Finally! We're back on the road…New Mexico and the Rio Grande

Our first foray to the lands bordering the Rio Grande was to a segment of the Texas-Mexico border. On that trip we traveled some 400 miles of the river's journey to the Gulf of Mexico. In our second outing we hope to travel some 500 miles. In this segment of the blog we will focus solely on the river's passage through the state of New Mexico, a state whose history has been shaped to a great extent by the River.

Our first stop in the New Mexico portion of our travels was Las Cruces, the state's second largest city. This is a city that owes much of its modern day growth, prosperity and character to the atomic bomb and the science related industries that grew up around it. Its location close to the White Sands Missile Range has brought many government jobs as well as the emergence of New Mexico State University. Alongside its modern identity Las Cruces remains one of the state's most important agricultural areas. More recently, it has become an attractive retirement area for people who appreciate its temperate climate.

Farming along the Rio Grande

Here, the river serves a long strip of farmlands that runs from Hatch on the north to near El Paso on the south. This is the home of the famous Hatch chilies that are a signature ingredient in New Mexico's cuisine.

The story of Las Cruces is closely linked to that of its older neighbor, the city of Mesilla. At the end of the Mexican American war in 1848, residents of the newly annexed territories were given the choice to remain in their towns and villages as citizens of the U.S. or to move south to Mexico. Early maps of the new border were in error; they placed the border too far north. Eager to avoid coming under U.S. domination, many residents of the region moved to Mesilla in the belief that this would give them independence. As map errors were corrected and the impact of the Gadsden Purchase was felt, it quickly became apparent that the Mesilla plateau and the town of Mesilla were indeed part of the United States. With a communal shrug the new citizens of the U.S. settled in to accept their new political status. Even today the streets and architecture of Mesilla evoke a different time in its history. Two years after its incorporation as a city, the flag of Mexico went down in the village plaza and the stars and stripes went up. Eventually the disappointed residents of the city adjusted to being part of the United States even though they had never chosen to do so.

The Roadrunner is the New Mexico State Bird. The Organ Mountain Range is barely visible in the background as a result of this summer's forest fires.