Related Resources

This page includes additional resources on New Mexico from the Library's website.

American Folklife Center State Resources

American Folklife Center Collections: New Mexico
American Folklife Center collections from the US state of New Mexico provide an understanding of expressive culture from nearly every corner of the state and span more than a century. Of particular note are the Native American materials documenting communities from Navajo, Apache, Acoma, Zuni, Laguna, and many other tribes. As well, Latinx communities in New Mexico by numerous ethnographers such as Juan Rael, Norma Cantú, and Rubén Cobos, that provide some sense of the rich variety of folklife found in this state.

Bibliographies and Guides

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Primary Documents in American History
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by the United States and Mexico on February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican War (1846-48) and extending the boundaries of the United States by over 525,000 square miles. In addition to establishing the Rio Grande as the border between the two countries, the territory acquired by the U.S. included what would become the states of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. In exchange Mexico received fifteen million dollars in compensation for the territory and the U.S. agreed to assume claims from private citizens of these areas against the Mexican government.
U.S. State Poets Laureate: New Mexico
This site provides the names of all current state poets laureate of the United States. It also includes a history of the laureateship in each state, as well the District of Columbia, and attempts to provide a comprehensive listing of all prior state poets laureate. Included is information on the position of State Poet Laureate in New Mexico.

Exhibitions Featuring New Mexico

The Mexican Revolution and the United States in the Collections of the Library of Congress

"The Mexican Revolution and the United States in the Collections of the Library of Congress" tells the dynamic story of the complex and turbulent relationship between Mexico and the United States during the Mexican Revolution, approximately 1910-1920. The site features extraordinary items from many parts of the Library including letters from U.S. President William Howard Taft (1909-1913), photographs, books, manuscripts, and maps.

View the Mexican Revolution and the United States in the Collections of the Library of Congress Exhibition

A selection of highlights from this exhibition includes:

Pancho Villa Attacks Columbus, New Mexico (March 9, 1916)
President Woodrow Wilson was trying to stay out of the Mexican Revolution following U.S. recognition of Carranza. Two months later, Wilson was forced to intervene when, on 9 March 1916, Pancho Villa attacked U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. Villa first planned to attack the U.S. in January 1916, in a raid against El Presidio, in south Texas. Villa soon suffered the highest rates of desertion yet and he retreated from San Gerónimo at the border and decided to change tactics. Villa forcibly recruited 500 men from Namiquipa without telling them about his plans to raid the U.S.
The Pershing Expedition
In March 1916, Villa and a small group of followers attacked Columbus, New Mexico in an attempt to push the U.S. into war in Mexico. Villa claimed that Carranza was secretly conspiring with President Wilson. If true, that would almost certainly reduce Carranza’s popularity inside Mexico. The U.S. responded by sending troops led by General John H. Pershing over the border in search of Villa. Although Carranza publicly decried U.S. involvement, he did little to stop the mission, because he wanted Villa captured. His incarceration would help attract foreign investors to Mexico and help the economy of northern Mexico.

Hispanic Division

Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822-1995
The origin of this site is a print publication, Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822-1995. Most entries include at least a photograph and biographical information. Contemporary entries usually link to the members official webpage. See geographical location to find members from New Mexico.
Spain, the United States & the American Frontier: Historias Paralelas
The "Meeting of Frontiers" pilot explores the comparative history of Spanish expansion into North America from Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas across the continent through Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and California all the way to Alaska, as well as the American expansion westward and the meeting of their frontiers.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
A collection of documents relating to this historic treaty.

Historic Newspapers

Chronicling America: New Mexico
This site allows you to search and view newspaper pages from 1777-1963 from more than 20 states and the District of Columbia. Search this collection to find selected newspaper articles that mention events in New Mexico.

Law Library

The Guide to Law Online: New Mexico
The Guide to Law Online, prepared by the Law Library of Congress Public Services Division, is an annotated guide to sources of information on government and law available online. It includes selected links to useful and reliable sites for legal information on U.S states and territories, including New Mexico.

Resources for Teachers

The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching. Find Library of Congress lesson plans and more that meet Common Core standards, state content standards, and the standards of national organizations.

Features & Activities

Primary Sources by State: New Mexico
The Library of Congress has rich documents and artifacts from every state, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

Lesson Plans

Exploring Community Through Local History: Oral Stories, Landmarks and Traditions
Students explore the local history of the community in which they live through written and spoken stories; through landmarks such as buildings, parks, restaurants, or businesses; and through traditions such as food, festivals and other events of the community or of individual families.
Local History: Mapping My Spot
Students create their town’s history for coming generations and place themselves on the map in a literal as well as figurative sense, by producing portions of an updated version of an early twentieth century panoramic map from the Digital Collections.

Today in History

The following dates in history feature significant events in New Mexico's history as highlighted in the Library of Congress' collections.

February 2
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in the village of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican War and extending the boundaries of the United States west to the Pacific Ocean.

The terms of the agreement confirmed U.S. claims to Texas and established the border between the U.S. and Mexico at the Rio Grande and the Gila River. The treaty also granted the U.S. more than 525,000 square miles of former Mexican territory that includes present-day California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
April 28
Billy the Kid escaped from the Lincoln County, New Mexico jail house on April 28, 1881, killing two deputies on guard. He avoided capture until July 14, when he was ambushed and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett at the ranch home of Pete Maxwell. Billy the Kid is buried in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
September 21
On September 21, 1595, Don Juan de Oñate’s petition and contract for the conquest of New Mexico was presented to Luís de Velasco, the viceroy of Nueva Vizcaya. Already a wealthy and prominent man, he sought to turn the Indians’ wealth into his own and had requested the assignment after hearing rumors about golden cities in the vicinity. Oñate was granted the commission and set about recruiting men for his expedition.
October 30
José Manuel Gallegos was born in Spanish colonial Mexico, in the town of Abiquiú, Nuevo México, on October 30, 1815. His people were Hispanos, descendants of early Spanish settlers.
December 30
U.S. Minister to Mexico James Gadsden, and three envoys of the President of Mexico General Antonio López de Santa Anna Pérez de Lebrón, signed the Gadsden Purchase, or Gadsden Treaty, in Mexico City on December 30, 1853. Santa Anna needed money to help defray expenses caused by the Mexican War and ongoing rebellions, so he sold land to the United States. The treaty, amended and finally approved by the U.S. Senate on April 25, 1854, settled the dispute over the exact location of the Mexican border west of El Paso, Texas, giving the U.S. claim to some 29,600 square miles of land, ultimately for the price of $10 million. The land is what is now southern New Mexico and Arizona.

Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project (VHP) collects and preserves the remembrances of American war veterans and civilian workers who supported them. Click on the link below to locate veterans from New Mexico.

Veterans History Project: New Mexico

New Mexico: State Resource Guide

History, Humanities & Social Sciences: Ask a Librarian