From: omega@triton.unm.edu (Charlie DiBella)
Subject: New Mexico Information
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 21:09:55 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque


   115 Lines

                   Generic New Mexico Information
                   ------------------------------
          From the The National Registry of Historic Places
                     Cover article for New Mexico
                     ----------------------------


   The combination of three different cultures (Indian, Spanish, Anglo)
   makes New Mexico unique in the history of the United States.
   Structures and sites throughout the state, ranging from prehistoric
   to modern times, reflect the arrival of each culture and its integration
   into the existing society.  Prehistoric Indian petroglyphs stand along
   side Spanish missions and modern office buildings.  Many pueblos and
   historic districts preserve elements of all three cultures existing
   together.

   Habitation of New Mexico dates from approximately 12,000 B.C. when
   people lived either in the open or in cave shelters.  SANDIA CAVE
   and FOLSOM SITE provide the best and oldest evidence of these early
   hunting cultures.  A more sedentary agricultural subsistence developed
   around 3000 B.C., and two separate cultures emerged - the Mogollon
   in the southern and western parts of the state and the Anasazi in the
   north.  WOODROW RUIN and the GILA CLIFF DWELLINGS show remains of
   Mogollon surface dwellings.  By the year 100 the Anasazi advanced in
   architecture and community development, creating multistoried pueblos
   with large plazas like those at CHACO CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT.

   Settlement shifted to the east because of drought and gradual movement
   of the Rio Grande Valley.  By the 1300's the major pueblos of HAWIKUH,
   ACOMA, and TAOS had developed.  The Pueblo Indians practiced a unique
   architectural style that has influenced building in New Mexico to the
   present.  Native materials, especially adobe, where used in dwellings
   that terraced back from a large central plaza.

   Spaniards searching for the legendary Seven Cities of the Cibola began
   exploring New Mexico in 1539.  Instead of finding cities of gold,
   however, Francisco Vasques de Coronado found the agricultural communities
   of the Zuni pueblos in his 1540 expedition.  Spanish colonization of
   New Mexico began when Juan de Onate established SAN GABRIEL in 1598.
   On one of his return trips south, he carved his name in EL MORRO; his
   was the first of many such signatures carved next to Indian petroglyphs
   hundreds of years old.

   The Spanish government made Santa Fe its territorial capital in 1610
   and erected the PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS as an administrative center.
   The building housed every subsequent governmental authority of New
   Mexico and served as headquarters for the Pueblo Indians in their Revolt
   of 1680.  Beginning at the PUEBLO OF TESUQUE and soon spreading to other
   communities including ACOMA, the PUEBLO OF SANTO DOMINGO, and ZIA
   PUEBLO, the revolt forced the abandonment of several pueblos and the
   temporary displacement of many Indian groups.


   After the Spanish reconquest in 1696, New Mexico faced a century of
   raids on pueblos and settlements by Apaches, Navajos, Juts, and
   Comanches. Despite these hostilities, growth in the colonial villages
   continued as reflected by LOS TRAMPAS HISTORIC DISTRICT.  Franciscan
   Friars renewed their efforts to Catholicize the people, and erected
   mission churches throughout the settlements.  SAN JOSE DE LA LAGUNA
   MISSION AND CONVENTO at the LAGUNA PUEBLO exemplifies the mixture of
   Indian and Spanish styles and cultures.
     
   When Mexico won its independence from Spain and assumed control of
   New Mexico, it allowed foreigners into the territory for the first
   time.  Traders quickly developed the Santa Fe Trail as a route to
   the capital and on to California, and used RABBIT EARS and WAGON
   MOUND as landmarks that would be recognized by later settlers from
   the United States.

   The United States won control of New Mexico in 1846 as a result of
   the Mexican War, and the years that followed began the modern
   development of the territory.  An initial obstacle to New Mexico's
   growth during the last half of the 19th century, however, was the
   constant threat of the Plains Indians.  Forts FILLMORE, SELDON,
   UNION, and STANTON, were among the fortifications built to protect
   New Mexico settlers against the raiding Indians.  The KIT CARSON
   HOUSE commemorates the famous militia colonel who led many campaigns
   to protect the area against Apaches and the Navajos.

   With the end of Indian trouble, a period of peaceful development began
   in the 1880's.  Although cattlemen and sheep ranchers frequently
   disputed the use of pasture lands, they eventually settled their
   quarrels, allowing livestock to become the main industry.  LINCOLN
   HISTORIC DISTRICT, parts of which were involved in grazing disputes,
   and LA CUEVA HISTORIC DISTRICT illustrate areas where both sheepherder
   and cattlemen lived together.  A boomtown mining economy flourished
   temporarily in New Mexico, as in most western states; SHAKESPEARE
   GHOST TOWN and WHITE OAKS HISTORIC DISTRICT remain as evidence of the
   height of the mining era.

   Railroads brought economic prosperity to the state as well as societal
   and architectural changes as eastern and immigrant influences mixed
   with Spanish colonial tradition.  The Italianate PINCKNEY R. TULLY
   HOUSE and the Second Empire MILLS HOUSE demonstrate how some wealthy
   New Mexicans relied on eastern styles for their homes.  The SPIEGELBERG
   SPITZ HOUSE, built for a prominent immigrant family, used an eastern
   form with local materials.  Other buildings like the DONACIANO VIGIL
   HOUSE and the SEVERINO MARTINEZ HOUSE remain true both to the
   vernacular style and to the materials used in New Mexico throughout the
   centuries.  Around 1900 many New Mexicans realized that various
   influences coming into the state threatened the authenticity of their
   unique architectural tradition. Efforts to purify the vernacular style
   led to creation of buildings like the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SOUTHWEST
   REGIONAL OFFICE and the  FEDERAL BUILDING that imitate the pueblo style.

   The attempt to preserve New Mexico's architectural integrity brings
   into focus the very special and valuable tri-cultural heritage that
   exists in many areas of New Mexican life.  The state's preservation
   program reflects this varied history in its sites and structures that
   highlight the interaction of Indian, Spanish, and Anglo cultures on 
   American soil.

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   +                                                                 +
   +                 Cedar Valley Bed and Breakfast                  +
   +                                                                 +
   +                Located in the Manzano Mountains                 +
   +                  12 miles east of Albuquerque                   +
   +                   49 miles south of Santa Fe                    +
   +                 39 miles north of Mountainaire                  +
   +               18 miles south Sandia Peak Ski area               +
   +         25 miles from Albuquerque International Airport         +
   +                                                                 +
   +          Call, write, or fax for more information               +
   +                 Charles DiBella, Manager                        +
   +                    2 Heather Heights Lane                       +
   +                Tijeras, New Mexico  87059                       +
   +              Fax / Voice / Message (505) 281-1661               +
   +                                                                 +
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