All About New Mexico
New Mexico is a constituent state of the United States of America. Its 121,593 square miles (314,925 square kilometres) make it the fifth largest of the U.S. states; it has only 258 square miles of water. Rectangular in shape except for a small panhandle in the southwestern corner, New Mexico is bounded on the north by Colorado, on the east by Oklahoma and Texas, on the south by Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and on the west by Arizona, which was part of the Territory of New Mexico from 1850 to 1863. At its northwestern corner it joins Arizona, Utah, and Colorado in the only four-way meeting of states in the nation. The capital is Santa Fe.
A state of the American Southwest, New Mexico is part of the ''Old West'' of cattle drives, cowboys, and clashes between pioneers and Apache Indians. In the vast flatness of its Great Plains and the rough, weather-scored peaks of its mountain ranges, it still retains much of its frontier flavour. Severe tensions and increasingly frequent confrontations between its Spanish-American (Hispano), Indian, and Anglo (i.e., English-speaking white) populations are a continuing reminder of the bitter antagonisms that characterized its long history and were still unresolved when it became the 47th state in the Union in 1912.
Despite the traditionally agrarian nature of the state, augmented by successful irrigation methods, New Mexico has become urbanized. Large numbers live in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo county. Santa Fe is a much smaller city, but its founding in 1610 preceded that of Albuquerque by 96 years, and it is the oldest continuously used seat of government in North America. It was also the southwestern terminus of the Santa Fe Trail, a wagon trail that was a major commercial and migration route from Missouri to the Southwest from 1821 to 1880, when the railroad was completed.
New Mexico has some of the flattest land in the world and also some of the most rugged mountains. Some portions have pine forests, rich meadows, and fish-laden mountain streams, while other areas are devoid of streams, and even cacti struggle to survive. The eastern third of the state is an extension of the Great Plains that includes the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains. The Rocky Mountains extend into the northern centre, the ranges interspersed with valleys and running in a north–south direction. The rest of New Mexico is a high plateau, but it also contains many plains and short mountain ranges.
New Mexico is a comparatively poor state. Its economy is similar to that of a developing nation in that it is largely at the mercy of forces over which it has little control. Relying heavily on the export of raw materials and on federal expenditures for programs of no certain permanence, New Mexico is subject to shifting demands from outside the state. Government spending accounts for nearly one-fourth of the state's economy.
New Mexico attracts millions of visitors annually. For many years Texans, fleeing hot, humid summer weather, have been drawn to the crisp, cool mountain resorts of the state. Many people come to New Mexico in the summer to fish, camp, admire the magnificent scenery, or attend the various festivals and rodeos. Indian ceremonials are major attractions. State and national parks, monuments, and historic sites also draw countless tourists. Hunters come in the fall seeking the great variety of game birds and animals. During the winter the state's ski runs attract enthusiasts. Tourism has flourished so extensively that some suggest it has become, in terms of cash receipts, New Mexico's leading industry.
Geographic isolation was a basic cause of New Mexico's slow economic development. In the Spanish and Mexican periods, it took about six months to travel the distance between Mexico City and Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Trail route was much shorter and faster, and American consumer goods helped prepare the way for conquest. This isolation ended when the railroads reached Albuquerque and Santa Fe in 1880. Today an extensive rail network unites the state. Highways link New Mexico's major population centres; three of these highways are part of the federal interstate system. Mountainous terrain makes road construction expensive, but secondary roads are adequate. Air transportation provides a vital link with other parts of the nation.
