New Mexico is the long-time home of the Pueblo people, a group of Native Americans. The area was namedNuevo México (New Mexico) by the Spanish in the mid-1500s and officially settled in 1598, its capital, Santa Fe, was selected in 1610. In the late 1600s, the Pueblo people revolted against the Spanish. The Spanish returned twelve years later and made a better attempt at giving the Pueblos better representation in New Mexico’s society and government. One such Spanish governor of New Mexico, who is most well-known for his work with Native Americans, wasTomás Vélez Cachupín.
WhenMexico became independent in the early 1800s, New Mexico was part of it. Mexican rule was unpopular in New Mexico, which led to another revolt called the Chimayo Rebellion.
In 1846, the United States and Mexico went to war over a border dispute in Texas (a former state of Mexico that was its own country for a time and then joined the United States), and the Americans won the war. The peace treaty the two countries signed gave what is now called theAmerican Southwest to the United States. While most of what was then Northern Mexico did not have a large amount of people living in it, New Mexico had population centers in Pueblo and Spanish towns, especially along the Rio Grande River and in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The New Mexican citizens living there were allowed to stay if they agreed to become US citizens, and over 90% did so.
After some time as a territory, the area became a state in 1912.
Coyote
Sandia Peak Tramway
The Kiva at Nambe Pueblo
