🌶️New Mexico

The Land of Enchantment

New Mexico contains the oldest capital city in the United States — Santa Fe, founded by the Spanish in 1610 — and some of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the country at Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo. Its high deserts, sagebrush plains, and pine-covered mountains make it one of the most geographically and culturally distinct states, with deep Hispanic, Native American, and Anglo heritage.

Ancient Inhabitants

Puebloan peoples have farmed the Rio Grande Valley for more than a thousand years. Acoma Pueblo, atop a 365-foot mesa west of Albuquerque, has been continuously inhabited since at least 1150 AD — one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in North America. Taos Pueblo, north of Santa Fe, has been inhabited for roughly 1,000 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spanish Beginnings

Santa Fe was founded as the capital of the Spanish colony of Nuevo México in 1610 — ten years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth — making it the oldest continuously occupied state capital in the United States. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, led by Po'pay, drove the Spanish out for 12 years. After Mexican independence in 1821, the territory became part of Mexico; the United States acquired it in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Trinity and the Atomic Age

The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, at the Trinity Site on the White Sands Missile Range in south-central New Mexico. The weapon had been designed at a secret laboratory in Los Alamos, established in 1943 under the direction of J. Robert Oppenheimer as part of the Manhattan Project. The subsequent Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs also used designs refined at Los Alamos.

Three Cultures

New Mexico's population is roughly 48% Hispanic, 10% Native American, and 37% non-Hispanic white — a uniquely diverse demographic mix. Spanish, English, and Navajo are all commonly spoken; state publications often appear in Spanish and English. The state's official question — yes, it has one — is "Red or green?," referring to chile pepper sauce. The correct answer is "Christmas" (both).

New Mexico Facts

• Santa Fe sits at 7,199 feet — the highest state capital in the country.
• Smokey Bear, the forest fire prevention mascot, was a real bear cub rescued from a New Mexico fire in 1950.
• White Sands National Park protects the largest gypsum dune field on Earth.
• The "Roswell Incident" of 1947, involving a supposed UFO crash, put the small town of Roswell on the international map.
• New Mexico is the only state with English and Spanish as official state languages.

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