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Scenic beauty is the number-one reason visitors come to New Mexico. Six of the Seven world's Life Zones are found in New Mexico. Click the Visitor's Guide above and receive it absolutely free.

Here are some pictures of New Mexico, all regions are represented. The higher elevations are easily identified by the greener foliage, snow or tall evergreens. These pictures are for enjoyment and to give those who are not familiar with our great State, a feeling for it's history and culture. Enjoy! New Mexico is a very old State. The ancient Anastazi /Anasazi Indians had a thriving culture here 6000 years B.C. There are Ruins here that were left by these people and many thousands of tourists visit them annually. We also have thriving communities where the Pueblo Indians have lived continuously for hundreds of years. Don Juan Onate marched his army across the Rio Grande into what is now New Mexico 400+ years ago. New Mexico is a State composed of three cultures, Anglo, Spanish and Native American. It is the only state in the union that has two official languages, English and Spanish. The descendants of these Spanish explorers live in NM today.

The Spanish brought horses to the Native Americans, windows and doors for the Pueblos, Spanish language and spices. Also, torture and disease. The Pueblos were pretty well developed along the Rio Grande when the Spanish arrived. The Spanish immediately assigned a Saint to protect each Pueblo and built Missions in honor of the Saints. Mostly, the Pueblos accepted these strange people, but after feeling the oppression against their native religion and customs, the Pueblos revolted in 1608. This was even before the settlers arrived at Plymouth Rock. The Spanish brought their religion (catholic) and built Missions, some of those Mission ruins are shown in pictures on this page. However, the Taos Pueblo looks amazingly like it did when Coronado first set eyes on it. The only differences, being the doors and larger windows. Being so far north and being so strong in their strength as a people, the Europeans had little influence on their way of life. And, the way of life for the Taos Pueblos remains virtually the same as it has been for hundreds of years. The Spanish permanently changed the cultural mix in New Mexico Territory. We became a State in 1912.

Painting by Carolyn Lankford (Taos Hollyhocks). Taos Pueblo pottery.

Reistras elevated to an Art Form - dried red chiles woven to hang all ready to make into Red Chile for those yummy New Mexico chile dishes. Varieties are: mild, medium, hot, very hot, and very. very hot.

Petroglyphs are found all over New Mexico, from Pony Hills in the south near Deming to Chama in the north near Colorado. Also found near NM border in far west Texas. The ancients left picture messages to us from thousands of years ago.

Bicycling popular - you can rent them at Sandia and ride the mountain. Old Steam Train - NM-CO.(Cumbres-Toltec Railroad)!

Ballon Fiesta annually in Albuquerque - largest in the world. All towns in New Mexico include Ballooning as part of their celebrations.

Mission ruins at Jemez State Monument. ----------------------Governor-click picture

Remember the timeline, this was built in 950-1100 AD when Europe was in the Dark Ages.

A complete community of roads, irrigation canals, community buildings and homes.

Above pictures are Mission ruins located in the Salinas Pueblo. See Kiva in foreground, that is the original fireplace. The Ancients used Kivas as large circular rooms for ceremonial activity.

Pecos mission ruins.

Beautiful Canyon de Chelly (Canyon de shay). Home of the Navajo. Only Navajo guides can take you thru but there is a way down that is allowed. The Navajo raise sheep here. We probably thought we were giving them "nothing", but it is a beautiful sacred place. The Navajos raise crops, sheep, horses and make lovely rugs and pottery. You can see the ancestral homes of the anasazi.

Bandalier National Monument - hike 2 miles to top!

El Malpais Cliff - and - Ship Rock - sacred to the Navajos

El Morro Cliffs and Caves - Caves were made in Volcanic Ash.

..Misc. lakes and rivers in New Mexico.

The following pictures are of various mountain views in New Mexico. Included, are the Sandias, Sacramentos, SanteFe, Pecos Wilderness, Gila Wilderness, Taos, Chama, Red River, and others. In no particular order.

Red River

Capulin Volcano

Tram at Sandia Peak - The world's longest Tram ride - Albuquerque, NM.

La Fonda Inn - right across the street from St. Francis Church in Sante Fe. And, some pictures of the pretty glass windows that are in this Inn.

St. Francis Church!! - Sante Fe, NM

Laguna Church-Laguna Pueblo

..Native American Rodeo.

The above pictures are of the Batisti Badlands.

Heading south - The VLR - Very Large Array - large telescopes scanning the Universe for Life!

VLA

T or C

Fort Seldon and Fort Union

Historic Old Mesilla, south of Las Cruces - City of Rocks, SP, N. of Deming, and Rockhound SP and Spring Canyon SP - Deming. Persian Ibex thrive here, given to NM by the Shah of Iran in the 1960s.