traditional ranching skills.

(1925-2001) Born in Tularosa, drama major at UNM. Actress primarily on stage and television, with some film including as narrator on To Kill A Mockingbird. Inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame and New Mexico Entertainment Hall of Fame. After a career on Broadway and in Hollywood, retired to Santa Fe to teach drama.

(1910-1999) USAF Colonel who was dubbed "The Fastest Man Alive" (and nicknamed "The Bravest Man") after riding the rocket sled Sonic Wind No. 1 to the speed of 632 mph on December 10, 1954. The record was set as part of experiments in safety devices at the High Speed Test Track facility on Holloman Air Force Base. The rocket sled is on display at the New Mexico Museum of Space History (formerly, the International Space Hall of Fame) in Alamogordo, and the John P. Stapp Air & Space Park there is named for him.

Refers to the Official State Question: "Red or Green?" - whether someone wants red or green chile sauce on their entrée. Besides the red or green option, an accepted answer that includes both is "Christmas!"

The New Mexico Territorial Fair was held each September 1882-1912 in Albuquerque. The State Fair was instituted in 1938, with an attendance of 64,000. The Fairgrounds are in the middle of the Albuquerque Heights and have been renamed Expo New Mexico, which name is sometimes applied to the Fair itself. The Fair runs in the latter half of September and features rodeos, concerts, a midway, and livestock, agriculture, arts, crafts, and home economics exhibits.

See Coelophysis

See Turquoise

See Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad

AKA: Statists. Name given to a group of people, amounting to a political party, who lobbied for New Mexico to join the Union as a state. Their opponents, the Territorialists, were politically very strong and the issue was hotly debated well into the 1900s and statehood in 1912.

In the pre-statehood period, Arizona and New Mexico territories were often addressed together. As the two territories came to be considered separately for statehood, some people proposed that new names should be chosen to make obvious the change in status. One suggestion, which had brief support, was to change the name of the New Mexico Territory to the State of Acoma.

During the turbulent times of the New Mexico Territory transitioning to statehood, one suggestion was that the Territory should be organized as the State of Lincoln, to honor the fallen president.

In the pre-statehood days, efforts were several times made to distinguish the coming State from the previous Territory. One suggestion, embedded in the Springer Bill, was to present to the people for approval a proposal to change the name of the New Mexico Territory to the State of Montezuma. Public reaction was largely negative, with an oft-repeated concern that the state would be confused with a Mexican state.

AKA: State Pen, State Prison. Opened in 1885 at its present location south of Santa Fe. Operated by the New Mexico Corrections Department, the Penitentiary now consists of three facilities and includes New Mexico's "Death Row". The main unit of the prison, closed in 1998, is referred to as "The Old Pen" or "Old Main" and is used as a filming location. The Penitentiary is famously the site of one of the worst prison riots in U.S. history; the New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot in 1980 took place over two days and resulted in 33 deaths. This was the third such major riot at the Penitentiary, the others being in 1922 and 1953.

AKA: State Pen Riot, State Prison Riot, State Pen Uprising, State Penitentiary Insurrection. One of the worst such riots in U.S. history; occurred at the New Mexico State Penitentiary February 2-3 1980. Inmates took control of part of the facility and held 12 corrections officers hostage. After they gained access to records in the prison office a "snitch hunt" occurred, resulting in 33 deaths by torture, beating, hanging, and fire. Noted radio journalist Ernie Mills was recruited to help in the negotiations to end the standoff, as one of the few people trusted by the inmates. Two histories of the event are The Devil's Butcher Shop and The hate factory : a first-hand account of the 1980 riot at the penitentiary of New Mexico.
State Historian webpage on the Penitentiary Riot

See "Red or Green?" and State Answer

The official English language New Mexico state song is "O Fair New Mexico", selected in 1917. The official Spanish language state song is "Asi Es Nuevo Mejico", selected in 1971. The official bilingual state song is "New Mexico - Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico", selected in 1995.

See Bolo Tie

See Jude Sparks

(1849-1915) Also wrote as Tilly E. Stevenson. Ethnologist and explorer. Worked with the Bureau of American Ethnology; with husband James Stevenson, as "the first husband-wife team in anthropology", did much to document several Native American tribes, especially the Zuni. Author of numerous papers, and books including Zuni Ancestral Gods and Masks and The Zuñi Indians: Their Mythology, Esoteric Fraternities, and Ceremonies.

(1891-1977) Early female aviator; the 4th woman in the US to obtain a pilot's certificate. Set several records, becoming the first female pilot to perform a loop. She became known to the public as "The Flying Schoolgirl" due to her youthful appearance. Contracted tuberculosis in 1920, which brought her to New Mexico seeking a cure, where she later married Miguel Antonio Otero Jr., son of the former territorial governor. Her flying days over, she worked as an architect in Santa Fe.

AKA: San Agustin, Saint Augustine, San Augustin de la Isleta. At Isleta Pueblo. Mission church built in 1612.

AKA: Cathedral of San Francisco de Asisi, Santa Fe Cathedral. Formally, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Santa Fe. Built between 1869 and 1886 at the direction of Archbishop Lamy, who brought architects Antoine Mouly and his son Projectus from Paris to design and guide the project. The cathedral was built around La Parroquia, a church which had been built upon the site of an earlier church destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt; when the Cathedral was completed, La Parroquia was dismantled. The Cathedral is in the Romanesque Revival style, and is a distinctive landmark for visitors to Santa Fe.

Originally called The Lambert Inn, perhaps starting as the San Diego Hotel. Historic hotel in Cimarron, in the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1872 by Henry (Henri) Lambert with the support of land baron Lucien Maxwell whose mansion was across the street. Many people both famous and infamous stayed at the hotel or frequented the bar and restaurant, including Buffalo Bill Cody, Wyatt and Morgan Earp, Clay Allison, Black Jack Ketchum, and Annie Oakley. After falling into disrepair renovation efforts began in 1985 and the hotel, restaurant and bar are operating today. The hotel is reputedly haunted.

Important celebration in Spanish colonial New Mexico, first observed in 1598 in Socorro. The event, observed around July 24 and the beginning of the rainy season, became a combination Saint's Day and Midsummer observance for Spanish and Native Americans alike, with overtones of a fertility festival and rain-making ritual. St. John's Eve was often observed with bonfires and noisemaking, and the Day itself was often observed with rebaptism of those named John, and ritual bathing. A variety of festivities followed, including the rooster pull. St. John's Day celebrations are still observed at many of the Pueblos.

AKA: Ceran de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain. (1802-1870) Fur trader; co-founded Bent's Fort with William Bent. Raised a force of volunteers to aid in suppressing the Taos Revolt, and served as translator during the trial of those involved. Later settled in Mora where he operated a mill.
State Historian webpage on Ceran St. Vrain

See USS Albuquerque SSN-706

See USS New Mexico SSN-779

See USS Santa Fe SSN-763

Small unincorporated community near Alamogordo, named for the nearby National Solar Observatory installation colloquially known as the "Sunspot Solar Observatory".

Colloquial name for the Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope on Sacramento Peak near Alamogordo, part of the National Solar Observatory system. The site was established in 1947.
National Solar Observatory Sacramento Peak website

Archaeoastronomy site on Fajada Butte in the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The sundial consists of two petroglyph spirals which are crossed by a "dagger" of light at the solstice and equinox. In 1989 the rock slabs which were aligned to throw the light dagger slipped, possibly due to erosion caused by visitors since the identification of the site in 1977, and the site is now closed.

(1904-2008) Philanthropist who, with her husband "Hub" Swearingen, lent support to the Eastern New Mexico University and the New Mexico Military Insititute, endowing scholarships and supporting music programs. The Addie Swearingen Foundation still provides scholarships to Roosevelt County youth.

See Roadrunner