Topical Tens: 8 August: New Mexico

Tuesday 8 August 2017

8 August: New Mexico

On 8 August 1911 the US Senate approved statehood for New Mexico. Here are ten facts about New Mexico.

Although one of the last states to join the Union (47th) New Mexico has been inhabited the longest. The Anasazi, a civilization who were the ancestors of the Pueblo, who still live in the area today, where around for 1300 years, and had a great classical period that lasted from 1100-1300 AD. The state was even colonised by the Spanish long before the Mayflower even arrived. One in three families speak Spanish at home, and in some isolated villages, people speak a form of 16th century Spanish which isn't spoken anywhere else in the world anymore.
The Capital is Sante Fe, which is the highest capital city in the United States at 7,000 feet above sea level, and is located at the end of the Sante Fe trail. It’s the oldest capital city in North America, dating to 1610, and Santa Fe’s Governors Palace is the oldest government building in the country.
New Mexico isn't actually named after the country of Mexico. Mexico means 'place where Mexitli (an Aztec god) lives'. 16th Century Spanish explorers referred to the area as "Nuevo Mexico", while Mexico was part of New Spain and didn't adopt the name until 1821, when it became independent from Spain. New Mexico's largest city Albuquerque, founded in 1706 as a Spanish farming community, was named after a province in Spain.
It's very dry here. Lakes and Rivers make up only .002% of the state's total surface area, and 75% of the roads aren't paved - they don't need to be, because there's not enough rain to wash them away. The Rio Grande is New Mexico's longest river.
The world's first Atomic Bomb was detonated in New Mexico on July 16, 1945 on the White Sands Testing Range near Alamogordo. The site is now known as Trinity Site and is now a National Historic Site. After the second world war, lots of laboratories moved to Los Alamos and Albuquerque. Scientific research such as nuclear energy research and weapons testing is important to the economy, and hence New Mexico has a higher percentage of people with Ph.D.s than any other state.
At the other end of the scale, there is a law in New Mexico which states that idiots are not allowed to vote. Of course, when that law was made, "idiot" was a medical term for people with a particular level of learning difficulties rather than the sort of people who voted for Donald Trump and Brexit. It's also forbidden for a woman to ride a Horse down the street while wearing a kimono, and it's illegal to dance while wearing a sombrero.
The largest forest Fire in the state's history was ignited on May 4, 2000 in the National Park Service's Bandelier National Monument. It was meant to be a controlled burn to clear away dry brush and prevent future wild fires but it got out of control and 25,000 people, including all the residents of Los Alamos, were forced to evacuate their homes. In a forest fire in 1950, firefighters rescued a bear cub trapped in a tree - this was the original Smokey the Bear, who is now a symbol for fire safety. The black bear was later to become the official state animal.
Other state symbols State flower: yucca; state bird: roadrunner; state tree: pinon; fish: cutthroat Trout; vegetables: chili and frijol; gem: turquoise; insect: tarantula hawk wasp. New Mexico is unique in that it is the only state to have a state question. The question is "Red or Green?" and refers to the choice of red or green Chilli peppers with a meal.
Famous people from New Mexico include Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto, Conrad Hilton, the founder of the hotel chain, William “Billy the Kid” Bonney, outlaw; John Denver, singer; Bo Diddley, blues guitarist; Greer Garson, actress; William Hanna, animator; Dennis Hopper, actor; Demi Moore, actress; Jim Morrison singer and songwriter; and Georgia O'Keeffe, painter.
New Mexico is one of those four states that meet in a corner. The others are Colorado, Utah and Arizona. The state also has a border with the country of Mexico. Five states are visible from the Capulin Volcano (8,000ft) - New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.