The SouthwestBlend.com guide to the attractions, activities, entertainment, cities and towns, and visitor information of New Mexico.

Discover New Mexico!
Photo: Pecos National Park, courtesy of the New Mexico Tourism Department

 New Mexico has a diverse culture as well as a variety of attractions set in incredible and unique natural beauty. Whether you enjoy skiing, wildlife watching, or exploring the rock formations, caves, and lava flows--or you want to delve into a history that is evidenced by impressive archaeological sites--you won’t be disappointed in what New Mexico has to offer.
Three cultures--the Pueblo Indians, the Spanish and the Anglos (non-Hispanic, non-indigenous peoples)--have melded together to produce a unique hybrid culture, language, architecture and cuisine.
  Hundreds of movies have been filmed in New Mexico, taking advantage of the dramatic lighting and ever-changing landscape. Historic Route 66 runs through part of New Mexico and the community of Roswell celebrates the possible crash of a UFO in 1947, with festivals, curio shops and museums. No matter where you look, you are bound to see or experience something different in this unusual state.
  Culture & History: Centuries before the Mexican-American war ended with the USA owning New Mexico and other areas of the Southwest, the New Mexico territory changed hands between the Native Americans and the Spanish. The Spanish treated the Indians brutally, forcing them into the mission system until the Pueblo people revolted in 1680 by burning Spanish homes and killing hundreds of Spaniards. Twelve years later the Indians were once again put under Spanish rule and settlers arrived by using El Camino Real, the road from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The Pueblos and the Spanish settlers faced the same enemy in the Plains Indians, (Comanches and Apaches) that were able to raid other tribes using horses they had acquired from the Spanish. After the US acquired the territory in 1848, campaigns against the Navajo, Comanche and Apache forced leaders such as Cochise, Geronimo and Victorio to surrender and be confined with their peoples to reservations.
  New Mexico had a reputation for lawlessness spurred on by Billy the Kid and other gunfighters until Sheriff Pat Garrett became a national hero by gunning down the Kid in Fort Sumner.
  Entertainment & Shopping: World class performances are staged throughout the state; including internationally famous performers at the Santa Fe Opera, every summer, in an open-air forum. Art is very important to New Mexicans and there are many fine galleries devoted to Native American Art. Most of the big name performers perform in the Journal Pavilion in Albuquerque but the state has plenty of quality venues, including casinos. Shopping, especially for Native American jewelry and artifacts, is a delight.
  Food & Wine: Chiles are a mainstay of New Mexican food. It is honored is festivals and cook-offs. It is served in many dishes--in varying degrees of heat. Fry bread and Indian tacos are also very popular. Fine restaurants and casinos offer delicious fare of all kinds. There are small wineries throughout the state, reportedly the nations oldest wine growing region.
  Nature & Adventure: There is such a variation in terrain and elevation from the Sonoran Desert to the Rocky Mountains-- that the animal and plant species also cover a wide range--making this state an amazing wildlife viewing destination. The higher elevations provide skiing, snow-boarding, and snow mobiling opportunities while the lower elevations are superb for hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, and horseback riding. Numerous lakes and rivers offer wind-surfing and sailing, and there are whitewater rapids on the Chama River and the Rio Grande that attract kayakers and rafters. The mild skies offer year round hot air ballooning and there is even an 81 foot deep pool in Santa Rosa for scuba divers.
  Sport: There are world class golf courses along the Santa Fe Trail and throughout the state, and plenty of sports arenas and parks in the city areas.
"Land of Enchantment" has six regions, outlined below and to visit our featured cities/towns, click here. For New Mexico Events, click here.

New Mexico State Flag
State Bird: Roadrunner
State Flower: Yucca Flower
State Motto: "It grows as it goes."
State Capitol: Santa Fe
State Song: "O, Fair New Mexico"
State Tree: Pinon

NEW MEXICO REGIONS:  New Mexico has six regions--to visit a region, click on the region of your choice.

1. Northwest: is home to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Navajo Lake State Park, Ship Rock Peak, Bisti Wilderness Area, Chuska Mountains, Aztec Arches, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Animas Parklands/Berg Park, Jackson Lake State Waterfowl Area, Morgan Lake, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert, Red Rock State Park, Bandera Crater/ice Caves, Mt. Taylor, El Morro National Monument, Four Corners Monument, Milan, Farmington, Gallup, Grants, Bloomfield, Aztec, Dulce and more.

2. North Central: is home to Abiquiu Lake, Echo Amphitheater, Poshouinge Ruins, Enchanted Circle, Cumbes & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Rio de los pinos State Wildlife & Fishing Area, W.A. Humphries State Wildlife Area, Onate Monument & Visitors Center, Bandelier National Monument, Valle Grande, Eaves Movie Ranch, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, Kit Carson and Museum, Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area, Heron Lake State Park, Cerrillos, Taos, Abiquiu, Angel Fire, Chama, Espanola, Madrid, Ojo Caliente, Santa Fe and more.

3. Northeast: is home to Capulin Volcano National Monument, Cimarron Canyon State Park, Kit Carson Museum, Clayton Lake State Park, Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grassland, Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Las Vegas national Wildlife Refuge, McAllister Lake, Storrie Lake State Park, Pecos national Historical Park, Mills Canyon, Route 66 Auto Museum, Pecos, Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Raton, Las Vegas, Clayton, Cimarron and more.

4. Central: is home to Rio Grande Zoological Park, Sandia Peak Tramway, Cibola National Forest, Manzano Mountains State Park, Sandia Lakes, Petroglyph National Monument, Rio Grande Botanical Gardens, Corrales Bosque Nature Preserve, Soda Dam, Mystery Rock, Albuquerque, Belen, Bosque, Corrales, Cuba, Jemez Springs, Los Lunas, Manzona, Moriarty, Placitas and more.

5. Southwest: is home to the Chihuahuan Desert, Gila Mountains, Elephant Butte Lake, Bosque des Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Butterfield Trail, City of Rocks State Park, Florida Mountains, Rockhound State Park, Elephant Butte Lake State Park, The Catwalk, La Cueva Cave, Red Rock Wildlife Area, Lady on the Mountain, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, Las Cruces, Mesilla, Silver City, Deming, Kelly, Lordsburg, Quemado, Socorro, Truth or Consequences and more.

6. Southeast: is home to Carlsbad Cavern National Park, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Museum of Space History, Smokey Bear Historical Park, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, Pecos River Flume, Valley of Fires Recreation Area, Lincoln State Monument, Alien Zone, Tularosa Vineyards, Alamogordo, Capitan, Carlsbad, Carrizozo, Cloudcroft, Clovis, Fort Sumner, Lincoln, Roswell, Ruidoso, and more.   

FEATURED CITIES/TOWNS: