History of New Mexico

The history of the region now comprising New Mexico, shaped by Indigenous societies, Spanish and Mexican rule, U.S. conquest, and statehood in 1912.

Connect

Ancestral Puebloans: Indigenous peoples who built ancestral communities across the American Southwest, including the region of present-day New Mexico. Their settlements and descendants form a deep Indigenous foundation for the region’s history.
Mexican–American War: The 1846–1848 war between the United States and Mexico over territory and political control. U.S. forces occupied New Mexico during the conflict, beginning a new era of rule.
Popé: A Tewa religious leader who coordinated Pueblo resistance to Spanish rule in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. His leadership helped unite Pueblo communities in the revolt’s initial success.
Long Walk of the Navajo: The forced removal of thousands of Navajo people to Bosque Redondo in 1864 and their return under an 1868 treaty. This U.S. military campaign and its aftermath reshaped Navajo life and land in New Mexico.
New Mexico land grants: Communal and individual land holdings created under Spanish and Mexican rule in the region now called New Mexico. Disputes over their recognition and loss continue to shape debates about historic justice.
Pueblo Revolt: The 1680 uprising in which Pueblo communities drove Spanish colonists from New Mexico for twelve years. It was the most successful Indigenous revolt against European colonization in North America.
New Mexico Territory: A U.S. organized territory that existed from 1850 until New Mexico became a state in 1912. Territorial government shaped the long struggle for statehood.
Juan de Oñate: A Spanish conquistador who led the 1598 colonizing expedition that established New Mexico as a Spanish colony. His expedition began sustained Spanish colonial rule and remains deeply contested for its violence.
Bosque Redondo: A U.S. government reservation near Fort Sumner where Navajo and Mescalero Apache people were confined in the 1860s. Its harsh conditions exposed the consequences of U.S. removal policies.
Navajo Nation: A sovereign Indigenous nation whose territory spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Its history in New Mexico includes removal, treaty-making, and continuing claims to sovereignty.