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New Mexico History
New Mexico is a wonderful place to experience!! New Mexico is a land of many cultures, traditions and environments.
From the beginning, Indians farmed the land along the Rio Grande, producing corn, beans and squash.
By the end of the 13th century, the Anasazi had completely abandoned the cities in northwestern New Mexico and the rest of the area and drifted south along the river.
Shortly before the arrival of the Spanish, the Athapascan tribes entered the southwest and divided into two related groups, the Apache and the Navajo.
Explorer Vasquez de Coronado trekked through New Mexico in 1540.
In search of treasure, Coronado had to conquer the Indians and claim their riches.
Failing to find gold, he and his men returned to New Spain without any wealth.
The first major gold discovery in western US was made in the Ortiz Mountains south of Santa Fe in 1828.
Santa Fe was founded as the capital in 1609 by New Mexico’s third governor, Don Pedro de Peralta.
The first church was in North America was constructed in 1598 at San Juan Pueblo, 30 miles north of Santa Fe.
Over 50 churches were built in the first quarter of the 17th century.
These churches are beautiful examples of Spanish Colonial architecture and provide a glimpse of the earliest history of American culture.
On August 10, 1680, after years of careful planning, the tribes rose up and drove out the Spanish.
By 1692, however, the Spanish had returned.
Albuquerque was founded in 1706.
New Mexico remained under Spanish rule for another 125 years until 1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain.
Soon after, the passage “the Santa Fe Trail was born running from Missouri to Santa Fe, opening trade with the U.S. and brought new lifestyles, money and settlers to New Mexico.
In the late 1880s, railroad companies laid their tracks across New Mexico, bringing with them improved commerce and access to new markets.
The beef industries increased and cattle barons like John Chisum trailed longhorns in from Texas…Chisum was also associated with events leading the Lincoln County War, and bloody merchant conflict that sparked the brief outlaw career of Billy the Kid.
In 1881, Billy the Kid was shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner New Mexico.
The first movie ever filmed in New Mexico was Indian Day School by Thomas A. Edison in 1898.
New Mexico was colonized nearly 25 years before the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock, it did not achieve statehood until January 6, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 47th state.
In 1923 oil was discovered on the Navajo Reservation.
Shortly after, the Great Depression hit in 1930 thru 1943.
Federal New Deal funds provide employment for many and causes numerous public buildings to be constructed.
Centuries old agricultural and ranching traditions exist alongside a rapidly developing electronics industry.
Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque are leaders in the defense industry, taking New Mexico forward in energy-related and high-tech computer research.
Today, New Mexico continues to lure people with its clear skies and abundance of sunshine.
The limitless landscapes encourage people both to retrace the paths of New Mexico’s rich heritage and to leave their own footprints on the pages of the state’s rich history.
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