New Mexico Basics

Architecture

Innovative yet traditional. Ground-breaking, and conservative. New Mexico architecture defies convention and embraces contradiction. Throughout the centuries, the unique style of the southwest continues to be expressed. Its origins are Pueblo and Spanish. But that eventually changed. In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail opened and goods from the eastern and mid-western parts of the United States trickled into the area. In 1848 the province that included New Mexico was annexed as a United States Territory. As trade increased, and new people arrived, so did manufactured goods, and new technology. The incoming technology changed the look of the housing, and the new-comers brought new forms of architecture, and gave birth to Territorial Style.

Time past, the railroad came to territory. Albuquerque found itself as a growing city and railroad center, Santa Fe found itself too far from the main line and its economy began to wither. In 1912 the planning board, with an eye to restoring the city’s economy through tourism, defined the architectural styles that would be used to reconstruct the city’s historic appearance. It went back to the pueblo and Spanish roots and became known as Pueblo Revival.

Pueblo Revival was wildly popular throughout Santa Fe, but Albuquerque as well The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque is very Pueblo Revival. But generally, there is a real sense of adventure in the architects who have their homes and offices in New Mexico. Think Antoine Predock, Bart Prince, and the earth ships of Michael Reynolds .

Food

To eat in New Mexico is to become a fan of chile. Not chili - the red spicy stew - but chile, the slightly misnamed pepper that is a staple of New Mexico cuisine. We put it on everything. This must be the only place in the country where people nod their heads in agreement when you want to add it to anything and everything.

We now have our own Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail because, well, we put chile on everything and make it as ubiquitous as salt (only much healthier and tastier).

Chile comes in two colors - red and green. Don't assume green is milder, although it often is. Sometimes it is waaaay up there on the Scoville scale that measures "heat." Some people are passionately in favor of red, others swear green is the way to go (I"m in the later group). If you want both, you can certainly ask for it. Newbies - ask for it on the side until you get a sense of how much heat you want. Yes, both together are sometimes called Christmas, but really, that is a bit too cutesy, although fun for the first couple of times (IMHO).

History

Like most places, the history of New Mexico defines much of the culture, art, and architecture. Pages and pages can be filled with the fascinating characters (and some truly were characters), larger-than-life events, and small daily stories. But the best place of all to learn about New Mexico history is at the state-of-the-art New Mexico History Museum and its website.