Interesting Facts About New Mexico

Oldest Community in the United States

Before the colonization of land by the Spaniards in the late 1590s, the area of ​​what is now New Mexico was populated by several indigenous peoples, primarily the Navajo, Apache, and Pueblo. It is difficult to determine when the land was settled by Native Americans, but the state is home to some of the oldest identifiable settlements in North America. In fact, the Taos Pueblo settlement is thought to be the longest inhabited settlement in the United States, with some estimates placing the community as old as 1,000 years. Today, the place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its pre-Columbian authenticity, and "successfully [maintained] most of its traditional forms to this day."

first atomic bomb

New Mexico is also home to one of the most important events in human history, as the first atomic bomb was set off at White Sands Missile Range on July 16, 1945. Los Alamos was chosen as the secret base for the development. The subsequent lifelong love of the New Mexico countryside caused by nuclear weapons by General Leslie Groves and Manhattan Project Director Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and their desire for isolation in an attempt to create a "bubble of privacy" in which they could develop into mass destruction The first weapon Today, Los Alamos Laboratories continues to conduct research into nuclear energy as well as space travel and supercomputers.

artist haven

The natural beauty of New Mexico has long made it a haven for artists of all kinds. During the 1870s, an era known as the "culture rush" flourished in the state, as Europeans became enamored of the unique original art styles of the Southwest. Santa Fe in particular developed as a place of cultural and artistic exchange and welcomed artists from the sculptor Ra Paulett, to the provocative and beautiful works of the painter Georgia O'Keefe, which were best known to her. Known from, hand carved caves in majestic meditation places. Westeros creator, writer George R.R. Intimate love of flowers for Martin.

Roswell Incident

Of course, you can't talk about New Mexico without talking about its most infamous conspiracy theory, the Roswell incident. Just two years after the atomic bomb was detonated in the desert, a strange object was found on a rancher's property in Corona, New Mexico, strange enough for the sheriff to pass by nearby Roswell Army Air Field. Officially, the object recovered was a lost weather balloon, despite several sightings of some sort of "flying saucer" in the area weeks earlier. Oddly, interest in the case was waning quickly, and it wasn't until the 1970s that the U.F.O. Researcher Stanton Friedman claimed the government was to blame for a cover-up about what the debris recovered on the farm really was. During the 80s and 90s, stories of government cover-ups spread a wild web, and although there have been many attempts to debunk this theory, the actual city of Roswell has embraced the myths, as did many U.K. FO-themed. Restaurants, hotels, and even an annual celebration for those who still believe in the truth.