New Mexico Stand Up!
Today is June 14th, and it is also the day that America celebrates one of its most beautiful and diverse states in the nation, New Mexico. New Mexico has been a state for centuries now and it has had one of the hardest beginnings of all the 50 states.
With battles with Spain, Mexico, and America, New Mexico’s history is actually one of the richest and most interesting in our nation. Originally the area now known as New Mexico was once owned by Spain and was taken over by Mexico through years of war and battles.
Once the land finally became part of Mexico again it was then sold to America years later to be what we now know as New Mexico. With three separate nations fighting for this land, there is obviously a reason that makes the State so great.
Geronimo
Geronimo was an Apache general that was a leader and a soldier that helped fight against Spain and America in many battles in New Mexico that resulted in the freedom of his people and his land. While he is famously known in the history books as a Native American legend, Geronimo was in fact born in Mexico. With an origin from Mexico, a fearless history of battles and leadership, Geronimo is possibly one of the greatest early latino historical figures. Not to mention a legend of his own respected native apache culture. As a fearless leader geronimo did not have a singular side he was fighting for, he would simply just want to protect his land and his people. He led the apache into battle with anyone who would wnat their land, American, Spanish, or Mexican. All three of these countries at some point had ownership of the land in New Mexico, and all three at one point had to deal with Geronimo and the Apache. It wasnt until 1854 did America buy New Mexico from Mexico, after almost 3 centuries of wars and battles over the state. The history of New Mexico if gritty and rough, but just makes the state so much more respectable with such a rich history.
Story Time!
Okay so a fun fact about me is that when I was a kid I always said I wanted to live in New Mexico and I always thought it was the coolest place to go. One of the main reasons I liked the state was because I knew how unique the landscapes are, New Mexico has a vast desert, hot springs, and great mountains. Still to this day I I’m obsessed with hot springs and I would LOVE to see the ones new mexico has. There are not many states that can give you so many different environments, but I’ll tell you New Mexico is definitely one of them. Another reason I was so invested in the state was that It was a part of the four corners. I don’t know why but as a kid the idea of being in four states at once was like the coolest thing in the world to me. It is still a very cool thing but the idea definitely got less interesting as I got older. But it’s still very cool!
The landscape of New Mexico
So, as a legitimate self-titled fan of New Mexico, I want to take the opportunity to showcase just how beautiful the state actually is. There is a large misconception about the state that has people believing that New Mexico is one big desert, Its not. New Mexico has something for everyone (except and ocean), and not enough people know about it.
Take a look at that! How can someone look at such a beautiful mountain line and not think, wow I want to be on top of that right now. The biggest mountain range in New Mexico is called the Sangre de Cristos, and it spans hundreds of miles. Sangre de Cristos means the Blood of Crist, and it is named that because in the winter the snow on the mountains turns pink from the sun. If that’s not the coolest-sounding mountain range then I don’t know what to tell you folks. Who doesn’t wanna be on a mountain with pink snow?
I know when most people hear about deserts they have no interest but That is only because people don’t realize how beautiful and diverse the desert can be. New Mexico is home to the Chihuahuan Desert which is the largest in all of north America, and is home to hundreds of different species of animals. Call me weird all you want but I am a desert guy, the image above looks like a different planet I just want to explore.
I bet if I didn’t tell you that this image is from New Mexico you would have no idea. Just look how majestic the hot springs are looking. I have yet to meet a human that doesn’t like hot springs and if I ever do I’ll be quick to report them to the authorities. New Mexico is home to over 25 hot springs each with their own believed special properties and history. After seeing the greatness of these hot springs you can understand why they call it the land of enchantment.
New Mexico Culture
Nobody cares about Latino representation more than we do here at Todo Wafi and that is another reason why we must celebrate New Mexico. About 47% of the state’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino making it one of the largest Hispanic populations in the country. Latinos have been running the state since its origin and that is the main reason why the culture there is so routed in Latino heritage.
*Random fun fact about New Mexico*
Both Jeff Bezos, the creator of Amazon, and Paul Allen, the founder of Microsoft are from New Mexico. Making New Mexico the home state of two of some of the richest men in the world
New Mexico Day
It is undeniable that New Mexico is more than a big desert and actually one of the most beautiful states in the country. Along with the environment, there is also a rich culture in the area with lively city life in cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I personally have never been to new mexico but I am certainly going to be there one day. when I get there you can find me on a mountain of pink snow or relaxing in a hot spring laughing at the people who underestimate New Mexico, the land of Enchantment.
