New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment

New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment book cover — ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA New Mexico The Land of Enchantment CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO

New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment — page 1 — 4 NEWMEXICO Southwestern cuisine reflects a blend of Native American and Hispanic American cultures Common ingredients include tortillas pinto beans and chili peppers New Mexico covers an area of 121,598 square miles It is the fifth largest state in the country Spanish explorers of the 1560s named the area Nuevo Mexico which is Spanish for New Mexico They hoped to discover riches similar to those found in Mexico The name was changed to New Mexico when the area became a territory of the United States in 1850 The capital of New Mexico is Santa Fe The largest city in the state is Albuquerque INTRODUCTION Scenic beauty and a rich cultural mix are two of the primary reasons people visit New Mexico Nicknamed the Land of Enchantment New Mexico has a beautiful landscape that varies from snowcapped mountains to scorching deserts Its culture is a fascinating blend of Native American Hispanic and European influences with the ancient and the modern side by side The Pueblo Indians of northern New Mexico carry on traditions of their ancient ancestors who lived in the area some 2,000 years ago The state also is home to portions of the first road built by the Spanish in what is now the United States El Camino Real The King’s Highway It dates back to the late 1500s By contrast some of the most sophisticated research facilities in the world are found in New Mexico In 1945 the first atomic bomb was completed and tested in the state and scientists in New Mexico continue to conduct research in the fields of nuclear energy and space exploration in the 21st century Santa Fe is one of the oldest towns in the United States It was founded in 1610 a decade before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock Santa Fe means Holy Faith in Spanish

New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 New Mexico is located in the southwestern United States Almost square in shape it shares borders with Colorado to the north and Oklahoma and Texas to the east Texas also forms the state’s southeast border Arizona lies to the west and to the southwest New Mexico shares a border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora Along with Arizona Utah and Colorado New Mexico forms the Four Corners region Corners of all four states meet at this spot Traveling by automobile in New Mexico is made simple with about 60,000 miles of highways Drivers heading north or south often use Interstate 25 and those driving east or west can take Interstate 40 Some travelers along Interstate 40 take the old byways that were part of Route 66 This was a historic roadway that started in Illinois passed through New Mexico and ended in California The main airport in the state is Albuquerque International Sunport About 6 million people pass through this airport every year New Mexico Location Map R O C K Y M O U N T A I N S New Mexico’s state motto is the Latin phrase Crescit Eundo meaning It Grows as It Goes Although railroads are no longer a primary means of transportation in New Mexico the famous railway called the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe now called the Santa Fe Southern still provides rides from Santa Fe to Lamy N M N M In the 1870s a newspaper summed up the violence of the West It reported Everything is quiet in Cimarron Nobody has been killed in three days Capital Santa Fe Population 1,819,046 Interstate highways Size 121,598 square miles Scale 0 0 35 56 70 Mi 113 Km Highest peak Wheeler Peak 13,161 feet

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