Francisco
Vásquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer searching for gold, traveled
the region that became New Mexico in 1540–1542. In 1598 the first Spanish
settlement was established on the Rio Grande River by Juan de Onate; in 1610 Santa
Fe was founded and made the capital of New Mexico.
The
U.S. acquired most of New Mexico in 1848, as a result of the Mexican War, and
the remainder in the 1853 Gadsden Purchase. Union troops captured the territory
from the Confederates during the Civil War. With the surrender of Geronimo in
1886, the Apache Wars and most of the Indian conflicts in the area were ended.
Since
1945, New Mexico has been a leader in energy research and development with extensive
experiments conducted at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Sandia Laboratories
in the nuclear, solar, and geothermal areas.
Minerals
are the state's richest natural resource, and New Mexico is one of the U.S. leaders
in output of uranium and potassium salts. Petroleum, natural gas, copper, gold,
silver, zinc, lead, and molybdenum also contribute heavily to the state's income.
The
principal manufacturing industries include food products, chemicals, transportation
equipment, lumber, electrical machinery, and stone-clay-glass products. More than
two-thirds of New Mexico's farm income comes from livestock products, especially
sheep. Cotton, pecans, and sorghum are the most important field crops. Corn, peanuts,
beans, onions, chilies, and lettuce are also grown.
Tourist
attractions include the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Inscription Rock at El
Morro National Monument, the ruins at Fort Union, Billy the Kid mementos at Lincoln,
the White Sands and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monuments, Bandelier National
Monument, and the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Coming
Soon!
See
more on New Mexico: Encyclopedia:
New Mexico Encyclopedia: Geography Encyclopedia: Economy Encyclopedia:
Government Encyclopedia: History Monthly Temperature Extremes
Accredited
Colleges and Universities
Selected
famous natives and residents:
Kathy Baker actress; Notah Begay
III golfer; Judy Blume author; Ernest L. Blumenshein artist; William
“Billy the Kid” Bonney outlaw; Richard Bradford author; Ralph
Bunche Nobel Peace Prize winner; Bruce Cabot actor; Glen Campbell singer;
Kit Carson army scout and trapper; Dennis Chavez former senator; John
Chisum cattle king; Mangus Coloradas Apache leader; Edward Condon physicist;
Bill Daily actor; John Denver singer; Bo Diddley blues guitarist;
Patrick Garrett lawman; Greer Garson actress; Sid Gutierrez astronaut;
William Hanna animator; Neil Patrick Harris actor; Carl Hatch senator;
Tony Hillerman author; Conrad Hilton hotel executive; Dennis Hopper
actor; Peter Hurd artist; Preston Jones playwright and actor; Ralph
Kiner baseball player and sportscaster; Nancy Lopez golfer; Maria Martínez
San Ildefonso Pueblo potter; Demi Moore actress; Jim Morrison singer and
songwriter; Bill Mauldin political cartoonist; Popé San Juan Pueblo
medicine man and leader; Georgia O'Keeffe painter; Harrison Schmitt astronaut
and representative; Kim Stanley actress; Slim Summerville actor; Clyde
Tombaugh astronomer; Al Unser, Bobby Unser auto racers; Victorio Apache
chief; Linda Wertheimer NPR correspondent; Kathy Whitworth golfer.
Capital:
Santa Fe
State
abbreviation/Postal code: N.M./NM
Governor:
Bill Richardson, D (to Jan. 2007)
Lieut.
Governor: Diane Denish, D (to Jan. 2007)
Senators:
Jeff Bingaman, D (to Jan. 2007); Pete V. Domenici, R (to Jan. 2009)
U.S.
Representatives: 3
Secy.
of State: Rebecca Vigil-Giron, D (to Jan. 2007)
Atty.
General: Patricia A. Madrid, D (to Jan. 2007)
State
Treasurer: Robert E. Vigil, D (to Jan. 2007)
Organized
as territory: Sept. 9, 1850
Entered
Union (rank): Jan. 6, 1912 (47)
Present
constitution adopted: 1911
Motto:
Crescit eundo (It grows as it goes)
State
symbols: flower yucca (1927) tree pinon (1949) animal black bear (1963)
bird roadrunner (1949) fish cutthroat trout (1955) vegetables chili
and frijol (1965) gem turquoise (1967) song “O Fair New Mexico”
(1917) Spanish-language song “Asi Es Nuevo Méjico” (1971)
poem A Nuevo México (1991) grass blue gramma (1973) fossil
coelophysis (1981) cookie bizcochito (1989) insect tarantula hawk wasp
(1989) ballad “Land of Enchantment” (1989) bilingual song “New
Mexico—Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico”, (1995) question “Red or Green?”
(1999)
Nickname:
Land of Enchantment (1999)
Origin
of name: From Mexico, “place of Mexitli,” an Aztec god or leader
10
largest cities (2003 est.): Albuquerque, 471,856; Las Cruces, 76,990; Santa
Fe, 66,476; Rio Rancho, 58,981; Roswell, 44,228; Farmington, 41,420; Alamogordo,
35,551; Clovis, 32,815; Hobbs, 28,311; Carlsbad, 25,303
Land
area: 121,356 sq mi. (314,312 sq km)
Geographic
center: In Torrance Co., 12 mi. SSW of Willard
Number
of counties: 33
Largest
county by population and area: Bernalillo, 593,765 (2004); Catron, 6,928 sq
mi.
State
parks: 32
Residents:
New Mexican
2004
resident population est.: 1,903,289
2000
resident census population (rank): 1,819,046 (36). Male: 894,317 (49.2%);
Female: 924,729 (50.8%). White: 1,214,253 (66.8%); Black: 34,343 (1.9%); American
Indian: 173,483 (9.5%); Asian: 19,255 (1.1%); Other race: 309,882 (17.0%); Two
or more races: 66,327 (3.6%); Hispanic/Latino: 765,386 (42.1%). 2000 percent population
18 and over: 72.0; 65 and over: 11.7; median age: 34.6.
