User:Smile Lee/Culture of New Mexico

The culture of New Mexico is a culture within a moderately isolated region, that has been shaped by multiple peoples and groups throughout its history. Each bringing with it its peoples and customs which, over time, blended into the current New Mexican culture. Its people were its' natives Native Americans, Nuevomexicanos, and people of the American frontier; and the several larger groups were the Native American settlements (Clovis, Pueblo, and Athabaskans-Apachean peoples of the Navajo and Apache), the Spanish colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, a Mexican territory, and an American territory and State. The state's stable, yet diverse, culture stems its from its position as a trade-route alongside the descendants of longtime natives. This melting pot of Native American, Hispanic, Latino, American, and European culture, blends with other communities of African American, Asian, Middle Eastern peoples; which created the modern New Mexico culture.

Various parts of New Mexico's culture are emphasized in different parts of the state, such as extraterrestrial imagery in Roswell and science/technology around Los Alamos; but those aspects are reflected throughout the state. Politically, northern New Mexico is predominantly Democratic and the southern part of the state is Republican; but, much like the aspects of culture, aspects of both political ideologies are reflected across the state. However, issues in the state are much less divided along partisan lines, and much more divided between rural and city lifestyles; in fact both the city and rural parts of the state are known to swing between the two major American political parties.

New Mexican culture is not isolated to only New Mexico, aspects of New Mexican culture can be seen throughout the American Southwest, the American West, and the Mexican states of Coahuila and Chihuahua.

History
The history of culture and society in what is now New Mexico dates back to the Clovis culture, Folsom tradition, Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin, including the Mogollon culture, from 11,000 BC - 1 BCE. During the years 0 to 1000 AD, the main cultures were the Ancient Pueblo peoples, and the Anasazi and Modified Basketmaker cultures up until the 500 AD. From that point on, the Pueblo cultures took the majority hold from the developmental period through to the Great Pueblo era.

In the first half of the first millennium, the Pueblo II Era continued through the Rio Grande Classic Period from 1325 AD onward. The Athabaskan people that form the modern Navajo and Apache became very prevalent during the time of the Great Pueblo era, and they comprised of many groups, such as the Jicarilla Apache and Mescalero Apache. Each of these distinct nomadic groups of Athabaskan peoples had different alignments and feelings towards the Europeans. The first major European group, the Spanish Empire, became moderate allies with the Pueblo and some Athabaskan tribes. They all had a common enemies with unfriendly Athabaskan tribes. This already complicated relationship was further complicated by Spanish intervention by the greater Spanish Empire, often Spanish colonists had a hard time explaining their relationship with the natives.

""The houses are made of mud, two stories high. The people seem good, more given to farming than to war. They have provisions of maize, beans, melons and fowl in great abundance. They dress in cotton, (buffalo) skins, and coats made with the feathers...""

""They make tortillas and corn flour gruel (atole), have buffalo meat and turkeys – they have large numbers of the latter." Every family had a pen with at least 100 turkeys in it. The people wore cotton blankets and tended large fields of cotton. They kept many small, shaggy dogs, which they kept in underground pens."

Whether or not the Spanish colonists liked it, continuing pressure from the rest of New Spain and Spanish Empire eventually brought the subjugation of the Pueblo and the Athabaskan peoples. Whereas the Spanish colonists had been forming friendships and even romantic relationships with the natives, while trading ideas, customs, and cutures; the Spanish Empire heavily enforced their laws, including a forced labor system and the banning of non-Catholic religious ceremonies. Several of the Pueblos came together under the uniting leader Popé, who eventually led to the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. The revolt was the only successful revolt by a Native American group against European conquest. Some 400 Spanish were killed, while nearly 2,000 fled to El Paso, Texas. Under the rule of Popé, the Pueblos became self-governing, like they had been before Spanish colonization. However, most resisted returning to a pre-Spanish lifestyle, in response Popé prohibited the Spanish language and Christianity; in response, the Pueblo who were unkind to any form of despotic rule, eventually deposed of him as a ruler.

The after effects of the Revolt were very influential on New Mexican culture. In 1692, the Spanish returned to reestablish the Santa Fe de Nuevo México. However, relations between Spanish, Pueblos, and other allied Athabaskan peoples, was far different. The dreaded encomienda system, forced labor, was prohibited in New Mexico, Franciscan priests were not to interfere with Pueblo or Athabaskan religious practices since they were non-violent in nature, and their soldiers and warriors became allies in the fight against their common enemies, unfriendly Athabaskans, Utes, and a new threat, the Comanche. This is why New Mexico became a blend of Spanish and Pueblo culture, with some Athabaskan symbolism, and laws prohibiting slavery and encouraging religious freedoms.

Architecture
The most influential architecture styles of New Mexico have their roots in the building styles of the Pueblos and the Spanish missions in New Mexico. These two architectural styles were the main inspiration of the modern Pueblo Revival architecture, which was used prominently throughout the University of New Mexico's main campus in Albuquerque. The Territorial architecture of the New Mexico Territory was the heavy inspiration for the modern Territorial Revival architecture, which mixed the Pueblo architecture with the Spanish Folk Territorial Style architecture of Northern New Mexico, this building style has been used on buildings like the Bataan Memorial Building in Santa Fe. Isaac Rapp is a name often associated with the Territorial Revival architecture, while John Gaw Meem and Mary Colter are often associated with the Pueblo Revival architecture.

Since these two Revival architectural styles are popular throughout the state, they have been blended into a variety of settings. In downtown Albuquerque the Pueblo Deco architecture is prominently featured, the KiMo Theater is an example, which is a fusion of Art Deco and Pueblo Revival architecture. Another example of the Revival architectural styles blending with various settings is at the Sasebo Japanese Garden at the Albuquerque Rio Grande Botanic Garden and the Ten Thousand Waves spa and bathhouse in Santa Fe, these two locations feature Japanese architecture incorporated into the New Mexican Revival architectural styles. Though most of the architecture in New Mexico borrows from Pueblo Deco‎, Pueblo Revival, Territorial Revival architectural styles, there have been buildings drawing inspiration for other styles, including; Colonial Revival‎, Georgian Revival, Gothic Revival, Mission Revival, Modernist, Moorish Revival, ‎Neoclassical, Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, Spanish Colonial, Spanish Revival, Streamline Moderne, Victorian, and various projects by the Works Progress Administration.

New Mexico is also home to two newer architectural techniques, the first being Earthships by Michael Reynolds and the other being Ra Paulette's cave sculptures which were featured in the documentary Cavedigger. An Earthship is an "off-the-grid ready" home, with minimal impact on the environment due to built-in gardens and less reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. While Ra Paulette's cave sculptures are ornate pseudo-buildings, hand-carved into decorated sandstone caves.

Specific architectural points of interest are the Sandia Peak Tramway, Ghost Ranch, the buildings around Old Town Albuquerque and Santa Fe Plaza, and various buildings along Route 66.

Symbols
The state symbols of New Mexico include the symbols seen on the state flag and seal, the Zia sun symbol as displayed on the state flag and the Mexican eagle under the wing of the American eagle. New Mexican cuisine has been a source of several symbols like, red and/or green chile peppers, Bizcochitos, and piñon pine. Across the state several historical events have become symbols, including representations of the Atom of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Manhattan Project, extraterrestial imagery referencing the Roswell UFO incident, iconography of U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico, and the Wild West.

Colors are used symbolically, the most obvious colors are the yellow and red seen on the state's flag, other obvious colors are the dark reds and greens representing New Mexico chile. Some other colors commonly used are the sand colors of the desert, the purples and blues of New Mexico's mountains and the pink of the Sandia Mountains in the evening, the silver and turquoise of Native American jewelry, black and neon colors to represent U.S. Route 66, also the stark black of the pueblo's geometric designs with natural colors, natural paints similar to sun-bleached colors, the green colors of Rio Grande Bosque which turn to orange and brown in autumn and winter, and lastly white and blue for New Mexico's wide-open sky which turn to yellows, oranges, reds, and purples in the evening.

Symbols of the cities and towns
Though there are symbols specific to various regions and towns in New Mexico, the symbols are often used in representative fashion for, and throughout, the state.

Symbols of Santa Fe
There are several symbolic representations of the city of Santa Fe.
 * Natural landmarks are often used to represent the city, including; the view of the Santa Fe Mountains, the Santa Fe National Forest, and the Pecos Wilderness.
 * Architectural and man-made landmarks throughout the city, including; the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Palace of the Governors, and buildings throughout Santa Fe Plaza, as well as the numerous public displays of various artworks.

Symbols of Albuquerque
There are several symbolic representations of the city of Albuquerque.
 * The phrase "1706", referencing the founding date of the city.
 * The city has nicknames like "Duke City", ABQ, The Q, Burque. Likewise, the people of Albuquerque have taken on several demonyms, "Albuquerquean", "Burqueño", and "Albakirk".
 * Sports mascots represent the city, including the Lobo from UNM, the Duke from the Dukes, and Orbit from the Isotopes.
 * Natural landmarks are often used to represent the city, including; the Sandia Mountains, the Rio Grande Bosque, and the inactive volcanoes in West Mesa.
 * Architectural and man-made landmarks throughout the city, including; the Petroglyph National Monument, the Albuquerque Biological Park, and buildings throughout Old Town Albuquerque and Downtown Albuquerque.

Symbols of Roswell
There are several symbolic representations of the city of Roswell.
 * Rocketry and Spaceflight, inspired by Robert Goddard's early experiments in the town.
 * Extraterrestial, and Ufology related imagery, inspired by the Roswell UFO incident.

Symbols of Las Cruces
There are several symbolic representations of the city of Las Cruces.

Art


New Mexico is, and has been, home to several artists, including those in the Taos art colony.

The arts in Albuquerque
Some of the local museums, galleries, shops and other points of interest include the several arts and history museums around Old Town Albuquerque. Since 1961, the New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair, a non-profit show, exclusively for New Mexico artists and held annually in Albuquerque.

The arts in Santa Fe
The city and county have a high concentration of artists. Most of the early artists traveled to the area to capture the natural beauty of the landscape, the flora and the fauna. One of the most well-known of these New Mexico–based artists was Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived for a time in Santa Fe, but primarily in Abiquiu, a small village about 50 mi (80 km) away. O'Keeffe's friend, western nature photographer Eliot Porter, died in Santa Fe. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and the New Mexico Museum of Art own several of her works.

Art galleries


Canyon Road, east of Santa Fe Plaza, has the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, and is a major destination for international collectors, tourists and locals. The Canyon Road galleries showcase a wide array of contemporary, Southwestern, indigenous American, and experimental art, in addition to Russian, Taos Masters, and Native American pieces. Old Town Albuquerque is home to several arts museums and galleries, including the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.

Cartoons and Comics
The Chuck Jones Studio Gallery Santa Fe showcases the artworks of Chuck Jones, and several other cartoonists. There are original animation cels from Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies, Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, the Peanuts' specials, and several others.

The city of Albuquerque has more comic shops, per capita, then any other city in the United States.

Cartoonist Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, grew up in Albuquerque, and attended St. Pius.

Cuisine
Similarly to the Cuisine of the Southern United States, the cuisine of New Mexico is a defining feature. Several ingredients and dishes are ubiquitous throughout the state, such as bizcochitos, chiles rellenos, Navajo taco, and piñon (pine nuts). Even the "state question" makes reference to it, "red or green?" The question refers to the New Mexico chile pepper.

Restaurants
Much like the cuisine of New Mexico being ubiquitous, the restaurant scenes in New Mexico are just as culturally significant.

Albuquerque restaurants
Casa de Ruiz, one of the oldest buildings in Albuquerque, built in the early 1700s, is now home to Church Street Cafe. El Modelo Tortilla Factory, founded in 1929, is one the longest running institutions in the city continues to run as a restaurant known simply as El Modelo. The 1950s gave rise to several classic Albuquerque and New Mexican fast food institutions, Mac's Steak in the Rough, Mac's La Sierra, Blake's Lotaburger. The 50s also saw the creation of a casual dining icon, Sadie's. 1970s saw the boom in the casual dining restaurants, Frontier Restaurant, Garcia's, Little Anita's. The 80s saw the diversification of New Mexican restaurants, serving other foods outside of the then typical, of the area, Route 66 American and New Mexican cuisine restaurants, Flying Star, Japanese Kitchen, Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, and The Candy Lady. Since the 90s, Albuquerque's restaurant scene has continue diversify, with restaurants like Il Vicino, Chillz Frozen Custard, and Boba Tea Company, while at the same time focusing on its local cuisine with Weck's, Twisters, and Tim's Place.

Silver City Restaurants
Silver City's is home to a growing fine-dining industry, with Diane's Bakery & Deli and its accompanying restaurant, Tre Rosat Cafe's New American cuisine, and The Curious Kumquat's fine-dining take on New Mexican cuisine.

Wine
Il Vicino and chile wine.

Dance
Ballet Repertory Theater of New Mexico and tribal dances.

Literature
Jimmy Santiago Baca and George R. R. Martin.

Language
New Mexican English and New Mexican Spanish.

Martial arts
Johnny Tapia and Jackson's.

Museums
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and SITE Santa Fe.

Music
Before European contact within the region of New Mexico, there were several musical instruments and types performed by the early Native American musicians. Of those early instruments used was the Anasazi flute by the Ancient Pueblo peoples, and the multitude of styles came from the Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache. Their folk musics can still be heard, and has continued to be played in their original forms, also as modern Native American and Folk music.

After the Spanish arrived they brought their liturgical music, Spanish guitar, and they were also among the first to bring the violin to North America. Within Santa Fe de Nuevo México, the Europeans brought the traditions of polka and other European folk music. Once New Mexico became a Mexican Territory they brought their evolving musical traditions, Mariachi, Ranchera, and Mexican Son music, Corrido, Duranguense, and even the more modern Banda music. The old Spanish, European, and Mexican musics continue to be played as the were originally composed, as well as in the continually evolving forms.

Once New Mexico became an American Territory and State, the music genres of Country music and Cajun music blended with the Mexican and Native American music styles forming the Western style of music. After statehood, American popular music became prevalent, Clovis' Norman Petty recording studio was used by Rock musicians Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, The Fireballs, and the Sanchez brothers, Al Hurricane, Tiny Morrie, and Baby Gaby.

New Mexico music
A unique folk music, referred to as New Mexico music, combined the multiple distinct musical traditions of New Mexico; Native American, Hispanic, European, Mexican, and American musical styles, into a single genre. I has become a popular music within the state, that multiple individuals have contributed to, including; Al Hurricane (The Godfather" of New Mexico music), Antonia Apodaca, Roberto Griego, and Tobias Rene.

Stand-up comedy
Mike Long and Curt Fletcher.

Theatre
The Kimo and the the Theatre Guild.

Web
"Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog" and the sites listed on "New Mexico Net".

In popular culture
New Mexicans are often depicted as two separate tough-and-rugged archetypes, leaning towards being either intellectually or spiritually inclined. Example fictional characters that exemplify the first archetype are Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Walter White/Heisenberg. The second archetype is exemplified in Firebird and Spirit.

Animation

 * The 1945 cartoon Herr Meets Hare was the first time that Bugs Bunny makes reference that he "should have made a left turn at Albuquerque".
 * In the first episode of Dan Vs. the main character, Dan, sets out to "hurt New Mexico", in the episode he takes a U.F.O. and destroys Santa Fe. Despite the fact that the city in the show looks nothing like real-world Santa Fe.

Music

 * Clovis, New Mexico by Hank Williams, Jr.
 * Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque by The Partridge Family
 * The Lights of Albuquerque by Jim Glaser

Film

 * The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly was set in New Mexico during the American Civil War, but was filmed in Italy.

Television

 * The High School Musical trilogy was set in Albuquerque, but was recorded in East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * Breaking Bad was primarily recorded and set in Albuquerque.

Video Games

 * Mickey's Speedway USA had a level based on New Mexico, it featured the forests, mountains, and deserts, of the New Mexico high desert.
 * Atari video game burial, of the E.T. video game occurred in Alamogordo, New Mexico.