New Mexico

HISTORY

Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Native American tribe of Puebloan people, lying about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. People have been living in the multi-storey buildings of Taos Pueblo for over 1,000 years, making it the longest continuously inhabited place in the USA.

New Mexico was first named in 1563. It was not named after the nation of Mexico  but rather after the Aztec Valley of Mexico, more than 250 years before Mexico became a nation.

Santa Fe was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, after it replaced Española as capital, which makes it the oldest state capital in the United States. Its full name remains La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís which means "The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi" in English.

The Pueblo Revolt of  August 10–21, 1680  - also known as Popé's Rebellion - was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, present day New Mexico. United by leader Popé, the Puebloans expelled their Spanish oppressors by force for the next 12 years, enabling the natives to preserve their rich culture which still exists today. The Pueblo Revolt is considered the most successful indigenous rebellion in American history.

While developing Santa Fe de Nuevo México as a trade center, the returning settlers founded Albuquerque in 1706 from existing surrounding communities, naming it for the viceroy of New Spain, Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque.

In 1822 Missouri trader William Becknell altered his route to Santa Fe in order to find a trail more suitable for wagon trains, and enable transport of more trade goods. Earlier travelers had ridden on horseback trailing packhorses. He arrived in Santa Fe on November 16, 1822, over a route that became known as the Santa Fe Trail.

Map of the Santa Fe Trail, established by Becknell.

Following their defeat in the Mexican–American War (1846–48), under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico ceded its mostly unsettled northern holdings, including New Mexico, to the United States of America.

The Gadsden Purchase was a strip of territory the United States purchased from Mexico following negotiations in 1853. The area brought is in southern Arizona and the southwestern part of New Mexico. The Gadsden Purchase represented the last parcel of land acquired by the United States to complete the 48 mainland states.

New Mexico State's first graduating class in 1893 had only one student—and he was shot and killed before graduation.

Lew Wallace (1827-1905) wrote the historical adventure novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ in 1880 when he was the Governor of the New Mexico Territory.

New Mexico was admitted as the 47th U.S. State on January 6, 1912.

New Mexico isn't actually named after Mexico, since it was named in 1563 and Mexico didn't drop its "New Spain" label until 1821.

Probably the best-selling photograph of all time, Ansel Adam's Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, was shot late in the afternoon on November 1, 1941, from a shoulder of U.S. Route 84-285.

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico Wikipedia Commons

The Atomic Age begins when the USA successfully detonated a plutonium-based nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945.

The Roswell ‘UFO’ incident took place in New Mexico on July 7, 1945. Reports of a crashed U.S. Air Force surveillance balloon was claimed by many to have been a cover up and the downed device was said to be instead an extra-terrestrial spaceship. The incident was later a feature of the hit sci-fi TV series The X-Files.

Roswell Daily Record, July 8, 1947, announcing the "capture" of a "flying saucer"

Microsoft was founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 4, 1975.

FUN NEW MEXICO FACTS

New Mexico's population is 2,085,109 (2015 ) and most of the people live in the biggest city, Albuquerque.

Albuquerque. By SouthDowntownAlbuquerque.JPG: Wikipedia Commons

The village of Hatch in New Mexico describes itself as the chilli capital of the world.

A number of Native American groups in New Mexico have a tradition of growing their own kinds of melon cultivars, derived from melons originally introduced by the Spanish.

New Mexico is the only US state with two official languages – English and Spanish.

The State of New Mexico exempts people 100 years of age or older from paying income taxes.

New Mexico license plates are the only ones with USA on them because Americans don’t know it’s part of their country.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico it is illegal for cab drivers to reach out and pull potential customers into their cabs.

The right to name Congregation Albert, a synagogue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was auctioned off for $250.