189-705: New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains , sharing the Four Corners region with Utah , Colorado , and Arizona . It also borders the state of Texas to the east and southeast, Oklahoma to the northeast, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to
378-562: A personal representative , a de facto viceroy to rule on their behalf (as does their co-ruler, the Bishop of Urgell ). The French position of "adjunct département director, delegate for the sea and coast of the Atlantic Pyrenees and Landes " carries the title of "viceroy of Pheasant Island ". Pheasant Island is a French-Spanish condominium on the river Bidasoa . In Italian viceré : The highest colonial representatives in
567-619: A third of the state is covered in timberland , with heavily forested mountain wildernesses dominating the north. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains , the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains , run roughly north–south along the east side of the Rio Grande , in the rugged, pastoral north. The Great Plains extend into the eastern third of the state, most notably the Llano Estacado ("Staked Plain"), whose westernmost boundary
756-459: A female viceroy suo jure , although viceroy can serve as a gender-neutral term. Vicereine is more commonly used to indicate a viceroy's wife, known as the viceregal consort . The term has occasionally been applied to the governors-general of the Commonwealth realms , who are viceregal representatives of the monarch. The position of a viceroy is by royal appointment rather than
945-544: A large oasis at the western end of the El Paso-Tucson corridor. The region between the two cities is a major transportation trunk with settlements serving both highway and railway needs. There are also large mining operations, ranches, and agricultural oases. Both El Paso and Tucson have large military installations nearby; Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range north of El Paso in New Mexico, and, near Tucson,
1134-483: A law granting all Native Americans U.S. citizenship and the right to vote in federal and state elections. However, Anglo-American arrivals into New Mexico enacted Jim Crow laws against Hispanos, Hispanic Americans, and those who did not pay taxes, targeting indigenous affiliated individuals; because Hispanics often had interpersonal relationships with indigenous peoples, they were often subject to segregation , social inequality , and employment discrimination . During
1323-432: A more pronounced identity vis-a-vis the newer Anglo arrivals. Politically, they still controlled most town and county offices through local elections, and wealthy ranching families commanded considerable influence, preferring business, legislative , and judicial relations with fellow indigenous New Mexican groups. By contrast, Anglo Americans, who were "outnumbered, but well-organized and growing" tended to have more ties to
1512-579: A noble rank. An individual viceroy often also held a separate noble title, such as Bernardo de Gálvez, 1st Viscount of Galveston , who was also Viceroy of New Spain . The title was originally used by the Crown of Aragon , where, beginning in the 14th century, it referred to the Spanish governors of Sardinia and Corsica . After the unification, at the end of the 15th century, later kings of Spain came to appoint numerous viceroys to rule over various parts of
1701-513: A risk of foreign or Indian attack, but the captains general were usually given political powers over the provinces under their command. Because the long distances to the viceregal capital would hamper effective communication, both audiencias and captains general were authorized to communicate directly with the crown through the Council of the Indies . The Bourbon Reforms introduced the new office of
1890-521: A second one ruling the possessions in India (Hindustan) and Ceylon ; and a third one from Malacca to the Far East. However, Governor Afonso de Albuquerque (1509–1515) centralized the post into a plenipotentiary office, which it remained after his tenure. The typical duration in office was usually three years, although powerful viceroys might extend their tenure; of the thirty-four governors of India in
2079-532: A settlement in Arizona in 1599, but were turned back by inclement weather. In 1610, Santa Fe was founded, making it the oldest capital in United States. In 1664 Juan Archuleta led an expedition into what is now Colorado, becoming the first European to enter. A second Spanish expedition was led into Colorado by Juan Ulibarrí in 1706, during which he claimed the Colorado territory for Spain. From 1687 to 1691
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#17327662053012268-522: A significant U.S. military presence, including White Sands Missile Range , and strategically valuable federal research centers, such as the Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories . The state hosted several key facilities of the Manhattan Project , which developed the world's first atomic bomb , and was the site of the first nuclear test, Trinity . In prehistoric times , New Mexico
2457-458: A single governor: Thereafter it had lieutenants-general and viceroys: Next were a series of viceroys (resident in France) from 8 October 1611 to 1672. Later there were governors and governors-general. The president of France retains, ex officio , the title of Co-Prince in the neighboring microstate of Andorra (a post previously occupied by the king of France) and continues to send
2646-458: A sub-region of the South , which some consider southwestern in the general framework of the original application, meaning the "Western South." This is an area containing the basic elements of Southern history , culture , politics , religion , and linguistic and settlement patterns, yet blended with traits of the frontier West. While this particular Southwest is notably different in many ways from
2835-607: A third of Colorado, and small portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Texas current borders were set in the Compromise of 1850 , where Texas ceded land to the federal government in exchange for $ 10 million, which would go to paying off the debt Texas had accumulated in its war with Mexico. Following the Mexican Cession, the lands of what had been the Mexican territory of Alta California were in flux: portions of what
3024-535: Is among the most recognizable in the U.S., reflects the state's eclectic origins, featuring the ancient sun symbol of the Zia , a Puebloan tribe, with the scarlet and gold coloration of the Spanish flag . The confluence of indigenous, Hispanic (Spanish and Mexican), and American influences is also evident in New Mexico's unique cuisine , music genre , and architectural styles . New Mexico received its name long before
3213-711: Is bordered to the south by the Mogollon Rim and the Sonoran Desert, to the west by the Mojave Desert, and to the east by the Rocky Mountains , the Rio Grande Rift valley, and the Llano Estacado . The Plateau is characterized by a series of plateaus and mesas, interspersed with canyons. The most dramatic example is the Grand Canyon . But that is one of many dramatic vistas included within
3402-429: Is by far the most prominent, constituting about three-fourths of the state; it includes most of the plains, foothills, and valleys above 4,500 feet, and is defined by prairie grasses, low piñon pines, and juniper shrubs. The Llano Estacado in the east features Shortgrass Prairie with blue grama , which sustain bison . The Chihuahuan Desert in the south is characterized by shrubby creosote . The Colorado Plateau in
3591-609: Is from the Mojave Desert in California in the west (117° west longitude) to Carlsbad, New Mexico , in the east (104° west longitude); another says that it extends from the Mexico–United States border in the south to the southern areas of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada in the north (39° north latitude). In another definition, the core Southwestern U.S. includes only the states of Arizona and New Mexico; others focus on
3780-718: Is marked by the Mescalero Ridge escarpment . The northwestern quadrant of New Mexico is dominated by the Colorado Plateau , characterized by unique volcanic formations, dry grasslands and shrublands, open pinyon-juniper woodland , and mountain forests. The Chihuahuan Desert , which is the largest in North America, extends through the south. Over four–fifths of New Mexico is higher than 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. The average elevation ranges from up to 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level in
3969-542: Is now New Mexico were claimed, but never controlled, by Texas. With the Compromise of 1850, the states of Texas and California were created (Texas as a slave state, and California as a free state), as well as the Utah Territory and New Mexico Territory . The New Mexico Territory consisted of most of Arizona and New Mexico (excluding a strip along their southern borders), a small section of southern Colorado, and
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#17327662053014158-447: Is sometimes translated to English as viceroy. In 1830, emperor Minh Mạng abolished the post in order to increase the imperial direct ruling power in all over Vietnam. During the Han , Ming and Qing dynasties, there existed positions of viceroys having control over various provinces (e.g., Liangguang = Guangdong and Guangxi , Huguang = Hubei and Hunan ). In Siam before 1885,
4347-704: Is the saguaro cactus , which is unique to the desert. It is bounded on the northwest by the Mojave Desert, to the north by the Colorado Plateau and to the east by the Arizona Mountains forests and the Chihuahuan Desert. Aside from the trademark saguaro, the desert has the most diverse plant life of any desert in the world, and includes many other species of cacti, including the organ-pipe, senita, prickly pear, barrel, fishhook, hedgehog, cholla, silver dollar, and jojoba. The portion of
4536-405: Is the smallest, driest and hottest desert within the United States. The Mojave gets less than 6 in (150 mm) of rain annually, and its elevation ranges from 3,000 to 6,000 feet (900 to 1,800 meters) above sea level. The most prolific vegetation is the tall Joshua tree , which grow as tall as 40 ft (12 m), and are thought to live almost 1000 years. Other major vegetation includes
4725-411: Is the state bird, is abundant in the southeast. Endangered species include the Mexican gray wolf , which is being gradually reintroduced in the world, and Rio Grande silvery minnow . Over 500 species of birds live or migrate through New Mexico, third only to California and Mexico. New Mexico and 12 other western states together account for 93% of all federally owned land in the U.S. Roughly one–third of
4914-716: The Albanian Kingdom (today Albania ). As viceré of Albania of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy were the Marchese Francesco Jacomoni di San Savino and after his departure General Alberto Pariani . Ban Borić was the first ruler and viceroy of Bosnia, appointed by Géza II of Hungary by 1154. His war affairs are documented as he fought several notable battles. He also maintained ties with knights Templar and donated lands in Bosnia and Slavonia to their order. His own biological brother Dominic
5103-713: The Ancestral Pueblo people , the Hohokam , and the Mogollon , all of which existed among other surrounding cultures including the Patayan . Maize began to be cultivated in the region sometime during the early first millennium BC, but it took several hundred years for the native cultures to be dependent on it as a food source. As their dependence on maize grew, Pre-Columbian Indians began developing irrigation systems around 600 CE . According to archeological finds,
5292-624: The Arizona Organic Act , which officially created the U.S. Territory of Arizona , splitting the New Mexico Territory at the 107th meridian. Utah, as shown above, evolved out of the Utah Territory, as pieces of the original territory created in 1850 were carved out: parts were ceded to Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado in 1861; another section to Nevada in 1862; and the final section to Nevada in 1866. In 1890,
5481-660: The Australian House of Representatives : "The Governor-General is the viceroy of the Queen of Australia". The Australia Act 1986 also provide that all royal powers in Australia, except the actual appointment of the governor-general and the governors, are exercisable by the viceregal representatives. The noun viceroy is rarely used, but the adjective viceregal is standard usage. Namestnik (Russian: наме́стник , Russian pronunciation: [nɐˈmʲesʲnʲɪk] )
5670-584: The Central Legislative Assembly , one of the first steps in the establishment of Indian home rule . This process was accelerated by the Government of India Act 1935 and ultimately led to the independence of India and Pakistan as dominions in 1947. Both countries finally severed complete ties with Britain when they became republics – India as a secular republic in 1950 and Pakistan as an Islamic republic in 1956. Alongside
5859-622: The Chamuscado and Rodríguez Expedition named the region north of the Rio Grande San Felipe del Nuevo México . The Spaniards had hoped to find wealthy indigenous cultures similar to the Mexica. The indigenous cultures of New Mexico, however, proved to be unrelated to the Mexica and lacking in riches, but the name persisted. Before statehood in 1912, the name "New Mexico" loosely applied to various configurations of territories in
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6048-655: The Commander-in-Chief, India , the viceroy was the public face of the British presence in India, attending to many ceremonial functions as well as political affairs. As the representative of the emperors and empress of India , who were also the kings and queens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , the viceroy served as the grand master of the two principal orders of chivalry of British India:
6237-557: The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base . About 70 miles (110 km) to the southeast are the research facilities at Fort Huachuca . These military installations form a kind of hinterland around the El Paso-Tucson region, and are served by scientific and residential communities such as Sierra Vista , Las Cruces , and Alamogordo . El Paso's influence extends north into the Mesilla Valley , and southeast along
6426-649: The Gadsden Purchase in 1853. In 1851, San Luis became the first European settlement in what is now Colorado. Of the states of which at least a portion make up the Southwest, Texas was the first to achieve statehood. On December 29, 1845, the Republic of Texas was annexed, bypassing the status of becoming a territory, and immediately became a state. Initially, its borders included parts of what would become several other states: almost half of New Mexico,
6615-529: The Latin prefix vice- , meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman roy ( Old French roi , roy ), meaning "king". This denotes the position as one who acts on behalf of a king or monarch. A viceroy's territory may be called a viceroyalty , though this term is not always applied. The adjective form is viceregal , less often viceroyal . The term vicereine is sometimes used to indicate
6804-423: The Mogollon and Ancestral Pueblo cultures, which are characterized by sophisticated pottery work and urban development; pueblos or their remnants, like those at Acoma , Taos , and Chaco Culture National Historical Park , indicate the scale of Ancestral Puebloan dwellings within the area. These cultures form part of the broader Oasisamerica region of pre-Columbian North America. The vast trade networks of
6993-622: The Narváez expedition (1528–36) who had crossed eastern Texas on their way to Mexico City, led an expedition to discover the Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola. The 1582–3 expedition of Antonio de Espejo explored New Mexico and eastern Arizona; and this led to Juan de Oñate 's establishment of the Spanish province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1598, with a capital founded near Ohkay Oweenge Pueblo , which he called San Juan de los Caballeros. Oñate's party also attempted to establish
7182-636: The National Landscape Conservation System are managed by the Bureau of Land Management . Units include but are not limited to: New Mexico's National Wildlife Refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . Units include: Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States , also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest , is a geographic and cultural region of
7371-791: The Order of the Star of India and the Order of the Indian Empire . During the office's history, the governors-general of India were based in two cities: Calcutta until 1911 and New Delhi afterwards. Additionally, whilst Calcutta was the capital of India, the viceroys spent the summer months at Simla . The two historic residences of the viceroys still stand: the Viceroy's House in New Delhi and Government House in Kolkata. They are used today as
7560-520: The Pecos , Canadian , San Juan , and Gila . Nearly bisecting New Mexico from north to south, the Rio Grande has played an influential role in the region's history; its fertile floodplain has supported human habitation since prehistoric times, and European settlers initially lived exclusively in its valleys and along its tributaries. The Pecos, which flows roughly parallel to the Rio Grande at its east,
7749-532: The Phoenix metropolitan area . The city of Phoenix is the largest urban center, and located in the approximate center of the area that includes Tempe , Mesa , and many others. Meinig calls the third subregion "El Paso, Tucson, and the Southern Borderlands." While El Paso and Tucson are distinctly different cities, they serve as anchor points to the hinterland between them. Tucson occupies
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7938-545: The Republic of Texas claimed the portion east of the Rio Grande , based on the erroneous assumption that the older Hispanic settlements of the upper Rio Grande were the same as the newly established Mexican settlements of Texas. The Texan Santa Fe Expedition was launched to seize the contested territory but failed with the capture and imprisonment of the entire army by the Hispanic New Mexico militia. During
8127-469: The Republic of Texas was admitted as a state in 1846, it attempted to claim the eastern portion of New Mexico east of the Rio Grande, while the California Republic and State of Deseret each claimed parts of western New Mexico. Under the Compromise of 1850 , these regions were forced by the U.S. government to drop their claims, Texas received $ 10 million in federal funds, California
8316-553: The San Luis Valley of southern Colorado to south of Socorro and including the Sandia-Manzano Mountains , with an east–west breadth in the north stretching from the upper Canadian River to the upper San Juan River . The area around Albuquerque is sometimes called Central New Mexico . "Central Arizona" is a vast metropolitan area spread across one contiguous sprawling oasis, essentially equivalent to
8505-748: The Sublime Porte rather than hereditary privilege. Pashas and beylerbeys were appointed to govern provinces called eyalets , until the promulgation of the Vilayet Law in 1867 ended the eyalet system, replacing it with more centrally-controlled vilayets . the beylerbey of the Rumelia Eyalet was the only provincial governor entitled to a seat in the Imperial Council , but only when a matter fell within his jurisdiction. The post of Tổng Trấn ( governor of all military provinces )
8694-455: The Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles , and southwestern Kansas ) was ceded to Spain under the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819. When the First Mexican Republic began to transition into the Centralist Republic of Mexico , they began to centralize power ignoring the sovereignty of Santa Fe and disregarding Pueblo land rights. This led to the Chimayó Rebellion in 1837, led by genízaro José Gonzales. The death of then governor Albino Pérez during
8883-425: The Union Army . The end of the war saw rapid economic development and settlement in New Mexico, which attracted homesteaders, ranchers, cowboys, businessmen, and outlaws; many of the folklore characters of the Western genre had their origins in New Mexico, most notably businesswoman Maria Gertrudis Barceló , outlaw Billy the Kid , and lawmen Pat Garrett and Elfego Baca . The influx of "Anglo Americans" from
9072-445: The intendant , which was appointed directly by the crown and had broad fiscal and administrative powers in political and military issues. See also: From 1505 to 1896 Portuguese India – including, until 1752, all Portuguese possessions in the Indian Ocean, from southern Africa to Southeast Asia and Australasia – was governed alternatively by either a viceroy (Portuguese vice-rei ) or governor and commission located in
9261-505: The northern and eastern regions exhibit a colder alpine climate , while the west and south are warmer and more arid . The Rio Grande and its fertile valley runs from north-to-south, creating a riparian climate through the center of the state that supports a bosque habitat and distinct Albuquerque Basin climate. One-third of New Mexico's land is federally owned, and the state hosts many protected wilderness areas and national monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites ,
9450-475: The secretary of state for India in London and were advised by the Council of India . They were largely unencumbered in the exercise of their authority and were among the most powerful men on earth in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, ruling over an entire subcontinent with a large military force at their disposal in the form of the Indian Army . Under the terms of the Government of India Act 1919 , viceroys shared some limited aspects of their authority with
9639-417: The "federation" of Italian East Africa (six provinces, each under a governor; together Ethiopia , Eritrea and Somaliland ) were no longer styled high commissioner , but viceroy and governor-general from 5 May 1936, when Italian forces occupied the Ethiopian Empire (today Ethiopia ), until 27 November 1941, when the last Italian administrator surrendered to the Allies. On 7 April 1939, Italy invaded
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#17327662053019828-410: The 16th century, only six had longer mandates. During some periods of the Iberian Union , between 1580 and 1640, the king of Spain , who was also king of Portugal , appointed viceroys to govern Portugal itself , as the king had multiple realms throughout Europe and delegated his powers to various viceroys. After the end of the Iberian Union in 1640, the governors of Brazil that were members of
10017-454: The 18th century, Croatian bans eventually become chief government officials in Croatia. They were at the head of Ban's Government, effectively the first prime ministers of Croatia. The last ban held his position until 1941 and the collapse of Yugoslavia in World War II. An equivalent office, called the Exarch , was created in the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire towards the end of the sixth century for governors of important areas too far from
10206-407: The 1930s and 1940s, many definitions of the Southwest included all or part of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Utah. As time has gone on, the definition of the Southwest has become more solidified and more compact. For example, in 1948 the National Geographic Society defined the American Southwest as all of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, and
10395-477: The American Southwest as parts of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. From this perspective, almost all of the region's physiographical traits, geological formations, and weather are contained within a box between 26° and 38° northern latitude, and 98° 30' and 124° western longitude. When looking at the fauna of the region, there is a broader definition of the American Southwest. The Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research defines
10584-404: The Ancestral Pueblo people, also known as the "Anasazi" (although that term is viewed by modern Pueblo people as derogatory and is becoming more and more disused), began settling in the area in approximately 1500 BC. Eventually, they would spread throughout the entire northern section of the Southwest. This culture would go through several different eras lasting from approximately 1500 BC through
10773-428: The Ancestral Puebloans led to legends throughout Mesoamerica and the Aztec Empire ( Mexico ) of an unseen northern empire that rivaled their own, which they called Yancuic Mexico , literally translated as "a new Mexico". Aztec legends of a prosperous empire to their north became the primary basis for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold , which spurred exploration by Spanish conquistadors following their conquest of
10962-441: The Ancestral Puebloans, while the Akimel O'odham and Tohono O'odham claim descent from Hohokam. The area previously occupied by the Mogollon was taken over by an unrelated tribe, the Apache . While it is unclear whether any of the modern Indian tribes are descended from the Mogollon, some archeologists and historians believe that they mixed with Ancestral Puebloans and became part of the modern Hopi and Zuni tribes. Prior to
11151-430: The Aztecs in the early 16th century; prominent explorers included Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca , Andrés Dorantes de Carranza , Alonso del Castillo Maldonado , Estevanico , and Marcos de Niza . The settlement of La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís — modern day Santa Fe – was established by Pedro de Peralta as a more permanent capital at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in 1610. Towards
11340-545: The Canyonlands section just to its north; the Navajo section is bordered to the south by the Grand Canyon section, which of course is dominated by the Grand Canyon; and the southeasternmost portion of the Plateau is the Datil section, consisting of valleys, mesas, and volcanic formations. Albuquerque is the most populous city often considered at the edge of this portion contained in the Southwest region, but Santa Fe, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona, are also significant population centers. Phoenix , Tucson, and Las Vegas dominate
11529-541: The City of Tucson was founded when the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson was created, relocating the presidio from Tubac. In 1776, two Franciscan priests, Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, led an expedition from Santa Fe heading to California. After passing through Colorado, they became the first Europeans to travel into what is now Utah. Their journey was halted by bad weather in October, and they turned back, heading south into Arizona before turning east back to Santa Fe. In 1804 Spain divided
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#173276620530111718-443: The Crown became known as the Viceroy. The designation Viceroy , although it was most frequently used in ordinary parlance, had no statutory authority, and was never employed by Parliament . Although the Proclamation of 1858 announcing the assumption of the government of India by the Crown referred to Lord Canning as "first viceroy and governor-general", none of the warrants appointing his successors referred to them as viceroys , and
11907-411: The Exploration of the Columbia River of the West and Its Tributaries , which was later republished as The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons . In 1877 silver was discovered in southeastern Arizona. The notorious mining town of Tombstone, Arizona was born to service the miners. The town would become immortalized as the scene of what is considered the greatest gunfight in the history of
12096-423: The Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino established several missions in the Santa Cruz River valley; and Kino further explored southern and central Arizona in 1694, during which he discovered the ruins of Casa Grande. Beginning in 1732, Spanish settlers began to enter the region, and the Spanish started bestowing land grants in Mexico and the Southwest US. In 1751, the O'odham rebelled against the Spanish incursions, but
12285-437: The LDS church issued the 1890 Manifesto , which officially banned polygamy for members of the church. It was the last roadblock for Utah entering the Union, and on January 4, 1896, Utah was officially granted statehood, becoming the 45th state. In 1869, John Wesley Powell led a 3-month expedition which explored the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. In 1875, he would publish a book describing his explorations, Report of
12474-427: The Manhattan Project. The focus on high technology is still a top priority of the state, to the extent that it became a center for unidentified flying objects , especially following the 1947 Roswell incident . New Mexico saw its population nearly double from roughly 532,000 in 1940 to over 954,000 by 1960. In addition to federal personnel and agencies, many residents and businesses moved to the state, particularly from
12663-484: The Mexican and American militaries. The United States Congress admitted New Mexico as the 47th state on January 6, 1912. It had been eligible for statehood 60 years earlier, but was delayed due to the perception that its majority Hispanic population was "alien" to U.S. culture and political values. When the U.S. entered the First World War roughly five years later, New Mexicans volunteered in significant numbers, in part to prove their loyalty as full-fledged citizens of
12852-462: The Mexican–American War (1846–48), Mexico ceded its northern territories to the U.S., including California, Texas, and New Mexico. The Americans were initially heavy-handed in their treatment of former Mexican citizens, triggering the Taos Revolt in 1847 by Hispanos and their Pueblo allies; the insurrection led to the death of territorial governor Charles Bent and the collapse of the civilian government established by Stephen W. Kearny . In response,
13041-601: The Mojave Desert. Bordered on the south by the Sonoran Desert and the east by the Colorado Plateau, its range within the region makes up the southeast tip of Nevada, the southwestern corner of Utah and the northwestern corner of Arizona. In terms of topography, the Mojave is very similar to the Great Basin Desert, which lies just to its north. Within the region, Las Vegas is the most populous city; other significant population centers include Laughlin and Pahrump in Nevada, St. George and Hurricane in Utah, and Lake Havasu City , Kingman , and Bullhead City in Arizona. The Mojave
13230-434: The Mojave and Colorado deserts in California. Other individuals who focus on Southwest studies who favored a more limited extent of the area to center on Arizona and New Mexico, with small parts of surrounding areas, include Erna Fergusson , Charles Lummis (who claimed to have coined the term, the Southwest), and cultural geographer Raymond Gastil , and ethnologist Miguel León-Portilla . Geographer D. W. Meinig defines
13419-429: The Native American (especially Apache , Pueblo , and Navajo ), Hispano , Mexican American , and frontier cowboy . The geography of the region is mainly made up of four features: the Mojave , Sonoran , and Chihuahuan Deserts , and the Colorado Plateau ; although there are other geographical features as well, such as a portion of the Great Basin Desert . The deserts dominate the southern and western reaches of
13608-538: The Old West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral . Copper was also discovered in 1877, near Bisbee and Jerome in Arizona, which became an important component of the economy of the Southwest. Production began in 1880 and was made more profitable by the expansion of the railroad throughout the territory during the 1880s. The early 1880s also saw the completion of the second transcontinental railroad, which ran through
13797-563: The Parry saltbush and the Mojave sage, both only found in the Mojave, as well as the creosote bush. The Colorado Plateau varies from the large stands of forests in the west, including the largest stand of ponderosa pine trees in the world, to the Mesas to the east. Although not called a desert, the Colorado Plateau is mostly made up of high desert. Within the Southwest U.S. region, the Colorado
13986-754: The Pecos, north of the [Mexican] Border, south of the Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon, and east of the mountains which wall off Southern California and make it a land in itself." Texas has long been the focal point of this dichotomy, and is often considered, as such, the core area of "the South's Southwest." While the Trans-Pecos area is generally acknowledged as part of the desert Southwest , most of Texas and large parts of Oklahoma are often placed into
14175-654: The Plateau, which includes spectacular lava formations, "painted" deserts, sand dunes, and badlands. One of the most distinctive features of the Plateau is its longevity, having come into existence at least 500 million years ago. The Plateau can be divided into six sections, three of which fall into the Southwest region. Beginning with the Navajo section forming the northern boundary of the Southwestern United States, which has shallower canyons than those in
14364-725: The Portuguese high nobility started to use the title of Viceroy. Brazil became a permanent Viceroyalty in 1763, when the capital of the State of Brazil ( Estado do Brasil ) was transferred from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro . Following adoption of the Government of India Act 1858 , which transferred control of India from the East India Company to the British Crown , the Governor-General as representing
14553-549: The Provincia de las Californias, creating the province Alta California , which consisted primarily of what would become California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. In 1821 Mexico achieved its independence from Spain and shortly after, in 1824, developed its constitution , which established the Alta California territory, which was the same geographic area as the earlier Spanish province. In 1825, Arizona
14742-451: The Rio Grande into the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. The fourth subregion Meinig calls the "Northern Corridor and Navajolands," a major highway and railway trunk which connects Albuquerque and Flagstaff . Just north of the transportation trunk are large blocks of American Indian land. As the US expanded westward , the country's western border also shifted westward, and consequently, so did
14931-593: The Río de la Plata in 1776 (capital, Buenos Aires ). The viceroyalties of the Spanish Americas and the Spanish East Indies were subdivided into smaller, autonomous units, the audiencias ( tribunal with the authority to judge), and the captaincies general (military districts), which in most cases became the bases for the independent countries of modern Hispanic America . These units gathered
15120-543: The Sonora Desert which lies in the Southwestern United States is the most populated area within the region. Six of the top ten major population centers of the region are found within its borders: Phoenix, Tucson , Mesa , Chandler , Glendale , and Scottsdale , all in Arizona. Also within its borders are Yuma and Prescott, Arizona . The most northwest portion of the American Southwest is covered by
15309-458: The Sonoran Desert to the west. The Chihuahuan Desert spreads across the southeastern portion of the region, covering from southeastern Arizona, across southern New Mexico, and the portion of western Texas included in the Southwest. While it is the second largest desert in the United States, only a third of the desert is within the United States, with the rest in Mexico. El Paso and Albuquerque are
15498-410: The Southwest as being only the states of Arizona, New Mexico, with parts of California, Nevada, Texas, and Utah; although they include all of those six states in their map of the region, solely for ease of defining the border. Lawrence Clark Powell, a major bibliographer whose emphasis is on the Southwest, defined the American Southwest in a 1958 Arizona Highways article as, "the lands lying west of
15687-601: The Southwest became embroiled in the Mexican–American War , partly as a result of the United States' annexation of Texas. On August 18, 1846, an American force captured Santa Fe, New Mexico. On December 16 of the same year, American forces captured Tucson, Arizona, marking the end of hostilities in the Southwest United States. When the war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848,
15876-509: The Southwest began to decline for unknown reasons, although severe drought and encroachment from other peoples have been postulated. By the end of the 15th century, all three cultures had disappeared. The modern Puebloan tribes of the Isleta , Sandia , Cochiti , Kewa , Santa Ana , Taos , Jemez , Acoma , Laguna , and Zia , as well as the Hopi and Zuni peoples , trace their ancestry back to
16065-600: The Southwest in a very similar fashion to Reed: the portion of New Mexico west of the Llano Estacado and the portion of Arizona east of the Mojave - Sonoran Desert and south of the "canyon lands" and also including the El Paso district of western Texas and the southernmost part of Colorado. Meinig breaks the Southwest down into four distinct subregions. He calls the first subregion " Northern New Mexico ," and describes it as focused on Albuquerque and Santa Fe . It extends from
16254-494: The Southwest. Around AD 1100 their culture began to develop in the Four Corners area of the region. The Navajos migrated from northwestern Canada and eastern Alaska , where the majority of Athabaskan speakers reside. The Ute were found over most of modern-day Utah and Colorado, as well as northern New Mexico and Arizona. The Paiutes roamed an area which covered over 45,000 square miles of southern Nevada and California, south-central Utah, and northern Arizona. The Hopi settled
16443-468: The U.S. annexed New Mexico as part of the larger New Mexico Territory . It played a central role in U.S. westward expansion and was admitted to the Union as the 47th state on January 6, 1912. New Mexico's history has contributed to its unique demographic and cultural character. It is one of only seven majority-minority states , with the nation's highest percentage of Hispanic and Latino Americans and
16632-485: The U.S. The state ranked fifth in the nation for military service, enlisting more than 17,000 recruits from all 33 counties; over 500 New Mexicans were killed in the war. Indigenous-Hispanic families had long been established since the Spanish and Mexican era, but most American settlers in the state had an uneasy relationship with the large Native American tribes. Most indigenous New Mexicans lived on reservations and near old placitas and villas . In 1924, Congress passed
16821-488: The U.S. acquired the mostly desert southwestern bootheel of the state, along with Arizona's land south of the Gila River, in the Gadsden Purchase , which was needed for the right-of-way to encourage construction of a transcontinental railroad . When the U.S. Civil War broke out in 1861, both Confederate and Union governments claimed ownership and territorial rights over New Mexico Territory. The Confederacy claimed
17010-528: The U.S. government appointed local Donaciano Vigil as governor to better represent New Mexico, and also vowed to accept the land rights of Nuevomexicans and grant them citizenship. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln symbolized the recognition of Native land rights with the Lincoln Canes, sceptres of office gifted to each of the Pueblos, a tradition dating back to Spanish and Mexican eras. After
17199-413: The United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico , along with adjacent portions of California , Colorado , Nevada , Oklahoma , Texas , and Utah . The largest cities by metropolitan area are Phoenix , Las Vegas , El Paso , Albuquerque , and Tucson . Before 1848, in the historical region of Santa Fe de Nuevo México as well as parts of Alta California and Coahuila y Tejas , settlement
17388-446: The United States gained control of all of present-day California, Nevada and Utah, as well as the majority of Arizona, and parts of New Mexico and Colorado (the rest of present-day Colorado, and most of New Mexico had been gained by the United States in their annexation of the Republic of Texas). The final portion of the Southwestern United States came about through the acquisition of the southernmost parts of Arizona and New Mexico through
17577-678: The ancestral Puebloans. The modern-day Zuni established a culture along the Zuni River in far-eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. Both major tribes of the O'odham tribe settled in the southern and central Arizona, in the lands once controlled by their ancestors, the Hohokam. The first European intrusion into the region came from the south. In 1539, a Jesuit Franciscan named Marcos de Niza led an expedition from Mexico City which passed through eastern Arizona. The following year Francisco Vázquez de Coronado , based on reports from survivors of
17766-632: The area, namely the Animas , San Andres , and Doña Ana Mountains in New Mexico; and the Franklin , Hueco , and Davis Mountains in Texas. It also reaches up into the foothills of the higher ranges such as the Black Range and Oscura Mountains in New Mexico. High above the desert, these forest-covered and sometimes snow-capped mountains form sky islands , with radically different flora and fauna than
17955-531: The area, while the plateau (which is largely made up of high desert) is the main feature north of the Mogollon Rim . The two major rivers of the region are the Colorado River , running in the northern and western areas, and the Rio Grande , running in the east, north to south. Formed approximately 8000 years ago, the Chihuahuan Desert is a relatively dry desert, although it is slightly wetter than
18144-489: The area. The Chihuahuan Desert is considered the "most biologically diverse desert in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most diverse in the world," and includes more species of cacti than any other desert in the world. The most prolific plants in this region are agave , yucca and creosote bushes , in addition to the ubiquitous presence of various cacti species. When people think of the desert southwest,
18333-506: The arrival of Europeans, the Southwestern United States was inhabited by a very large population of American Indian tribes. The area once occupied by the ancestral Puebloans became inhabited by several American Indian tribes, the most populous of which were the Navajo , Ute , Southern Paiute , and Hopi. The Navajo, along with the Hopi, were the earliest of the modern Indian tribes to develop in
18522-581: The average high temperature in July ranges from 99 °F (37 °C) at the lower elevations down to 78 °F (26 °C) at the higher elevations. In the colder months of November to March, many cities in New Mexico can have nighttime temperature lows in the teens above zero, or lower. The highest temperature recorded in New Mexico was 122 °F (50 °C) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Loving on June 27, 1994;
18711-514: The capital of Goa . The government started seven years after the discovery of sea route to India by Vasco da Gama , in 1505, under the first viceroy, Francisco de Almeida (b.1450–d.1510). Initially, King Manuel I of Portugal tried to distribute power with three governors in different areas of jurisdiction: a government covering the area and possessions in East Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf , overseeing up to Cambay (Gujarat);
18900-403: The classic "Old South" or Southeast , these features are strong enough to give it a separate southwestern identity quite different in nature from that of the interior southwestern states to the west. Viceroy A viceroy ( / ˈ v aɪ s r ɔɪ / ) is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from
19089-584: The command of Lt. Colonel John Robert Baylor forced the surrender of the small Union garrison stationed at Fort Fillmore , near Mesilla, New Mexico . On August 1, 1861, Baylor declared the creation of the Arizona Territory , and claimed it for the Confederacy, with Mesilla as its capital. The territory, which had been formed by the portion of the existing New Mexico Territory below the 34th parallel, became official on February 14, 1862. Nevada
19278-522: The comparatively large reservations in New Mexico and Arizona are partly a legacy of Spanish treaties recognizing indigenous land claims in Nuevo México. Nevertheless, relations between the various indigenous groups and Spanish settlers remained nebulous and complex, varying from trade and commerce to cultural assimilation and intermarriage to total warfare. During most of the 18th century, raids by Navajo , Apache , and especially Comanche inhibited
19467-499: The contemporary countries of South Africa and Nigeria as the customary representatives of their respective principals in the various areas that are under their immediate control. The viceroy in the Magadha Empire was called Uparaja (lit. vice king). The Mughal Empire had a system of administration which involved both official governors appointed from the capital, and local feudal lords ( zamindars ). Subahdars were
19656-632: The desert between Socorro and Alamogordo , which is today part of the White Sands Missile Range . As a legacy of the Second World War, New Mexico continues to receive large amounts of federal government spending on major military and research institutions. In addition to the White Sands Missile Range, the state hosts three U.S. Air Force bases that were established or expanded during the war. While
19845-481: The eastern U.S. (which include African Americans and recent European immigrants) reshaped the state's economy, culture, and politics. Into the late 19th century, the majority of New Mexicans remained ethnic mestizos of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry (primarily Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, Genízaro, and Comanche), many of whom had roots going back to Spanish settlement in the 16th century; this distinctly New Mexican ethnic group became known as Hispanos and developed
20034-529: The economic development and welfare of their peoples. The Albuquerque metropolitan area is home to several casinos as a result. In the 21st century, employment growth areas in New Mexico include electronic circuitry , scientific research , information technology, casinos , art of the American Southwest , food, film , and media, particularly in Albuquerque . The state was the founding location of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems , which led to
20223-529: The end of War of the Spanish Succession , the Spanish monarchy was shorn of its Italian possessions. These Italian territories, however, continued to have viceroys under their new rulers for some time; Naples until 1734, Sicily until 1816 and Sardinia until 1848. The Americas were incorporated into the Crown of Castile . With the Spanish colonization of the Americas , the institution of viceroys
20412-550: The end of the 17th century, the Pueblo Revolt drove out the Spanish and occupied these early cities for over a decade. After the death of Pueblo leader Popé , Diego de Vargas restored the area to Spanish rule, with Puebloans offered greater cultural and religious liberties. Returning settlers founded La Villa de Alburquerque in 1706 at Old Town Albuquerque as a trading center for existing surrounding communities such as Barelas , Isleta , Los Ranchos , and Sandia ; it
20601-535: The establishment of Alta Ski Area , Utah's skiing began to be developed. Due to the ski conditions in the state, during WWII, the 10th Mountain Division established Camp Hale in Colorado to train elite ski troops. While this article deals with the core definition for the American Southwest, there are many others. The various definitions can be broken down into four main categories: Historical/Archeological; Geological/Topographical; Ecological; and Cultural. In
20790-543: The field, powerful indigenous groups such as the Navajo , Mescalero Apache, Kiowa , and Comanche were brutally pacified through a scorched earth policy, and thereafter forced into barren and remote reservations. Sporadic conflicts continued into the late 1880s, most notably the guerilla campaigns led by Apache chiefs Victorio and his son-in-law Nana . The political and cultural clashes between these competing ethnic groups sometimes culminated in mob violence, including lynchings of Native, Hispanic, and Mexican peoples, as
20979-610: The fight for women's suffrage in the United States , New Mexico's Hispano and Mexican women at the forefront included Trinidad Cabeza de Baca, Dolores "Lola" Armijo, Mrs. James Chavez, Aurora Lucero, Anita "Mrs. Secundino" Romero, Arabella "Mrs. Cleofas" Romero and her daughter, Marie. A major oil discovery in 1928 near the town of Hobbs brought greater wealth to the state, especially in surrounding Lea County . The New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources called it "the most important single discovery of oil in New Mexico's history". Nevertheless, agriculture and cattle ranching remained
21168-509: The former, and can be seen as equivalents of viceroys, governing the provinces ( subahs ) by appointment from the capital. Mansabdars were military governors who were also appointed to provincial government, but they were appointed for military rather than civilian government. The Khedive of Egypt, especially during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha (1805–1848). This officer established an almost autonomous regime in Egypt, which officially still
21357-466: The founding of Microsoft in Albuquerque. Intel maintains their F11X in Rio Rancho , which also hosts an IT center for HP Inc. New Mexico's culinary scene became recognized and is now a source of revenue for the state. Albuquerque Studios has become a filming hub for Netflix , and it was brought international media production companies to the state like NBCUniversal . The COVID-19 pandemic
21546-559: The growth and prosperity of the New Mexico. The region's harsh environment and remoteness, surrounded by hostile Native Americans, fostered a greater degree of self-reliance, as well as pragmatic cooperation, between the Pueblo peoples and colonists. Many indigenous communities enjoyed a large measure of autonomy well into the late 19th century due to the improved governance. To encourage settlement in its vulnerable periphery, Spain awarded land grants to European settlers in Nuevo México; due to
21735-619: The heart of the Southwest, called the "Santa Fe Route." It ran from Chicago, down through Topeka, then further south to Albuquerque, before heading almost due west through northern Arizona to Los Angeles. The repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 led to the decline of the silver mining industry in the region. In 1901, the Santa Fe Railroad reached the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, opening
21924-459: The high military presence brought considerable investment, it has also been the center of controversy; on May 22, 1957, a B-36 accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb 4.5 miles from the control tower while landing at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque; only its conventional "trigger" detonated. The Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories , two of the nation's leading federal scientific research facilities , originated from
22113-470: The imperial capital of Constantinople to receive regular instruction or reinforcement. The chosen governors of these provinces were empowered to act in place of the monarch (hence ex- "outside", arch "ruler") with more discretion and autonomy than was granted other categories of governor. This was an extraordinary break from the centralized traditions of the Roman Empire and was an early example of
22302-685: The increasingly vast Spanish Empire in Europe, the Americas, and overseas elsewhere. In Europe, until the 18th century, the Habsburg crown appointed viceroys of Aragon , Valencia , Catalonia , Navarre , Portugal during the brief period known as the Iberian Union, Sardinia , Sicily , and Naples . With the ascension of the House of Bourbon to the Spanish throne, the historic Aragonese viceroyalties were replaced by new captaincies general . At
22491-553: The land within the old Spanish and Mexican borders of the Nuevo México Province or the later American New Mexico Territory . Distinct elements of the Western lifestyle thrive in the region, such as Western wear and Southwestern cuisines , including Native American , New Mexican , and Tex-Mex , or various genres of Western music like Indigenous , New Mexico , and Tejano music styles. Likewise with
22680-708: The lands of the central and western portions of northern Arizona. Their village of Oraibi , settled in approximately AD 1100, is, along with Acoma Sky City in New Mexico, one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements in the United States. The Mogollon area became occupied by the Apaches and the Zuni. The Apache migrated into the American Southwest from the northern areas of North America at some point between 1200 and 1500. They settled throughout New Mexico, eastern Arizona, northern Mexico, parts of western Texas, and southern Colorado. The Zuni count their direct ancestry through
22869-413: The landscape of the Sonoran Desert is what mostly comes to mind. The Sonoran Desert makes up the southwestern portion of the Southwest; most of the desert lies in Mexico, but its United States component lies on the southeastern border of California, and the western 2/3 of southern Arizona. Rainfall averages between 4 and 12 in (100 and 300 mm) per year, and the desert's most widely known inhabitant
23058-562: The last Viceroy of India, but continued on as the first governor-general of the Dominion of India . The lords lieutenant of Ireland were often referred to as viceroy after 1700 until 1922, even though the Kingdom of Ireland had been merged in 1801 into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . The term has occasionally been applied to the governors-general of the Commonwealth realms , for example Gough Whitlam in 1973 told
23247-407: The last of the 48 contiguous United States on February 14, 1912. The 1930s saw the beginning of the ski industry in the Southwest. Resorts were established in Colorado in areas such as Estes Park , Gunnison , and on Loveland Pass . New Mexico's oldest ski area is Sandia Peak Ski Area at the eastern edge of Albuquerque , which opened to skiers in 1936. At the end of the decade, in 1939, with
23436-473: The least. Higher altitudes receive around 40 inches (1,000 mm), while the lowest elevations see as little as 8 to 10 inches (200 to 250 millimetres). Annual temperatures can range from 65 °F (18 °C) in the southeast to below 40 °F (4 °C) in the northern mountains, with the average being the mid-50s °F (12 °C). During the summer, daytime temperatures can often exceed 100 °F (38 °C) at elevations below 5,000 feet (1,500 m);
23625-478: The local provinces which could be governed by either a crown official, a corregidor (sometimes alcalde mayor ) or by a cabildo or town council. Audiencias primarily functioned as superior judicial tribunals, but unlike their European counterparts, the New World audiencias were granted by law both administrative and legislative powers. Captaincies general were primarily military districts set up in areas with
23814-723: The location of the Southwestern and Northwestern United States . In the early years of the United States, newly colonized lands lying immediately west of the Appalachian Mountains were detached from North Carolina and given the name Southwest Territory . During the decades that followed, the region known as "the Southwestern United States" covered much of the Deep South east of the Mississippi River. However, as territories and eventual states to
24003-806: The lowest recorded temperature is −57 °F (−49 °C) at Ciniza (near Jamestown ) on January 13, 1963. New Mexico's stable climate and sparse population provides for clearer skies and less light pollution , making it a popular site for several major astronomical observatories , including the Apache Point Observatory , the Very Large Array , and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory , among others. Owing to its varied topography , New Mexico has six distinct vegetation zones that provide diverse sets of habitats for many plants and animals. The Upper Sonoran Zone
24192-676: The major US cities in this desert, with other smaller cities being Las Cruces and Roswell in New Mexico and Willcox in Arizona. The elevation in the Chihuahuan varies from about 1,750 to 6,000 feet (500 to 1,800 meters), as there are several larger mountain ranges, such as the Organ Mountains , the Guadalupe Mountains , and the Chiracahua Mountains , plus many smaller mountain ranges contained in
24381-657: The middle of the 15th century AD: the Basketmaker I , II , and III phases followed by the Pueblo I , II , III , and IV . As the Puebloans transitioned from a nomadic lifestyle to one based on both dry land and irrigated agriculture, their first domiciles were pithouses. The Mogollon culture developed later than the Puebloan, arising in the eastern area of the region at around 300 BC. Their range would eventually extend deep into what would become Mexico, and dominate
24570-612: The most of any U.S. state. New Mexico's economy is highly diversified, including cattle ranching , agriculture, lumber, scientific and technological research, tourism, and the arts; major sectors include mining, oil and gas, aerospace, media , and film. Its total gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was $ 95.73 billion, with a GDP per capita of roughly $ 46,300. State tax policy is characterized by low to moderate taxation of resident personal income by national standards, with tax credits, exemptions, and special considerations for military personnel and favorable industries. New Mexico has
24759-518: The northeast, often drawn by its warm climate and low taxes. The pattern continues into the 21st century, with New Mexico adding over 400,000 residents between 2000 and 2020. Native Americans from New Mexico fought for the United States in both world wars. Returning veterans were disappointed to find their civil rights limited by state discrimination. In Arizona and New Mexico, veterans challenged state laws or practices prohibiting them from voting. In 1948, after veteran Miguel Trujillo Sr. of Isleta Pueblo
24948-405: The northwest corner of New Mexico is high desert with cold winters, featuring sagebrush , shadescale , greasewood , and other plants adapted to the saline and seleniferous soil. The mountainous north hosts a wide array of vegetation types corresponding to elevation gradients, such as piñon-juniper woodlands near the base, through evergreen conifers , spruce - fir and aspen forests in
25137-545: The northwest, to less than 4,000 feet in the southeast. The highest point is Wheeler Peak at over 13,160 feet (4,010 meters) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, while the lowest is the Red Bluff Reservoir at around 2,840 feet (870 meters), in the southeastern corner of the state. In addition to the Rio Grande, which is tied for the fourth-longest river in the U.S. , New Mexico has four other major river systems:
25326-596: The official residences of the president of India and the governor of West Bengal , respectively. The portraits of the governors-general still hang in a room on the ground floor of the Presidential Palace, one of the last vestiges of both the viceroys and the British Raj. Notable governors-general of India include Warren Hastings , Lord Cornwallis , Lord Curzon , The Earl of Minto , Lord Chelmsford , and Lord Mountbatten . Lord Mountbatten served as
25515-427: The present-day country of Mexico won independence from Spain and adopted that name in 1821. The name "Mexico" derives from Nahuatl and originally referred to the heartland of the Mexica , the rulers of the Aztec Empire , in the Valley of Mexico . Following their conquest of the Aztecs in the early 16th century, the Spanish began exploring what is now the Southwestern United States calling it Nuevo México . In 1581,
25704-469: The primary economic activities. New Mexico was greatly transformed by the U.S. entry into the Second World War in December 1941. As in the First World War, patriotism ran high among New Mexicans, including among marginalized Hispanic and indigenous communities; on a per capita basis, New Mexico produced more volunteers, and suffered more casualties, than any other state. The war also spurred economic development, particularly in extractive industries, with
25893-399: The principle of viceroyalty. As with many princely and administrative titles, viceroy is often used, generally unofficially, to render somewhat equivalent titles and offices in non-western cultures. In cultures all over the continent of Africa, the role of viceroy has been subsumed into a hereditary noble as opposed to strictly administrative position. In the Arabo-Berber north, for example,
26082-421: The revolt was unsuccessful. In fact, it had the exact opposite effect, for the result of the rebellion was the establishment of the presidio at Tubac , the first permanent European settlement in Arizona. In 1768, the Spanish created the Provincia de las Californias , which included California and the Southwest US. Over approximately the next 50 years, the Spanish continued to explore the Southwest, and in 1776
26271-418: The revolt, was met with further hostility. Though José Gonzales was executed due to his involvement in the governor's death, subsequent governors Manuel Armijo and Juan Bautista Vigil y Alarid agreed with some of the underlying sentiment. This led to New Mexico becoming financially and politically tied to the U.S., and preferring trade along the Santa Fe Trail . Following the victory of the United States in
26460-435: The same general area, which evolved throughout the Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. periods , but typically encompassed most of present-day New Mexico along with sections of neighboring states. The first known inhabitants of New Mexico were members of the Clovis culture of Paleo-Indians . Footprints discovered in 2017 suggest that humans may have been present in the region as long ago as 21,000–23,000 BC. Later inhabitants include
26649-418: The scarcity of water throughout the region, the vast majority of colonists resided in the central valley of the Rio Grande and its tributaries. Most communities were walled enclaves consisting of adobe houses that opened onto a plaza, from which four streets ran outward to small, private agricultural plots and orchards; these were watered by acequias , community owned and operated irrigation canals. Just beyond
26838-412: The second-highest percentage of Native Americans, after Alaska . The state is home to one–third of the Navajo Nation , 19 federally recognized Pueblo communities , and three federally recognized Apache tribes. Its large Hispanic population includes Hispanos descended from settlers during the Spanish era , and later groups of Mexican Americans since the 19th century. The New Mexican flag , which
27027-402: The sought-after Southwestern architectural styles in the region inspired by blending Pueblo and Territorial styles, with Mediterranean Revival , Spanish Colonial architecture , Mission Revival architecture , Pueblo Deco , and Ranch-style houses in the form of the amalgamated Pueblo Revival and Territorial Revival architectures. This is due to the region's caballero heritage of
27216-400: The south the 37th parallel . In 1862 Nevada's eastern border shifted to the 38th meridian west from Washington , and finally to its current position at the 37th meridian west from Washington in 1866. The boundary modification in 1866 also included adding the southern triangular tip of the present-day state, taken from the Arizona Territory. From July 24–27, 1861 a Confederate force under
27405-473: The south. New Mexico's largest city is Albuquerque , and its state capital is Santa Fe , the oldest state capital in the U.S., founded in 1610 as the government seat of Nuevo México in New Spain . New Mexico is the fifth-largest of the fifty states by area, but with just over 2.1 million residents, ranks 36th in population and 45th in population density . Its climate and geography are highly varied, ranging from forested mountains to sparse deserts;
27594-402: The southeastern portion of the Southwest. Their settlements would evolve over time from pit-dwellings through pueblos and finally also incorporating cliff-dwellings. The Hohokam were the last of these ancestral cultures to develop, somewhere around AD 1, but they would grow to be the most populous of the three by AD 1300, despite being the smallest of the three in terms of area, covering most of
27783-483: The southern tract as its own Arizona Territory , and as part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the war, waged the ambitious New Mexico Campaign to control the American Southwest and open up access to Union California. Confederate power in the New Mexico Territory was effectively broken after the Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1862, though the Confederate territorial government continued to operate out of Texas. More than 8,000 soldiers from New Mexico Territory served in
27972-437: The southernmost sections of Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming, as well as parts of southwest Nebraska, western Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. By 1977, the Society's definition had narrowed to only the four states of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico; and by 1982 the portion of the Southwest in the United States, as defined by the Society, had shrunk to Arizona and New Mexico, with the southernmost strip of Utah and Colorado, as well as
28161-403: The southwest portion. Beginning in approximately AD 600, the Hohokam began to develop an extensive series of irrigation canals; of the three major cultures in the Southwest, only the Ancestral Puebloans of the Chaco culture and the Hohokam developed irrigation as a means of watering their agriculture. Not long after the Hohokam reached the height of their culture, all three major cultures in
28350-415: The state becoming a leading supplier of several strategic resources. New Mexico's rough terrain and geographic isolation made it an attractive location for several sensitive military and scientific installations; the most famous was Los Alamos , one of the central facilities of the Manhattan Project , where the first atomic bombs were designed and manufactured. The first bomb was tested at Trinity site in
28539-539: The state is known as the Bootheel . The 37°N parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in New Mexico's northwestern corner. Its surface water area is about 292 square miles (760 km). Despite its popular depiction as mostly arid desert, New Mexico has one of the most diverse landscapes of any U.S. state, ranging from wide, auburn-colored deserts and verdant grasslands , to broken mesas and high, snow-capped peaks. Close to
28728-424: The state is semi-arid to arid, with areas of continental and alpine climates at higher elevations. New Mexico's statewide average precipitation is 13.7 inches (350 mm) a year, with average monthly amounts peaking in the summer, particularly in the more rugged north-central area around Albuquerque and in the south. Generally, the eastern third of the state receives the most rainfall, while the western third receives
28917-417: The state of Oklahoma , and 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometres) west of 103°W longitude with Texas due to a 19th-century surveying error. On the southern border, Texas makes up the eastern two-thirds, while the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora make up the western third, with Chihuahua making up about 90% of that. The western border with Arizona runs along the 109° 03'W longitude. The southwestern corner of
29106-466: The state, or 24.7 million of 77.8 million acres, is held by the U.S. government, the tenth-highest percentage in the country. More than half this land is under the Bureau of Land Management as either public domain land or National Conservation Lands , while another third is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as national forests . New Mexico was central to the early–20th century conservation movement , with Gila Wilderness being designated
29295-408: The surrounding desert below. The sky islands also supply the surrounding desert foothills with flowing water during the spring runoff and after the summer storms of the New Mexican monsoon season . The Chihuahuan is a "rain shadow" desert, formed between two mountain ranges (the Sierra Madre Occidental on the west and the Sierra Madre Oriental on the east) which block oceanic precipitation from reaching
29484-442: The territorial government, whose officials were appointed by the U.S. federal government; subsequently, newer residents of New Mexico generally favored maintaining territorial status, which they saw as a check on Native and Hispano influence. A consequence of the civil war was intensifying conflict with indigenous peoples, which was part of the broader American Indian Wars along the frontier. The withdrawal of troops and material for
29673-423: The title of Khalifa is often used by individuals who derive their authority to rule from someone else in much the same way as a viceroy would. Elsewhere, subordinate inkosis under the rule of a paramount chief like the King of the Zulu Nation of Southern Africa or subordinate baales in the realms of the reigning obas of West African Yorubaland continue to occupy statutorily recognized positions in
29862-458: The title of Khedive which was almost an equivalent to viceroy. Other titles, such as Sharif (as in the Sharifate of Mecca ), or Khan (as in the Crimean Khanate or the Khanate of Kazan ), denoted hereditary rulers of Ottoman vassal states, under the Sultan's titles of Caliph and Great Khan , respectively. Titles such as pasha , beylerbey , bey , and agha denote officials who were, at least nominally, appointed to their positions by
30051-420: The title, which was frequently used in warrants dealing with precedence and in public notifications, was basically one of ceremony used in connection with the state and social functions of the sovereign's representative. The governor-general continued to be the sole representative of the Crown, and the government of India continued to be vested in the Governor-General-in-Council. The viceroys reported directly to
30240-855: The transitionary zone, and Krummholz , and alpine tundra at the very top. The Apachian zone tucked into the southwestern bootheel of the state has high-calcium soil, oak woodlands , Arizona cypress , and other plants that are not found in other parts of the state. The southern sections of the Rio Grande and Pecos valleys have 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometres) of New Mexico's best grazing land and irrigated farmland. New Mexico's varied climate and vegetation zones consequently support diverse wildlife. Black bears , bighorn sheep , bobcats , cougars , deer , and elk live in habitats above 7,000 feet, while coyotes , jackrabbits , kangaroo rats , javelina , porcupines , pronghorn antelope , western diamondbacks , and wild turkeys live in less mountainous and elevated regions. The iconic roadrunner , which
30429-418: The turn of the 19th century, the extreme northeastern part of New Mexico, north of the Canadian River and east of the spine of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, was still claimed by France, which sold it in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase . In 1812, the U.S. reclassified the land as part of the Missouri Territory . This region of New Mexico (along with territory comprising present-day southeastern Colorado,
30618-405: The very southern tip of Nevada; while the Utah Territory consisted of Utah, most of Nevada, and portions of Wyoming and Colorado. The New Mexico Territory was expanded along its southern extent, to its current border, with the signing of the Gadsden Purchase Treaty on December 30, 1853, which was ratified by the U.S. Congress, with some slight alterations, in April 1854. The Colorado Territory
30807-474: The very southernmost part of Utah, southwestern Colorado, the very tip of west Texas, and triangle formed by the southern tip of Nevada. This will be the defined scope that is used in this article unless otherwise specified in a particular area. Parts of the other states make up the various areas that can be included in the Southwest, depending on the source. The Learning Center of the American Southwest (LCAS) does not rely on current state boundaries, and defines
30996-596: The viceroy in Lima , (with the exception of most of today's Venezuela , which was overseen by the high court, or Audiencia of Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola for most of the colonial period). These large administrative territories became known as viceroyalties (Spanish term: virreinatos ). There were only two New World viceroyalties until the 18th century, when the new Bourbon dynasty established two additional viceroyalties to promote economic growth and new settlements on South America. New viceroyalties were created for New Granada in 1717 (capital, Bogotá ) and
31185-417: The wall was the ejido , communal land for grazing, firewood, or recreation. By 1800, the population of New Mexico had reached 25,000 (not including indigenous inhabitants), far exceeding the territories of California and Texas. As part of New Spain, the province of New Mexico became part of the First Mexican Empire in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence . Upon its secession from Mexico in 1836,
31374-638: The war effort had prompted raids by hostile tribes, and the federal government moved to subdue the many native communities that had been effectively autonomous throughout the colonial period. Following the elimination of the Confederate threat, Brigadier General James Carleton , who had assumed command of the Military Department of New Mexico in 1862, led what he described as a "merciless war against all hostile tribes" that aimed to "force them to their knees, and then confine them to reservations where they could be Christianized and instructed in agriculture." With famed frontiersman Kit Carson placed in charge of troops in
31563-448: The way for a tourism boom, a trend led by restaurant and hotel entrepreneur Fred Harvey . The last two territories within the Southwest to achieve statehood were New Mexico and Arizona. By 1863, with the splitting off of the Arizona Territory, New Mexico reached its modern borders. They became states within forty days of one another. On January 6, 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state in the Union. Arizona would shortly follow, becoming
31752-459: The west to Las Vegas, New Mexico in the East. Reed's definition is roughly equivalent to the western half of the Learning Center of the American Southwest's definition, leaving out any portion of Kansas and Oklahoma, and much of Texas, as well as the eastern half of New Mexico. Since this article is about the Southwestern United States, the areas of Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico will be excluded. The portion left includes Arizona and western New Mexico,
31941-429: The west were added after the Mexican–American War , the geographical "Southwest" expanded, and the relationship of these new acquisitions to the South itself became "increasingly unclear." However, archeologist, Erik Reed, gives a description which is the most widely accepted as defining the American Southwest, which runs from Durango, Colorado in the north, to Durango, Mexico, in the south, and from Las Vegas, Nevada in
32130-458: The westernmost metropolitan areas in the Southwest, while Albuquerque - Santa Fe and El Paso - Las Cruces dominate the easternmost metropolitan areas. Human history in the Southwest begins with the arrival of the Clovis culture , a Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherer culture which arrived sometime around 9000 BC. This culture remained in the area for several millennia. At some point they were replaced by three great Pre-Columbian Indian cultures:
32319-500: The world's first wilderness area in 1924. The state also hosts nine of the country's 84 national monuments , the most of any state after Arizona; these include the second oldest monument, El Morro , which was created in 1906, and the Gila Cliff Dwellings , proclaimed in 1907. New Mexico's national parks , together with national monuments and trails managed by the National Park Service , are listed as follows: New Mexico's national monuments, conservation areas, and other units of
32508-436: The world's great art centers. The presence of artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe attracted many others, including those along Canyon Road . In the late 20th century, Native Americans were authorized by federal law to establish gaming casinos on their reservations under certain conditions, in states which had authorized such gaming. Such facilities have helped tribes close to population centers generate revenues for reinvestment in
32697-419: Was a peripheral part of the viceroyalty of New Spain dominated by Comancheria . Following Mexican independence in 1821, it became an autonomous region of Mexico, albeit increasingly threatened by the centralizing policies of the Mexican government, culminating in the Revolt of 1837 ; at the same time, the region became more economically dependent on the U.S. Following the Mexican–American War in 1848,
32886-443: Was a political post in the early period of the Vietnamese Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1830). From 1802, under the reign of emperor Gia Long , there were two Tổng Trấn who administered Vietnam's northern part named Bắc thành with administrative center in Hanoi and the southern part Gia Định thành with administrative center in Gia Định , while Nguyen emperors ruled only the central region Kinh Kỳ from capital Phú Xuân . Tổng Trấn
33075-459: Was a popular route for explorers, as was the Canadian River, which rises in the mountainous north and flows east across the arid plains. The San Juan and Gila lie west of the Continental Divide , in the northwest and southwest, respectively. With the exception of the Gila, all major rivers are dammed in New Mexico and provide a major water source for irrigation and flood control. New Mexico has long been known for its dry, temperate climate. Overall
33264-405: Was adapted to govern the highly populated and wealthy regions of the north overseas: New Spain (Mexico and Philippines) and the south overseas: Peru and South America. The viceroys of these two areas had oversight over the other provinces, with most of the North American, Central American, Caribbean and East Indian areas supervised by the viceroy in Mexico City and the South American ones by
33453-423: Was admitted to the Union on October 31, 1864, becoming the 36th state. This was followed by the admittance to the Union of Colorado, which became the 38th state on August 1, 1876. Confederate Arizona was short-lived, however. By May 1862, Confederate forces had been driven out of the region by union troops. That same month a bill was introduced into the U.S. Congress, and on February 24, 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed
33642-411: Was almost non-existent outside of Nuevo México's Pueblos and Spanish or Mexican municipalities . Much of the area had been a part of New Spain and Mexico until the United States acquired the area through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 and the smaller Gadsden Purchase in 1854. While the region's boundaries are not officially defined, there have been attempts to do so. One such definition
33831-432: Was an official position in the history of the Russian Empire . It can be translated as "viceroy", "deputy", "lieutenant" (in the broadest sense of the word) or in place appointee . The term has two periods of usage, with different meanings. The Tsar Paul I 's 1799 formation of the Russian-American Company obviated viceroys in the colonization of the northwestern New World . New France , in present Canada, had
34020-427: Was attempted at the Frisco shootout in 1884. Nevertheless, prominent figures from across these communities, and from both the Democratic and Republican parties , attempted to fight this prejudice and forge a more cohesive, multiethnic New Mexican identity; they include lawmen Baca and Garrett , and governors Curry , Hagerman , and Otero . Indeed, some territorial governors, like Lew Wallace , had served in both
34209-496: Was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of New Mexico on March 11, 2020. On December 23, 2020, the New Mexico Department of Health reported 1,174 new COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths, bringing the cumulative statewide totals to 133,242 cases and 2,243 deaths since the start of the pandemic. With a total area of 121,590 square miles (314,900 km), New Mexico is the fifth-largest state , after Alaska, Texas, California, and Montana. Its eastern border lies along 103°W longitude with
34398-412: Was granted statehood, and officially establishing the Utah Territory ; therein recognizing most of New Mexico's historically established land claims. Pursuant to the compromise, Congress established the New Mexico Territory in September of that year; it included most of present-day Arizona and New Mexico, along with the Las Vegas Valley and what would later become Clark County in Nevada . In 1853
34587-425: Was home to Ancestral Puebloans , the Mogollon culture, and ancestral Ute . Navajos and Apaches arrived in the late 15th century and the Comanches in the early 18th century. The Pueblo peoples occupied several dozen villages, primarily in the Rio Grande valley of northern New Mexico. Spanish explorers and settlers arrived in the 16th century from present-day Mexico. Isolated by its rugged terrain, New Mexico
34776-424: Was named for the viceroy of New Spain, Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque . Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés established the villa in Tiguex to provide free trade access and facilitate cultural exchange in the region. Beyond forging better relations with the Pueblos, governors were forbearing in their approach to the indigenous peoples, such as was with governor Tomás Vélez Cachupín ;
34965-450: Was on record as a Knight Templar . Due to his vast powers over Bosnian politics and essential veto powers, the modern-day position of the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina has been compared to that of a viceroy. From the earliest medieval period in the Kingdom of Croatia , the position of viceroy was held by Ban of Croatia who acted as king's representative in Croatian lands and supreme commander of Croatian army. In
35154-433: Was organized on February 28, 1861, created out of lands then currently in the Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico territories. The Nevada Territory was also organized in 1861, on March 2, with land taken from the existing Utah Territory. Initially, only the western 2/3 of what is currently the State of Nevada was included in the territory, with its boundary to the east being the 39th meridian west from Washington , and to
35343-412: Was told by the county registrar that he could not register to vote, he filed suit against the county in federal district court. A three-judge panel overturned as unconstitutional New Mexico's provisions that Native Americans who did not pay taxes (and could not document if they had paid taxes) could not vote. In the early to mid-20th century, the art presence in Santa Fe grew, and it became known as one of
35532-401: Was under Ottoman rule. Although Mehemet Ali/Muhammad Ali used different symbols to mark his independence from the Sublime Porte , he never openly declared himself independent. Adopting the title of viceroy was yet another way to walk the thin line between challenging the Sultan's power explicitly and respecting his jurisdiction. Muhammad Ali Pasha's grandson, Ismail Pasha , subsequently received
35721-434: Was visited by its first non-Spanish Europeans, English trappers. In 1836, the Republic of Texas , which contained the easternmost of the Southwest United States, won its independence from Mexico. In 1845 the Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States and immediately became a state, bypassing the usual territory phase. The new state still contained portions of what would eventually become parts of other states. In 1846,
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