New Mexico is a southwestern US state of extraordinary diversity, where ancient Native American civilizations, Spanish colonial heritage, and 21st-century art communities converge against a backdrop of red desert mesas, soaring mountain ranges, and alabaster dune fields. The Land of Enchantment offers travelers the gypsum-white dunes of White Sands National Park, the dramatic cavern formations of Carlsbad Caverns, the UNESCO-listed cliff dwellings of Bandelier and Chaco, the living Taos Pueblo, and Santa Fe's world-class museums and galleries.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped New Mexico.
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1
Chaco Canyon reaches its peak as a regional ceremonial and trade center
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2
Taos Pueblo constructed; inhabited continuously to the present day
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3
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado leads first major Spanish expedition through New Mexico
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4
Juan de Oñate establishes the first Spanish colony in New Mexico at San Gabriel
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5
Santa Fe founded as the capital of the Spanish province of Nuevo México
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6
Pueblo Revolt — Pueblo peoples, led by Popé, expel the Spanish from New Mexico for 12 years
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7
Spanish reconquest of New Mexico under Diego de Vargas
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8
Mexico achieves independence; New Mexico becomes part of the Republic of Mexico. Santa Fe Trail opens.
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9
US Army of the West occupies Santa Fe; New Mexico becomes a US territory after the Mexican-American War
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10
Lincoln County War; Billy the Kid becomes an outlaw legend
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11
New Mexico becomes the 47th US state
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12
Manhattan Project at Los Alamos; Trinity atomic test on July 16, 1945 in the Jornada del Muerto desert
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13
First atomic bomb tested at Trinity Site, White Sands (open to public twice yearly)
Historical sites
Places where New Mexico's past comes alive.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Where: San Juan Basin, northwestern New Mexico
Admission: Adult: $25 per vehicle | Child: Free under 15
Taos Pueblo
Where: Taos
Admission: Adult: $25; $10 camera permit | Child: $10 ages 6-12
Palace of the Governors
Where: Santa Fe Plaza
Admission: Adult: $12 | Child: Free under 17 with adult
Bandelier National Monument
Where: Los Alamos area
Admission: Adult: $25 per vehicle | Child: Free under 15
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Where: La Cienega, near Santa Fe
Admission: Adult: $8 | Child: $4 ages 5-12
National Museum of Nuclear Science and History
Where: Albuquerque
Admission: Adult: $16 | Child: $10 ages 5-17