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New Mexico
Capital:
Santa Fe
State abbreviation/Postal code:
N.M./ NM
Nickname:
Land of Enchantment
Origin of name:
Named by the Spanish for lands north of
the Rio Grande River
Briefs on New
Mexico:
With a large chunk of US Amerindian population,
this southwestern state in the United States offers beyond
expectation. Be it the hospitality of the natives or the attractions
of the state, New Mexico presents everything to its best. The state is
particularly famous for its natural beauty (wide landscape ranges,
rose-colored deserts, broken mesas, snow-capped peaks), magnificent
museums (Billy the Kid Museum, International UFO Museum), national
parks (Chaco Canyon Historic Park) and ancient past.
Among the other beautiful cities of the state,
the capital city Santa Fe and the largest city Albuquerque are quite
popular. With numerous and timeless attractions, these cities are
worth visiting places for every visitor.
 New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the
Union. Its land area is 315,194 square kilometers. The population of
the state is 1,819,046 approximately.
The history of New Mexico is as vast as the area
it covers. The prehistoric Amerindian ruins indicate a presence at
contemporary Santa Fe. It is believed that millennia ago the
Amerindians with the land and minerals of New Mexico, the Amerindians
built an ancient southwestern culture.
In 1500 the Pueblo civilization mushroomed in the
region. In 1540 the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
led a full-scale expedition in the region. The capital city of New
Mexico was founded at the foot of the Sangre de Crisot Mountains in
1609. Its founder was a later governor of the state, Pedro de Palta.
Santa Fe is the oldest capital of New Mexico.
The city of Albuquerque came into prominence in
1706 while Santa Fe was being developed as a trade center of the
state. The city was named after the viceroy of New Spain, the duke of
Albuquerque.
In 1803 part of New Mexico went under the United
States due to the Louisiana Purchase. The rest of the New Mexico
region was given to the independent Mexico because of the Mexican war
of independence that began in 1810 and continued till 1821.
American General Stephen W. Kearnyand entered
into Santa Fe during the time of Mexican- American War. Kearny brought
many political and military changes in the state. At that time the New
Mexico territory was under the control of United States of America.
After the glorious reign of Kearny, a rebellion
broke out in the pueblo of Taos. Soon there was Taos Revolt in thee
region. The revolt was a popular insurrection against the American
occupation of New Mexico during the Mexican American war.
On 9th September 1850 the American
government established the New Mexico Territory after Texas
transferred the eastern New Mexico to the federal government. The
Territory then comprised of all of Arizona, New Mexico and parts of
Colorado. Its official capital was established at Santa Fe in 1851.
Finally on 6th January 1912 New Mexico was granted the
status of a state.
During the American civil war, Confederate troops
occupied the southern New Mexico for a short while. In 1862 the
territory was captured again by the union troops.
On 6th January 1912 congress admitted
New Mexico as the 47th state in the union. Its adjoining
state Arizona was admitted as the 48th state of the union
on 14th February 1912.
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