Timeline of New Mexico history facts for kids

This timeline shares important moments in the history of New Mexico, a state in the United States.

New Mexico's Recent History: 2010s and 2020s

• 2020
  • November 1: New Mexico voters chose Joe Biden for President. They also elected Ben Ray Luján as a new U.S. Senator, and re-elected Deb Haaland while electing Yvette Herrell and Teresa Leger Fernandez as U.S. Representatives. The Democrats kept control of the New Mexico Legislature.
  • April 2: The 2020 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as about 2,101,000 people.
  • March 1: The COVID-19 pandemic began to affect New Mexico. It impacted the state's economy, culture, businesses, and people.
• 2019
  • July 25: U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law that turned White Sands National Monument into White Sands National Park.
  • January 1: Michelle Lujan Grisham became the 32nd Governor of New Mexico.
• 2015
  • November 10: The National Park Service created the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
• 2014
  • May 21: U.S. President Barack Obama created the Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument.
• 2013
  • March 25: U.S. President Barack Obama created the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
  • January 3: Martin Heinrich became a U.S. Senator for New Mexico.
• 2011
  • January 1: Susana Martinez became the 31st Governor of New Mexico.
• 2010
  • April 1: The 2010 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 2,059,179. This was a 13.2% increase since the year 2000. New Mexico remained the 36th most populated U.S. state.

New Mexico in the 2000s

• 2009
  • January 3: Tom Udall became a U.S. Senator for New Mexico.
• 2003
  • January 1: Bill Richardson became the 30th Governor of New Mexico.
• 2002
  • December 4: U.S. President George W. Bush signed a law creating the Old Spanish National Historic Trail.
• 2001
  • January 17: U.S. President Bill Clinton created the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.
• 2000
  • October 13: U.S. President Bill Clinton signed a law creating the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail.
  • July 25: U.S. President Bill Clinton signed a law creating the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
  • April 1: The 2000 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 1,819,046. This was a 20.1% increase since 1990. New Mexico was the 36th most populated U.S. state.

New Mexico in the 1990s

• 1995
  • January 1: Gary Johnson became the 29th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1992
  • December 14: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named Taos Pueblo a World Heritage Site. This means it's a place of special cultural importance to the world.
• 1991
  • July 2: The National Park Service changed the name of Pecos National Monument to Pecos National Historical Park.
  • January 1: Bruce King became the 28th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1990
  • June 27: U.S. President George H. W. Bush created Petroglyph National Monument.
  • April 1: The 1990 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 1,515,069. This was a 16.2% increase since 1980. New Mexico was the 37th most populated U.S. state.

New Mexico in the 1980s

• 1988
  • October 28: The National Park Service changed the name of Salinas National Monument to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.
• 1987
  • December 31: U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a law creating El Malpais National Monument. He also changed the name of Capulin Mountain National Monument to Capulin Volcano National Monument.
  • December 11: UNESCO named the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site. This site includes Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument.
  • May 8: U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a law creating the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.
  • January 1: Garrey Carruthers became the 27th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1983
  • January 1: Toney Anaya became the 26th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1980
  • December 19: U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a law that changed the name of Chaco Canyon National Monument to Chaco Culture National Historical Park. It also changed the name of Gran Quivira National Monument to Salinas National Monument.
  • April 1: The 1980 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 1,302,894. This was a 28.1% increase since 1970. New Mexico remained the 37th most populated U.S. state, but it gained a 3rd Congressional District.

New Mexico in the 1970s

• 1979
  • January 1: Bruce King became the 25th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1978
  • November 10: U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a law creating the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
• 1976
  • July 4: New Mexico celebrated the 200th birthday of the United States of America.
• 1975
  • January 1: Jerry Apodaca became the 24th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1971
  • January 1: Bruce King became the 23rd Governor of New Mexico.
• 1970
  • April 1: The 1970 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 1,017,055. This was a 6.9% increase since 1960. New Mexico remained the 37th most populated U.S. state.

New Mexico in the 1960s

• 1969
  • March 4: New Mexico created its 2nd Congressional District. Before this, it had one large district for the whole state. This new district still exists today.
• 1968
  • December 2: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law creating the National Trails System.
• 1967
  • January 1: David Cargo became the 22nd Governor of New Mexico.
• 1965
  • June 28: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson created Pecos National Monument.
• 1963
  • January 1: Jack M. Campbell became the 21st Governor of New Mexico.
• 1962
  • November 30: Lieutenant Governor Tom Bolack became the 20th Governor of New Mexico after Governor Edwin L. Mechem resigned.
• 1961
  • January 1: Edwin L. Mechem became the 19th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1960
  • November 8: New Mexico changed its Constitution to rename New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts to New Mexico State University.
  • April 1: The 1960 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 951,023. This was a big jump of 39.6% since 1950. New Mexico became the 37th most populated U.S. state.

New Mexico in the 1950s

• 1959
  • January 1: John Burroughs became the 18th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1957
  • January 1: Edwin L. Mechem became the 17th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1955
  • January 1: John F. Simms became the 16th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1954
  • June 28: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower created Fort Union National Monument.
• 1951
  • January 1: Edwin L. Mechem became the 15th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1950
  • April 1: The 1950 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 681,187. This was a 28.1% increase since 1940. New Mexico became the 39th most populated of the 48 U.S. states at the time.

New Mexico in the 1940s

• 1947
  • January 1: Thomas J. Mabry became the 14th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1945
  • September 2: World War II officially ended when Japan surrendered.
  • May 8: The war in Europe ended as Germany surrendered.
• 1943
  • January 1: John J. Dempsey became the 13th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1941
  • December 11: The United States declared war on Germany and Italy.
  • December 8: The United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II.
• 1940
  • April 1: The 1940 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 531,818. This was a 25.6% increase since 1930. New Mexico became the 41st most populated of the 48 U.S. states and gained a 2nd Congressional seat.

New Mexico in the 1930s

• 1939
  • January 1: John E. Miles became the 12th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1937
  • Spring: Bluewater State Park, New Mexico's first state park, opened.
• 1935
  • January 1: Clyde Tingley became the 11th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1933
  • September 25: Lieutenant Governor Andrew W. Hockenhull became the 10th Governor of New Mexico after Governor Arthur Seligman passed away.
  • January 18: U.S. President Herbert Hoover created White Sands National Monument.
• 1932
  • August: An important archaeological site called Blackwater Locality No. 1 was excavated near Clovis. This site became famous for the Clovis culture, an early group of people in North America.
• 1931
  • January 1: Arthur Seligman became the 9th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1930
  • May 14: U.S. President Herbert Hoover signed a law creating Carlsbad Caverns National Park from Carlsbad Caverns National Monument.
  • April 1: The 1930 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 423,317. This was a 17.5% increase since 1920. New Mexico was the 43rd most populated of the 48 U.S. states.

New Mexico in the 1920s

• 1929
  • A 19-year-old named Ridgley Whiteman found ancient artifacts from Paleo-Indians at Blackwater Draw near Clovis.
• 1928
  • July 2: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge made Aztec Ruin National Monument larger and changed its name to Aztec Ruins National Monument.
• 1927
  • January 1: Richard C. Dillon became the 8th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1925
  • January 1: Arthur T. Hannett became the 7th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1924
  • June 2: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. This law finally gave all Native Americans born in the U.S. full U.S. Citizenship.
• 1923
  • October 25: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge created Carlsbad Caverns National Monument.
  • January 24: U.S. President Warren G. Harding created Aztec Ruin National Monument.
  • January 1: James F. Hinkle became the 6th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1921
  • January 1: Merritt C. Mechem became the 5th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1920
  • April 1: The 1920 United States Census counted New Mexico's population as 360,350. This was a 10.1% increase since 1910. New Mexico was the 43rd most populated of the 48 U.S. states.

New Mexico Becomes a State: 1910s

• 1919
  • January 1: Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo became the 4th Governor of New Mexico.
• 1918
  • November 11: World War I ended with an armistice (a peace agreement).
• 1917
  • April 6: The United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I.
  • February 18: Lieutenant Governor Washington Lindsey became the 3rd Governor of New Mexico after Governor Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca passed away.
  • January 1: Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca became the 2nd Governor of New Mexico.
• 1916
  • August 25: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a law to create the National Park Service. This agency manages all U.S. national parks and monuments.
  • August 9: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson created Capulin Mountain National Monument.
  • February 11: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson created Bandelier National Monument.
• 1915
  • April 6: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson created Santa Fe National Forest.
• 1912
  • January 14: William C. McDonald became the first Governor of the State of New Mexico.
  • January 6: U.S. President William Howard Taft officially declared New Mexico a state. The New Mexico Territory became the State of New Mexico, the 47th U.S. state.
• 1910
  • June 20: U.S. President William Howard Taft signed a law that allowed the people of New Mexico to create a state constitution and join the Union.
  • April 1: The 1910 United States Census counted the population of the New Mexico Territory as 327,301. This was a large increase of 67.6% since 1900. New Mexico became the most populated of the four U.S. territories.

Early 1900s in New Mexico

• 1909
  • November 1: U.S. President William Howard Taft created Gran Quivira National Monument.
• 1907
  • November 16: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt created Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
  • March 11: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt created Chaco Canyon National Monument.
• 1906
  • December 8: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt created El Morro National Monument.
  • June 8: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act of 1906. This law gave the President the power to create national monuments on federal lands to protect important natural, cultural, or scientific sites.
• 1900
  • April 1: The 1900 United States Census counted the population of the New Mexico Territory as 195,310. This was a 21.9% increase since 1890. New Mexico was the second most populated of the five U.S. territories.

New Mexico in the Late 1800s

• 1898
  • December 10: The United States and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris of 1898, which ended the Spanish–American War.
  • April 23: Spain declared war on the United States. The U.S. declared war on Spain two days later.
• 1892
  • January 11: U.S. President Benjamin Harrison created the Pecos River Forest Reserve, which was the third United States National Forest.
• 1891
  • March 3: U.S. President Benjamin Harrison signed the Forest Reserve Act of 1891. This law gave the President the power to create protected national forests on federal lands.
  • Winter: The New Mexico Territorial Agriculture College changed its name to the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.
• 1890
  • January 21: The New Mexico Territorial Agriculture College opened.

New Mexico in the 1880s

• 1889
  • February 28: The Territory of New Mexico founded the University of New Mexico.
• 1888
  • September 17: Hiram Hadly started Las Cruces College.
• 1880
  • November 12: Territorial Governor Lew Wallace published his famous novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. It became the best-selling American novel of the 1800s.
  • April 1: The 1880 United States Census counted the population of the New Mexico Territory as 119,565. This was a 30.1% increase since 1870. New Mexico was the third most populated of the eight U.S. territories.

New Mexico in the 1870s

• 1876
  • July 4: The Territory of New Mexico celebrated the 100th birthday of the United States of America.

New Mexico in the 1860s: Civil War and Territory Changes

• 1865
  • May 9: U.S. President Andrew Johnson announced the end of the American Civil War.
• 1863
  • February 24: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed a law that created the Arizona Territory. This new territory was made from the western part of the New Mexico Territory. After this, the borders of the New Mexico Territory became the same as the future State of New Mexico.
• 1862
  • June 19: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed a law that gave freedom to all enslaved people in U.S. territories, including New Mexico.
  • March 28: Colorado volunteers fought against Texas cavalry at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. This battle effectively ended the Confederate New Mexico Campaign.
  • March 10: Texas cavalry from the Confederate army occupied Santa Fe.
  • February 24: Confederate President Jefferson Davis declared the southern part of the New Mexico Territory to be the Confederate Territory of Arizona.
• 1861
  • July 25: Texas cavalry invaded the New Mexico Territory and occupied Mesilla.
  • April 12: The American Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter.
  • February 28: U.S. President James Buchanan signed a law creating the Colorado Territory. This new territory took the northern part of the New Mexico Territory.
  • February 8: Seven states that allowed slavery formed the Confederate States of America.
• 1860
  • November 6: Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. This led to several states leaving the United States.
  • April 1: The 1860 United States Census counted the population of the New Mexico Territory as 93,516. This was a 51.9% increase since 1850. New Mexico was the second most populated of the seven U.S. territories.

New Mexico in the 1850s: Territory and Border Changes

• 1854
  • June 8: The Gadsden Purchase officially took effect. This purchase set the current border between the United States and Mexico. The New Mexico Territory now included all of the future states of New Mexico and Arizona, plus parts of present-day Nevada and Colorado.
• 1852
  • January 9: The New Mexico Territory created its first nine counties: Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Ana, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, and Valencia.
• 1850
  • September 9: The New Mexico Territory and the Utah Territory were created as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act defined the boundaries of the New Mexico Territory, which included most of the future State of New Mexico, most of future Arizona, and parts of present-day Nevada and Colorado.
  • April 1: The 1850 United States Census was the first time the population of the future New Mexico Territory was counted, which was 61,547 people.

New Mexico in the 1840s: Mexican-American War

• 1848
  • February 2: The United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican–American War. Mexico gave up its northern lands, and all land in the future State of New Mexico north of the new Mexican border became unorganized United States territory.
• 1847
  • January 19: U.S. civilian governor Charles Bent was killed in Taos.
• 1846
  • August 18: U.S. troops led by General Stephen W. Kearny took control of Santa Fe with little fighting.
  • August 15: U.S. Army troops under General Stephen W. Kearny entered Las Vegas, New Mexico. General Kearny announced that all of New Mexico was now under United States rule.
  • May 13: The United States declared war on Mexico.
• 1845
  • December 29: The United States accepted the Republic of Texas as a state, but its borders were not clearly defined. Mexico still believed Texas was its territory.
• 1841
  • October 5: The Republic of Texas's Texan Santa Fe Expedition surrendered to New Mexico troops.

New Mexico in the 1830s: Texas Independence

• 1836
  • May 14: Texans forced Mexican General Santa Anna to sign treaties recognizing the independence of the Republic of Texas. Mexico did not agree to these treaties. Based on these treaties, the Republic of Texas claimed land that included parts of future New Mexico.
  • May 2: Texans declared the independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
• 1835
  • October 2: The Texas Revolution began.

New Mexico in the 1820s: Mexican Independence

• 1828
  • January 12: The United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Limits, confirming the borders set in 1819.
• 1821
  • December 26: The Spanish governor of New Mexico received orders that New Mexico was now part of the Mexican Empire. He swore loyalty to the empire and became the first Mexican governor.
  • September 1: William Becknell and traders left Missouri for Santa Fe. This route later became the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail.
  • August 24: Spain signed the Treaty of Córdoba, recognizing the independence of the Mexican Empire.
  • February 22: The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 took effect. The United States gave up all claims to land in the future State of New Mexico.

New Mexico in the Early 1800s: Louisiana Purchase and Exploration

• 1810
  • August 1: Mexican priest Miguel Hidalgo declared Mexico's independence from Spain.
• 1807
  • February 26: Spanish soldiers arrested a U.S. Army exploration group led by Captain Zebulon Pike in the San Luis Valley. They were taken to Santa Fe and later expelled from Spanish territory.
• 1803
  • December 20: France transferred its colony of La Louisiane to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. The U.S. and Spain disagreed on the western border of this land. The disputed area included the northeastern part of the future State of New Mexico.
  • April 30: The United States and France signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty.
• 1800
  • October 1: Spain secretly transferred the colony of la Luisiana back to France.

New Mexico in the Late 1700s: Spanish Exploration and U.S. Independence

• 1778
  • Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, a mapmaker for the Dominguez–Escalante Expedition, published his map of the expedition across the Colorado Plateau. This map became important for a future trade route, later known as the Old Spanish Trail.
• 1776
  • July 29: A Spanish-Franciscan expedition left Santa Fe to find an overland route to California. The expedition explored the Colorado Plateau but did not reach California.
  • July 4: Representatives from the thirteen United States of America signed the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.

New Mexico in the Mid-1700s: French and Spanish Encounters

• 1762
  • November 13: Fearing they would lose their American lands in the Seven Years' War, France secretly transferred its colony of La Louisiane to Spain. This ended the competition between France and Spain in the Great Plains.
• 1739
  • July 5: French explorers encountered an Arikara man who guided them to Santa Fe. This was the first time France and Spain met in the Rocky Mountain region.

New Mexico in the Early 1700s: New Settlements

• 1706
  • April 23: Governor Valdez established La Villa Real de San Francisco de Alburquerque on the Rio Grande.
• 1703
  • Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras was appointed Gobernador de Nuevo Méjico for a second term.

New Mexico in the Late 1600s: Pueblo Revolt and Reconquest

• 1692
  • September 14: Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras completed the reconquest of the Spanish colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo Méjico, ending the Pueblo Revolt.
• 1682
  • April 9: French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the Mississippi River and its surrounding lands for France, naming the region La Louisiane. This claim included the northeast part of the future State of New Mexico, leading to rivalries between native peoples, France, Spain, and later the United States.
• 1680
  • August 13: Tewa shaman Popé led the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish rulers of Santa Fe de Nuevo Méjico. The Spanish settlers fled south to El Paso del Norte.

New Mexico in the Early 1600s: Capital Moves

• 1610
  • Governor Pedro de Peralta moved the capital of Santa Fe de Nuevo Méjico to La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís.
• 1607
  • Don Pedro de Peralta established La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís at the Tiwa village of Ogapoge.

New Mexico in the Late 1500s: Spanish Colonization Begins

• 1598
  • July 12: Don Juan de Oñate y Salazar established the Spanish colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo Méjico at the village of San Juan de los Caballeros. This colony eventually covered much of the future states of New Mexico and Colorado, and parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Utah.

New Mexico in the Mid-1500s: First European Explorations

• 1541
  • Spring: The military expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado left the Tiwa villages and explored the Great Plains looking for a legendary place called Quivira.
  • Winter: The Tiwa people fought against the Coronado expedition, and hundreds were killed in the Tiguex War.
• 1540
  • Autumn: The military expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado reached the Tiwa pueblos along the Rio Grande. The expedition took over several of these villages.
  • July 7: The military expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado reached the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh. The Zuni resisted, but the Spanish soldiers drove them away.
  • February 23: Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, Governor of Nueva Galicia, led a large Spanish military expedition from Mexico.

New Mexico in the Early 1500s: First European Sightings and Legends

• 1539
  • September: Fray Marcos de Niza returned from a distant view of the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh. His exciting reports about Hawikuh inspired the 1540-1542 expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado.
  • March: Mustafa Azemmouri left Mexico, followed by Fray Marcos de Niza, searching for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. Mustafa Azemmouri was killed at the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh.
• 1536
  • July: The four survivors of the 1527 Narváez expedition arrived in Mexico City. Their stories inspired tales of the Seven Cities of Cibola.
• 1535
  • The four survivors of the 1527 Narváez expedition may have traveled through the southwestern part of the future State of New Mexico.
• 1519
  • Autumn: A Spanish naval expedition charted the mouths of several rivers along the northeastern coast of Mexico, including the Rio Grande.
• 1513
  • September 29: Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and reached the Pacific Ocean. He claimed the ocean and all nearby lands for Spain. This included the part of the future State of New Mexico west of the Continental Divide of the Americas.

Before 1492: Ancient Times

• 1300–1525 CE
  • Jicarilla Apache people moved from Alaska and Northwestern Canada to the southern part of the Rocky Mountains.
• 1276–1299 CE
  • A long drought on the Colorado Plateau caused many Ancestral Puebloans to move southeast into the Rio Grande Valley.
• circa 9290 BCE
  • Paleo-Indians of the Clovis culture camped at Blackwater Draw.
• circa 12,000 BCE
  • During a long period of warming, Paleoamericans from Beringia began using an ice-free path east of the Rocky Mountains to travel throughout the Americas.