The Spanish language spoken by close to a quarter of a million people throughout New Mexico and southern Colorado is an... The first atomic bombs were developed and tested in New Mexico during World War II. Los Alamos National Laboratory,...

Aims to foster an appreciation and understanding of the state's history. Includes timeline and calendar.

Tensions between New Mexico’s Spanish American (Hispano), Native American, and Anglo populations are a continuing reminder of the bitter antagonisms that characterized the state’s long history; these tensions drive such novels as N. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn (1968), Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima (1972), Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony (1974), and John Nichols’s The Milagro Beanfield War (1974), all of which are part of the modern New Mexican literary canon.

New Mexico history dates back farther than 1532, the approximate date that the first European expedition was lead into the region. Before the Europeans came the Native Indians had already thoroughly explored the land. Archaeologists believe that New Mexico history saw a distinct mixture of Native American pueblos and tribes were evolving some 12,000 to 30,000 years ago when many groups of prehistoric Indians wandered and lived throughout the state.

The Province of New Mexico was established in 1598, connecting the Spanish New World colonies of Central America with North America via the Royal Road of the Interior. Santa Fe was founded in 1608, essentially making it the oldest town in America even though New Mexico would not become an official state until 1912.