If environment does influence crafts people, then the white snow needs to be remembered against the dark presence of the mountains. The statistics also show us, that like the rest of the United States, the Bicentennial brought a tremendous upsurge in quiltmaking in New Mexico. The whole nation was looking to the past and taking pride in pioneer activities. Beginning in 1931, and continuing to 1970, the recorded production of all quilts in the survey averaged 54 per decade. In the decade from 1971 to 1980, it jumped to 119 and has been climbing ever since.
Numbers are important because they lend credence to preconceived notions.
In traveling through New Mexico, I had a feeling of differences, but until all of the data was recorded and compared, I could not substantiate those suspicions. Their quilts appear more unfettered, experimental, and pragmatic. With time, these distinctions have begun to fade. The backings on the quilts are almost as varied as the tops, and statistics indicate a clear difference between backings designed in the predominantly Hispanic north and Anglo south. Several factors are reflected in these numbers.