NEW MEXICO

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. The Southwest. constituent state of the United States of America lying in the southwestern mountain region of the country. The capital is Santa Fe. Rectangular 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. New Mexico also touches Utah at a single point at its northwestern corner. The state extends about 400 miles (640 km) from north to south and 350 miles (560 km) from east to west. Human settlement in the area has probably spanned 10,000 years. An agricultural Indian civilization developed irrigation systems, pueblos, and cliff dwellings whose ruins still dot the state. The more nomadic and aggressive Navajo and Apache Indians arrived from the north only a few centuries before the Spanish. Treasure-seeking Spaniards from Mexico, notably Francisco Vzquez de Coronado, made the initial European contact in the early 16th century, thus establishing Spain's claim to the area. The first permanent Spanish settlement had been made at Santa Fe, the present capital, by 1608. Missionary work was the predominant activity during the 1600s. Considerable Spanish settlement took place during the 1700s, with Albuquerque founded along the Rio Grande in 1706. Trade with the United States over the Santa Fe Trail had begun by 1821, when New Mexico became a part of the independent Republic of Mexico. The territory was ceded to the United States in 1848 following the end of the Mexican War. The New Mexico Territory was organized in 1850, and the eastern portion became New Mexico, the 47th state, in 1912. New Mexico can be divided into three regions: (1) the high Great Plains of the eastern one-third, containing the Llano Estacado, (2) the north-southrunning ranges of the Rocky Mountains of the central one-third, and (3) the high, mountainous plateau country of the western one-third. The Continental Divide traverses the entire length of western New Mexico. Most of the state has an elevation of more than 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above sea level. The Rio Grande, Pecos, and Canadian are the main rivers draining to the Atlantic, while the San Juan and Gila are the main rivers draining to the Pacific. The climate of New Mexico is mostly semiarid and arid with low humidity and abundant sunshine. The mean annual temperature is 54 F (12 C), but seasonal extremes range from 116 to -50 F (47 to -46 C). Temperatures rise or fall by 5 F (3 C) with every 1,000 feet (305 m) of elevation, and nighttime temperatures tend to fall sharply. The average annual precipitation is 13 inches (330 mm), varying from 8 to 10 inches (203 to 255 mm) in the lower areas to 40 inches (1,015 mm) in the high mountains. Generally, precipitation is greatest in the eastern third of the state and least in the western third. Between 1970 and 1980 New Mexico, like the other Sun Belt states, experienced a high rate of population increase (28 percent). The 144 percent population gain between 1940 and 1980 was in large part a result of the proliferation of federal expenditures in the state for defense and research and the discovery of oil and other minerals. In spite of the tremendous growth rate, New Mexico remains one of the most sparsely populated states. About two-fifths of the population is of Spanish origin, about one-half of whom are Mexican-Americans, while the others are descendants of the original Spanish settlers, or Hispanos. Somewhat less than a tenth are American Indians, the largest tribal groups of which are the Navajo, Pueblo, Ute, Jicarilla, Mescalero Apache, and Zuni. Almost three-fourths of the population lives in areas classified as urban. The Albuquerque metropolitan area contains about one-third of the state's total population. New Mexico's economy is largely dependent on the export of raw materials and on federal government expenditures. All of New Mexico's major rivers except the Gila are dammed within the state, and irrigated farming is the most important form of agriculture. The sale of beef accounts for more than one-half of agricultural-marketing receipts, followed by milk and hay. Oil and natural gas are by far the most important mineral resources, but the state also produces much of the country's supply of potash and uranium. Food processing, petroleum refining, smelting, construction materials, and railroad maintenance are leading industrial activities. Basic research and testing in nuclear energy have provided for the development of offshoot industries such as ordnance, electronics, and precision instruments. Large tourist expenditures in the state are a result of the distinctive Indian and Hispanic cultures, the varied scenery afforded by the natural landscape, and sporting and recreational opportunities. The historical atmosphere of New Mexico and its fusion of three culturesIndian, Hispanic, and Anglois represented by its unique architecture. Attracting artists in all fields from many parts of the nation and the world, Taos was the first to have an important art community, but it is now rivaled by Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Local Indians produce high-quality pottery, blankets, and silver jewelry. Spanish music and folk art have been largely preserved, and the Spanish language is widely spoken. Higher education is led by the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, established in 1888. The National Park Service administers Carlsbad Caverns National Park and numerous national monuments and historic sites. Area 121,598 square miles (314,939 square km). Pop. (1997 est.) 1,729,751. Additional reading The state's geography and people are ably presented in Writers' Program, New Mexico: A Guide to the Colorful State (1940, reissued as The WPA Guide to 1930s New Mexico, 1989), still useful as a historical source; but for currency it has been replaced by Lance Chilton et al., New Mexico: A New Guide to the Colorful State (1984). T.M. Pearce (ed.), New Mexico Place Names (1965, reprinted 1975); and New Mexico Magazine (monthly), expand on local history and geography. Warren A. Beck and Ynez D. Haase, Historical Atlas of New Mexico (1969, reissued 1989), presents maps and text dealing with all phases of history and geography; and Jerry L. Williams (ed.), New Mexico in Maps, 2nd ed. (1986), is a detailed study of most phases of the state's history. DeLorme Mapping Company, New Mexico Atlas & Gazetteer (1998), contains topographic maps. Ira G. Clark, Water in New Mexico (1987), provides a voluminous study of the state's water problem. Arrell Morgan Gibson, The Santa Fe and Taos Colonies: Age of the Muses, 19001942 (1983), is the best study on the art colonies; while Marta Weigle and Kyle Fiore, Santa Fe and Taos: The Writer's Era, 19161941 (1982), gives an overview of the leading authors of the period. Historical studies of New Mexico include Warren A. Beck, New Mexico: A History of Four Centuries (1962); Marc Simmons, New Mexico (1977, reprinted 1991), an introductory work; Robert W. Larson, New Mexico's Quest for Statehood, 18461912 (1968), and New Mexico Populism (1974), a scholarly look at agrarian protest; and Gerald D. Nash, The American West Transformed (1985), which treats the totality of the effects of World War II on New Mexico. New Mexico Historical Review (quarterly) publishes scholarly studies of the state's past. Warren A. Beck The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica