Culture of New Mexico

The culture of New Mexico is a unique fusion of Native American, Spanish, Mexican and U.S. culture which makes up part of the broader culture of the United States. The confluence of indigenous, Hispanic (Spanish and Mexican), and American influences is also evident in New Mexico's unique cuisine, New Mexican Spanish, New Mexico music, and Pueblo Revival and Territorial styles of architecture. There are more World Heritage Sites in New Mexico than any other U.S. state. New Mexico is one of only seven majority-minority states, with the nation's highest percentage of Hispanic and Latino Americans and the second-highest percentage of Native Americans, after Alaska.^[3] The state is home to one-third of the Navajo Nation, 19 federally recognized Pueblo communities, and three federally recognized Apache tribes. Its large Latino population includes Hispanos descended from settlers during the Spanish era, and later groups of Mexican Americans since the 19th century.

New Mexico is an important center of Native American culture. The state bears some of the oldest evidence of human habitation, with thousands of years of indigenous heritage giving way to centuries of successive migration and settlement by Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-American colonists. The intermingling of these diverse groups is reflected in New Mexico's demographics, toponyms, cuisine, dialect, and identity. Some 200,000 residents, about one-tenth of the population, are of Indigenous descent,^[4] ranking third in size,^[5] and second proportionally,^[6] nationwide. There are 23 federally recognized tribal nations, each with its distinct culture, history, and identity. Both the Navajo and Apache share Athabaskan origin, with the latter living on three federal reservations in the state.^[7] The Navajo Nation, which spans over 16 million acres (6.5 million ha), mostly in neighboring Arizona, is the largest reservation in the U.S., with one-third of its members living in New Mexico.^[4] Pueblo Indians, who share a similar lifestyle but are culturally and linguistically distinct, live in 19 pueblos scattered throughout the state, which collectively span over 2,000,000 acres (810,000 ha).^[8] The Puebloans have a long history of independence and autonomy, which has shaped their identity and culture.^[9] Many indigenous New Mexicans have moved to urban areas throughout the state, and some cities such as Gallup are major hubs of Native American culture.^[10] New Mexico is also a hub for indigenous communities beyond its borders: the annual Gathering of Nations, which began in 1983, has been described as the largest pow wow in the U.S., drawing hundreds of native tribes from across North America.^[11]

Compared to other Western states, New Mexico's Spanish and Mexican heritage remain more visible and enduring, due to it having been the oldest, most populous, and most important province in New Spain's northern periphery.^[12] However, some historians allege that this history has been understated or marginalized by persistent American biases and misconceptions towards Spanish colonial history.^[13] Almost half of New Mexicans claim Hispanic origin; many are descendants of colonial settlers called Hispanos or Neomexicanos, who settled mostly in the north of the state between the 16th and 18th centuries; by contrast, the majority of Mexican immigrants reside in the south. Some Hispanos claim Jewish ancestry through descendance from conversos or Crypto-Jews among early Spanish colonists.^[14] Many New Mexicans speak a unique dialect known as New Mexican Spanish, which was shaped by the region's historical isolation and various cultural influences; New Mexican Spanish lacks certain vocabulary from other Spanish dialects and uses numerous Native American words for local features, as well as anglicized words that express American concepts and modern inventions.^[15]

Like other states in the American Southwest, New Mexico bears the legacy of the "Old West" period of American westward expansion, characterized by cattle ranching, cowboys, pioneers, the Santa Fe Trail, and conflicts among and between settlers and Native Americans.^[10] The state's vast and diverse geography, sparse population, and abundance of ghost towns have contributed to its enduring frontier image and atmosphere.^[10] Many fictional works of the Western genre are set or produced in New Mexico. The state's distinct culture and image are reflected in part by the fact that many Americans do not know it is part of the U.S.;^[16] this misconception variably elicits frustration, amusement, or even pride among New Mexicans as evidence of their unique heritage.^[17][18]