New Mexico is a state in the southwestern United States that has many historical and cultural attractions. This is a multinational region with its own specifics. The capital of New Mexico is the city of Santa Fe, in addition to which there are other large settlements, for example, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, etc. What should a tourist in New Mexico do, what to see and try? Read about it later.
History reference
In the XVII century, the area became interested in the Spaniards, who sought to America, looking for gold and profit. Since that time, the history of New Mexico (or New Mexico, as it is commonly called here) has been colonial wars, which brought him bloody enmity between the United States and Mexico. In the United States, this territory was included only at the beginning of the 20th century, and in the 1940s of the last century, scientific and military research was carried out here (including the testing of a nuclear bomb).
What to do in New Mexico?
Among the historical attractions associated with the culture of the Indians, there is a monument called Taos Pueblo, where people from the Pueblo people live in buildings of a thousand years ago. The state also has Aztec ruins, dwellings in the rocks of the Gila Valley and many others. other
New Mexico is actively developing contemporary art. Santa Fe is a center for creative life, as is New York, Mexico City, etc. Here, artists, musicians and writers draw inspiration from the culture of the Indians, as well as from the Spanish heritage, which is preserved through the activities of various centers. For example, the famous flamenco dance is popularized not only in Spain, but also in New Mexico.
Santa Fe has many architectural monuments, such as colonial-style buildings. Tourists especially like to visit Plaza Square with the Governors Palace at the beginning of the 17th century, the chapel of Capilla de Nuestra Secora, which houses the famous statue of Our Lady and others. In New Mexico, history and beautiful places of worship will love the old cathedrals and monasteries reminiscent of Spanish architecture from the Middle Ages.
State Natural Monuments
The northern part of the state is famous for the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, whose name is translated from Spanish as “the blood of Christ” (this is due to the fact that the local rock formation has a special red color).
Southeastern New Mexico is popular with tourists due to the mountains of Guadalupe, which houses one of America's most famous national parks. We are talking about Carlsbad caves, the formation of which began as early as half a million years ago.
In addition, tourists in this region like the White Sands nature reserve on the Tularos Plain. The imagination of visitors is really struck by the lunar landscapes of absolutely white sand, next to which there is a zone of black lava of volcanic origin. Such a landscape is truly hard to forget. Just imagine: sand dunes, whose height is about twenty meters, move due to the wind and form delightful natural ornaments. It's worth a visit to New Mexico for this!
Gastronomy
The best-known local food, which begins on state farms, is chili. It is really difficult to do without this pepper in the preparation of these dishes. Chile even has its world capital in the face of one of the towns in southern New Mexico - in the city of Hatch.
Each year, the Labor Day is celebrated in the United States of America in early September. A chili pepper festival is taking place in Hatch these days, where guests cook and sample spicy local dishes using this product.