Bienvenidos a Nuevo Mexico (Welcome to New Mexico). New Mexico is my home and has been for the past 11 years. I love telling people about New Mexico and friends have told me that I could have been a travel agent. New Mexico did not become an actual state within the United States until 1912, making it the 47th state to join! Before that, it was a Territory. However, this land has been populated since ancient times. All around us, there are reminders of those who were here before us. I have a few photographs of a couple of my favorite places to visit. First, there are the Gila (pronounced hee-lah) Cliff Dwellings National Monument, only about 3 hours from my home. Native people made their home in these cliffs. Today, you can climb up to the cliffs and see visit the cave dwellings where families lived. When I walk up and down the cliffs, repeating the same steps made by the Indians, I always wonder how they managed to physically carry the water and food up and down because it is fairly strenuous. New Mexico is not the only place where these types of dwellings are found. The picture on the left shows the cliffs from a distance and the one on the right shows a close-up of a cave dwelling. This is a doorway. The people who lived here were fairly short.

Another mesmerizing reminder of ancient people are petroglyphs, or rock art. I took this photograph of a rock with several art carvings. Again, this particular place is only about 2 hours away from my home. The people who occupied these regions are known as Anasazi, or Ancient Ones. Here, you find thousands upon thousands of big rocks with carvings all over them. There are some repeating motifs (i.e., hands) and some unique motifs. People have speculated for decades about the meaning of these carvings. One of the most accepted explanations for the drawings is that they are prayers. I believe that this place is one of the most rich findings of rock art in the US. One cannot visit the Petroglyphs without being deeply moved.

One very important item seen throughout New Mexico, the Zia Sun Symbol

New Mexico's distinctive insignia is the Zia Sun Symbol which originated with the Indians of the Zia Pueblo in ancient times. Its design reflects their tribal philosophy, with its wealth of pantheistic spiritualism teaching the basic harmony of all things in the universe.

Four is the sacred number of the Zia, and the figure is composed of a circle from which four points radiate. These points, made of four straight lines of varying length, personify the number most often used by the giver of all good gifts.

To the Zia Indian, the sacred number is embodied in the earth with its four main directions: in the year, with its four seasons; in the day, with sunrise, noon, evening and night; in life, with its four divisions--childhood, youth, manhood and old age. Everything is bound together in a circle of life and love, without beginning, without end.

The Zia believe, too, that in this great brotherhood of all things, man has four sacred obligations: he must develop a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the welfare of his people.

Guided by this historic background, the flag of New Mexico was wisely chosen, with the ancient Zia Sun Symbol in red on a field of Spanish yellow. The symbol's proportions are fixed by legislative act, with the four groups of rays set at right angles, the two inner rays one-fifth longer than the outer rays. The diameter of the circle in the center is one-third of the width of the symbol.

Interestingly, many people don't really know about New Mexico and think we are the country of Mexico. There are lots of true stories (even recent) in which New Mexico has been left off of the map! So, I am going to educate you about New Mexico. Below is a map of the United States with which most of us are familiar. Most people know where Texas is. New Mexico is just to the west of Texas.

This is a map of New Mexico. Notice where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. This is the Four Corners Region, home of the Navajo Indian Tribe. If you follow the Rio Grande (Large River) that cuts down through the middle of the state, you will end up in my home town, Las Cruces. The Rio Grande travels on to become the defining border between Texas and Mexico.

As you may be able to tell by this map, there are mountainous regions all over the state. My mother once claimed that each place you visit is more beautiful than the place before. I think that I agree with that. The mountains, in fact, are the southern Rocky Mountains. Almost every city in the state has its own mountain backdrop. Here in Las Cruces, we are in a bowl. If you reach a high enough elevation, you can see that we are surrounded by about 11 different mountain ranges. The backdrop for our city is the Organ Mountains. This is a picture that I took myself one day close to sunset. The Organs are to the east of the city, the Rio Grande to the west, putting us in the Mesilla Valley. The Mesilla Valley is one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the state. In spite of our lack of rainfall!

Las Cruces and much of southern New Mexico is located in the Chihuahuan Desert, an area of high elevations. Because of this, we do have very cool evenings and actually get lots of overnight frost! Most of our precipitation is during the months of August through September. During those months, we may get over half of our annual rainfall. Las Cruces itself receives very little snow, but the Organ Mountains are covered in snow much of the months of December, January, and even February.

 

New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment. There is something truly enchanting about the entire state. Before Land of Enchantment became the state slogan, New Mexico went by the nickname The Sunshine State--because every part of New Mexico receives at least 70 percent sunshine year-round. Here in Las Cruces, we have sun 350 days out of the year!

The food in New Mexico is unique. Sometimes, people refer to Mexican food or Tex-Mex, but what we have here is truly unique due to our unique blend of Hispanic and Indian cultures. The Spanish explorers owe a great deal to the native population, who introduced corn to their diet. In return, the Indians benefited from European vegetables introduced when Spanish settlers later colonized the region.

Virtually all Southwestern dishes make use of four main ingredients: the tortilla, pinto bean, cheese and chile. The tortilla is a round, wafer-thin bread made from coarsely ground dough (masa) that's usually cooked in a pan until it has a light-brown texture. Many things can be placed inside the tortilla and then rolled up. Most commonly, beans (generally refried beans or frijoles) are spread onto the tortilla and topped with cheese, then rolled up.

Perhaps the most essential ingredient for any recipe is the famous chile pepper that grows in 2,000 different varieties. The Capsicum species, encompassing a wide range of colors, sizes, shapes and spiciness, are roasted, stewed, fried, cooked or simply added fresh off the plant. Chile generally comes in either a red or green sauce. Depending on the variety, growth and harvest conditions, "hotness" can vary. Personally, I don't like the heat. It's the flavor I prefer.And lo and behold, our wonderful chile, incorporated into salsa is becoming famous. I know that when I travel anywhere, I get withdrawal symptoms due to lack of chile and that's one of the first things I want when I return home. Note that the correct spelling is chile, not chili (used by, ahem, Texans).

A common way to preserve these chiles is by drying them. The chiles are tied together to form a ristra (pronounced ree-strah). The ristra hangs and the chiles dry. I know a lot of people believe this makes a beautiful decoration (and it does), but the ristra also serves a useful purpose. You can pick the chiles from the ristra and use them for cooking (example--one of my favorites: enchiladas).

No visit to New Mexico would be complete without sampling genuine Native American cuisine. The Navajo taco is an open-faced taco heaped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, refried beans, guacamole, a dab of sour cream and your choice of red or green chile--all served on a flat, puffy tortilla or a piece of fry bread. Pan dulce is an Indian sweet bread. Piki bread uses corn that's finely ground, cooked in boiling water until it's a mush, and then spread over a hot flat surface. The mush cooks instantly and peels off in a paper-thin sheet before being rolled up and eaten with stew.

Now, let me tell you a little about my home town, Las Cruces. Our name means Place of the Crosses named so because the first explorers to this region found graves, marked with crosses. Over four centuries ago Spanish explorers brought their faith and their language to this land. We sit at a great crossroads; of Hispanic, Indian and America cultures, of high mountain forest, fertile river valley and vast desert. Our past is a living treasure. You can see it in our traditional architecture, our spicy cuisine and especially in our abundant artwork. Our present is a thriving economy based on agriculture, technology and education at New Mexico State University. Our landscape is as diverse as our people. To the east the majestic spires of the Organ Mountains rise from the floor of the Chihuahuan desert with its rolling hills and spindly plants. To the west, the Rio Grande cuts a wide green path of tall trees and fertile fields. Overhead is an endless expanse of stunning blue sky where the sun shines almost every day.

Our population within city limits is approximately 85,000 and within the county of Dona Ana, 180,000. This is compared to the state population of 1,800,000 million. One of my friends here is from Kentucky and he says that New Mexico is 3 times the land mass of Kentucky with one-third the population. I kind of like the lack of people! I need wide, open spaces...

Here is some trivia about our city and county, just in case you ever want to visit.

Prevailing Winds	Southwesterly
Average Morning Humidity	27%
Average Afternoon Humidity	21%
Average City Elevation	4,210 feet (128.3 m)
Elevation Range within City	3,881 - 4,540 feet (118.4 - 138.4 m)
Elevation Range within County	3,730 - 9,012 feet (113.7 - 274.7 m)
Average Temperatures	January 59ºF / 27ºF (15ºC/-2.8ºC) April 77ºF / 42ºF (25ºC/5.6ºC) July 97ºF / 62ºF (36.1ºC/16.7ºC) October 77ºF / 44ºF (25ºC/6.7ºC)
Rainfall	8.5 inches (21.6 cm) annually (which has never happened in the 6 years I've lived here!)
Snowfall	3.2 inches ( 8.1 cm) annually (again, not in my time!)
Sunshine	350 days (or more!)

One modern sport to be extremely popular in New Mexico is hot-air ballooning. Most people have heard of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This year, I think there were over 900 pilots! We have our own balloon rally here in the Mesilla Valley and this year (2000) we were the first balloon rally for the millenium! I used to be very active in ballooning and crewed with a pilot named Harold and his wife Mary Lou. Harold's balloon was the Chimera (fire-breathing dragon) and here is a picture of took of the balloon at White Sands National Monument.

 

I will end with providing a recipe for New Mexico's traditional cookie, the bizcochito (beez-ko-chee-to). The most traditional time for this cookie is at Christmas, but it's ok to have them year round!.

Bizcochitos

• 6 cups (840 g) flour
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 g) salt
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) baking powder
• 1 pound (450 g) lard
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) anise seeds
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup (1/2 dL) brandy
• 1/4 cup (60 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) cinnamon

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cream lard with sugar and anise seeds until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in flour and brandy until well blended. Turn dough out on floured board and pat or roll to 1/8 or 1/4 inch (1/2 to 3/4 cm) thickness. Cut into shapes. (The fleur-de-lis is traditional.) Dust with mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Bake 10 minutes at 350° F (180° C) or until browned.

Most of this information has actually been written by yours truly. Here are some excellent links to check out if you think you might travel to this part of the world. Some of these sites provided information for this article.

1. Las Cruces Convention Center and Visitors Bureau
2. Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce
3. New Mexico Department of Tourism

Here is a very small list of books (personal favorites):

1. Great River (The Rio Grande in North American History) by Paul Horgan
2. The Great Southwest Nature Fact Book by Susan J. Tweit
3. Guide to the New Mexico Mountains by Herbert E. Ungnade

I got the Welcome sign, the Zia symbol, and the Land of Enchantment Logo from New Mexico.org

I got the 3 crosses from Sheriberry's Graphics

I got the maps from National Geographic

Back to 101 Things About Me

Home :: Begin :: Updates :: Holidays :: Music :: Poetry
Forest :: Cave :: Planetarium :: Sea :: Pond
Elements :: Seasons :: Globes :: Webrings :: Fortunes
Spirit :: Links :: Contact :: Guestbook :: Sitemap

This page was last updated 1 May, 2007

Unless otherwise stated, all graphics and content © 1999 - 2006 Enchanted Graphics.