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Description
America's 47th state is richer in history than almost any other, and New Mexico's unique and unmistakable culture is the backbone of the American southwest.

Contrary to what you might think, the country of Mexico got its name from New Mexico and not the other way around. The area that is now New Mexico was named "Nuevo México" when it was discovered by the Spanish in the mid 1500s. The country of Mexico at the time was called New Spain, and didn't become the nation of Mexico until 1821. After the Mexican-American War ended only 27 years later, the New Mexico Territory became part of the United States along with what is now Arizona and southern California. Spanish and Mexican influence is very prominent in New Mexico, and the state has the highest percentage of Hispanics of any state - at around 47% - including Latin American immigrants and descendents of Spaniards from centuries ago.

New Mexico is a poor state, largely due to numerous Native American settlements with high unemployment and unskilled immigrant labor, and much of its culture is derived from it. Casinos and game rooms dot the highways within the borders of Native American reservations, hoping to bring in much-needed revenue while simultaneously contributing to New Mexico's well-known reputation for vice; the state also ranks near the top for drug use (ever wonder why Breaking Bad took place in New Mexico?)

Santa Fe is the state capital, and the fourth-largest city. Its name means "holy faith" in Spanish, and nowhere else in America will you find so many old Spanish-style buildings and houses. The architecture is uniquely southwest, and this fits in well with the city's newfound reputation as a haven for artists. But even more evident than the art galleries and kitsch knick-knack shops is the over-abundance of chili peppers. Shitloads and fuckin' shitloads of chili peppers, hanging in clusters and pods outside nearly every door and window. Chili peppers are the religion of New Mexico, and there's more than enough opportunities to get your chili tasting fix by sampling some of the world's hottest peppers and sauces.

Deep in the center of the state's central plains is the town of Socorro - an unexciting and rather mundane mining town stricken by poverty. Its claim to fame is being the home of the state's chapter of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which operates, runs, and leases an utterly-massive cluster of twenty-seven radio telescopes collectively called the Very Large Array. The VLA is about 50 miles west of Socorro, close to the small village of Magdalena. It's in the middle of nowhere for a reason; the telescopes are used to produce images and data of outer space, galaxies, and black holes using only radio frequencies, sound, and vibrations. The antennae are situated on tracks, like a train, and are moved a few times a year in different formations by a very large truck so the astronomers in the control center can look at different areas of space. Each of the 27 antennae, built in the 1970s, are extremely powerful on their own, but they actually work in unison to produce 27 times more powerful results; this is why they always face the same direction. Fuck yeah, science. In 1947, a military weather balloon crashed in the eastern New Mexico city of Roswell, but the event turned into a UFO sighting frenzy, with many more imitation alien hoaxes to follow in the coming years. The presence of the VLA and the Roswell incident helped cement New Mexico's reputation as a haven for aliens and extraterrestrial enthusiasts. After all, the movie "Contact" partly took place at the VLA. Excellent movie.

By far, the largest city in New Mexico is Albuquerque, with almost 570,000 people. Upon visiting there, I was surprised to see it so quiet and desolate. Just outside the city is the Sandia Peak. "Sandia" is Spanish for "watermelon," and the name was given to the mountain due to the huge prevalence of feldspar on the face of the mountain, turning it a bright red color under the right sunlight. The Sandia Peak tramway is the longest aerial tram in the country, and has the third-longest single span in the world. To put it in simple English, the tramway car ascends the mountain through a cable that spans 7,720 feet (2,353 m) with NO support tower in between. Damn...those are some strong cables. At the top, the observation deck is more than 5,000 feet above the city and provides some stunning views (see photo). It was absolutely breathtaking. Albuquerque is also home to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - the largest hot-air balloon event in the world, held every October. The festival has made New Mexico nearly synonymous with hot-air ballooning, and almost every professional picture of hot-air balloons you may find online was probably taken in New Mexico. On another interesting note, Albuquerque also can't get any larger than it already is; it's bordered on all sides by Indian reservations, so its propensity for growth is...well...not really there. Hey, at least traffic will never be so bad.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, arguably the most famous American highway was U.S. Route 66, which went from Los Angeles to Chicago. Route 66 had long been every road tripper's dream, with a clear abundance of sleazy motels, diners, and roadside attractions, each with its own unique bright neon signs that were a symbol of mid-century Americana and unhindered freedom. As the largest town between Albuquerque and Amarillo, Texas, the town of Tucumcari was where many motorists stopped over for food or stayed the night. Unfortunately, with the introduction of the U.S. Interstate Freeway system, people stopped driving on Route 66, and towns like Tucumcari have fallen in the shadows. Like almost everywhere else, the neon signs are no more, local businesses have dwindled, and the town has been all but forgotten. The last remaining relic is the Blue Swallow Motel, still looking today like it did in the '60s, bringing a little nostalgia back for anyone alive today who just happens to find themselves driving down Route 66 through Tucumcari.

In the largely-Native American town of Taos, outside the reservations, casinos, and villages filled with tourists, there have been reports of an extremely low-pitched hum or rumbling sound that only a few people can hear, and it's not heard anywhere else in the world other than a couple places in the United Kingdom. While I never heard it when I went to Taos, I won't dismiss the probability that maybe something strange is going on. This is, after all, New Mexico. You could try and look up the Taos Hum on YouTube, but there's no telling if it really sounds like this for everyone who could hear it.

In 1982, a video game, "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial", based on the movie, was made for the Atari 2600 video game system. The game was so awful and boring that almost none were sold, and it caused Atari to lose tons of money. In fact, the game was so bad, that it was partly blamed for the video game crash of 1983, where people essentially stopped buying video games due to their lack of quality and playability (while computer games became more popular). It was also called, by many sources, the absolute worst video game ever made. One of the most popular urban legends in recent times was that Atari ordered several thousand copies of the game to be buried in a landfill in the southern New Mexico city of Alamogordo. The rumor was largely dismissed until last year, when a marketing agency contacted the New Mexico government to gain permission to excavate the landfill to find out if the rumor was true. And it was. Over a thousand copies of the game, including the boxes, manuals, and even some of the Atari 2600 consoles, were removed from the ground. The video gaming world was in shock.

Before I went to New Mexico, I always thought of it as the strange place where horror movies take place (ever seen the 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes?), UFO sightings happen, the traffic lights are sideways, suicide by chili peppers is a thing, and bolo ties are somehow fashionable (sorry, Stan). But having been to half the states in the country, I can still easily say New Mexico is the most interesting. No two trips there will be the same, and there's always something new to see. Dry heat and earth tones. Authentic southwestern food and vibrant architecture. It's uniquely American, it's beautiful, it's friendly, and most importantly, it's strange. It's where urban legends come true and the unexplained stay that way. There is something eerie, ghoulish, and sinister about New Mexico that makes me want to go back. It puts a chill in my spine and a smirk on my face. New Mexico really is the Land of Enchantment.

Description
America's 47th state is richer in history than almost any other, and New Mexico's unique and unmistakable culture is the backbone of the American southwest.

Contrary to what you might think, the country of Mexico got its name from New Mexico and not the other way around. The area that is now New Mexico was named "Nuevo México" when it was discovered by the Spanish in the mid 1500s. The country of Mexico at the time was called New Spain, and didn't become the nation of Mexico until 1821. After the Mexican-American War ended only 27 years later, the New Mexico Territory became part of the United States along with what is now Arizona and southern California. Spanish and Mexican influence is very prominent in New Mexico, and the state has the highest percentage of Hispanics of any state - at around 47% - including Latin American immigrants and descendents of Spaniards from centuries ago.

New Mexico is a poor state, largely due to numerous Native American settlements with high unemployment and unskilled immigrant labor, and much of its culture is derived from it. Casinos and game rooms dot the highways within the borders of Native American reservations, hoping to bring in much-needed revenue while simultaneously contributing to New Mexico's well-known reputation for vice; the state also ranks near the top for drug use (ever wonder why Breaking Bad took place in New Mexico?)

Santa Fe is the state capital, and the fourth-largest city. Its name means "holy faith" in Spanish, and nowhere else in America will you find so many old Spanish-style buildings and houses. The architecture is uniquely southwest, and this fits in well with the city's newfound reputation as a haven for artists. But even more evident than the art galleries and kitsch knick-knack shops is the over-abundance of chili peppers. Shitloads and fuckin' shitloads of chili peppers, hanging in clusters and pods outside nearly every door and window. Chili peppers are the religion of New Mexico, and there's more than enough opportunities to get your chili tasting fix by sampling some of the world's hottest peppers and sauces.

Deep in the center of the state's central plains is the town of Socorro - an unexciting and rather mundane mining town stricken by poverty. Its claim to fame is being the home of the state's chapter of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which operates, runs, and leases an utterly-massive cluster of twenty-seven radio telescopes collectively called the Very Large Array. The VLA is about 50 miles west of Socorro, close to the small village of Magdalena. It's in the middle of nowhere for a reason; the telescopes are used to produce images and data of outer space, galaxies, and black holes using only radio frequencies, sound, and vibrations. The antennae are situated on tracks, like a train, and are moved a few times a year in different formations by a very large truck so the astronomers in the control center can look at different areas of space. Each of the 27 antennae, built in the 1970s, are extremely powerful on their own, but they actually work in unison to produce 27 times more powerful results; this is why they always face the same direction. Fuck yeah, science. In 1947, a military weather balloon crashed in the eastern New Mexico city of Roswell, but the event turned into a UFO sighting frenzy, with many more imitation alien hoaxes to follow in the coming years. The presence of the VLA and the Roswell incident helped cement New Mexico's reputation as a haven for aliens and extraterrestrial enthusiasts. After all, the movie "Contact" partly took place at the VLA. Excellent movie.

By far, the largest city in New Mexico is Albuquerque, with almost 570,000 people. Upon visiting there, I was surprised to see it so quiet and desolate. Just outside the city is the Sandia Peak. "Sandia" is Spanish for "watermelon," and the name was given to the mountain due to the huge prevalence of feldspar on the face of the mountain, turning it a bright red color under the right sunlight. The Sandia Peak tramway is the longest aerial tram in the country, and has the third-longest single span in the world. To put it in simple English, the tramway car ascends the mountain through a cable that spans 7,720 feet (2,353 m) with NO support tower in between. Damn...those are some strong cables. At the top, the observation deck is more than 5,000 feet above the city and provides some stunning views (see photo). It was absolutely breathtaking. Albuquerque is also home to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - the largest hot-air balloon event in the world, held every October. The festival has made New Mexico nearly synonymous with hot-air ballooning, and almost every professional picture of hot-air balloons you may find online was probably taken in New Mexico. On another interesting note, Albuquerque also can't get any larger than it already is; it's bordered on all sides by Indian reservations, so its propensity for growth is...well...not really there. Hey, at least traffic will never be so bad.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, arguably the most famous American highway was U.S. Route 66, which went from Los Angeles to Chicago. Route 66 had long been every road tripper's dream, with a clear abundance of sleazy motels, diners, and roadside attractions, each with its own unique bright neon signs that were a symbol of mid-century Americana and unhindered freedom. As the largest town between Albuquerque and Amarillo, Texas, the town of Tucumcari was where many motorists stopped over for food or stayed the night. Unfortunately, with the introduction of the U.S. Interstate Freeway system, people stopped driving on Route 66, and towns like Tucumcari have fallen in the shadows. Like almost everywhere else, the neon signs are no more, local businesses have dwindled, and the town has been all but forgotten. The last remaining relic is the Blue Swallow Motel, still looking today like it did in the '60s, bringing a little nostalgia back for anyone alive today who just happens to find themselves driving down Route 66 through Tucumcari.

In the largely-Native American town of Taos, outside the reservations, casinos, and villages filled with tourists, there have been reports of an extremely low-pitched hum or rumbling sound that only a few people can hear, and it's not heard anywhere else in the world other than a couple places in the United Kingdom. While I never heard it when I went to Taos, I won't dismiss the probability that maybe something strange is going on. This is, after all, New Mexico. You could try and look up the Taos Hum on YouTube, but there's no telling if it really sounds like this for everyone who could hear it.

In 1982, a video game, "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial", based on the movie, was made for the Atari 2600 video game system. The game was so awful and boring that almost none were sold, and it caused Atari to lose tons of money. In fact, the game was so bad, that it was partly blamed for the video game crash of 1983, where people essentially stopped buying video games due to their lack of quality and playability (while computer games became more popular). It was also called, by many sources, the absolute worst video game ever made. One of the most popular urban legends in recent times was that Atari ordered several thousand copies of the game to be buried in a landfill in the southern New Mexico city of Alamogordo. The rumor was largely dismissed until last year, when a marketing agency contacted the New Mexico government to gain permission to excavate the landfill to find out if the rumor was true. And it was. Over a thousand copies of the game, including the boxes, manuals, and even some of the Atari 2600 consoles, were removed from the ground. The video gaming world was in shock.

Before I went to New Mexico, I always thought of it as the strange place where horror movies take place (ever seen the 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes?), UFO sightings happen, the traffic lights are sideways, suicide by chili peppers is a thing, and bolo ties are somehow fashionable (sorry, Stan). But having been to half the states in the country, I can still easily say New Mexico is the most interesting. No two trips there will be the same, and there's always something new to see. Dry heat and earth tones. Authentic southwestern food and vibrant architecture. It's uniquely American, it's beautiful, it's friendly, and most importantly, it's strange. It's where urban legends come true and the unexplained stay that way. There is something eerie, ghoulish, and sinister about New Mexico that makes me want to go back. It puts a chill in my spine and a smirk on my face. New Mexico really is the Land of Enchantment.