D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
July 2009
Blast from the Past
We pay a visit to the newly opened New Mexico History Museum.
By Jeff Berg
History buffs, especially those who are new to the state or who just now have decided to research where they live, will be pleased and well served to head north, head north young man (and woman) to visit the state's newest museum, the aptly named New Mexico History Museum.
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The new history museum in Santa Fe,
with its signature blue gate. |
My recent visit while on a whirlwind trip to Santa Fe was most worthwhile, even if most of what is offered is basic New Mexico lore. Divided into three exhibit areas on three floors, the facility starts with the "prehistory" of the state and continues up through and into today, albeit briefly.
Southern New Mexico residents will be pleased that a large photo of the Organ Mountains, which buffer Las Cruces, is prominently displayed with photos from two other areas of the state in the long hallway leading to the exhibits.
The prehistory section, at least for me, was the most interesting, since it went into much more detail than the other exhibits. Its honesty is refreshing, as it aptly describes and offers facts of the invasion of what is now New Mexico by the Spanish in the 1500s, and includes details on the slaughter of the native peoples, especially that by Don Juan de O_ate (1552-1626), who is best defined as the state's first and most prolific mass murderer. Nothing is glossed over, and all is stated as fact, not rhetoric. Exhibits explain the differences in the state's early cultures, somewhat emphasizing religious differences, accented by displays of lifestyle tools that offer an interesting juxtaposition on how these two distinct groups — the Pueblo peoples and the Spanish — didn't ever get along. Make sure to look toward the ceiling while you are in this exhibit area.
The Pueblo Revolt, which started in 1680 and expelled the Spanish from New Mexico for a decade, is well documented, as are the travels of lesser-known Spanish invaders.
Sadly, this level of detail does not carry over to the rest of the facility, which falls into the rut of sharing more of the well-known parts of New Mexico history. These include the Lincoln County "war," starring William Bonney aka Billy the Kid, a single exhibit display on the state's Civil War activity, the Santa Fe Trail, and a section on Fred Harvey's famed travel innovation, Harvey Houses.
Missing is any serious representation of African-American historical events in New Mexico, other than a brief summary of the Buffalo Soldiers. Information on Blackdom, the state's sole "blacks only" town, which thrived near Roswell in the early 1900s, and Esteban de Dorantes, a Moor slave who was a member of the ill-fated Cabeza de Vaca expedition and who may have been the non-native discoverer of New Mexico, is important and could be added. Although de Vaca's journeys are chronicled (and possibly misplaced, since the exhibit says the expedition's ships sunk off the coast of Texas, while all history notes that this took place near Florida), de Dorantes escapes the history of the victors.
The World War II era is well covered, as is our place in post-war history thanks to atomic bombs and related activities. The main exhibits close with a participatory section called "My New Mexico," which briefly covers present-day activities. One hopes that the museum will work to make this part more detailed.
The museum is quite interactive, with a number of interesting listening stations and touchscreen options for additional information. Among the best of these are the old pay phones (one of my favorite things, along with carbon paper and handwriting) that offer a different Los Alamos story from someone who worked there, when one dials any of the numbers on the old rotary phones.
Upstairs is another room, called the Changing Gallery, which currently has a display called "Fashioning New Mexico," a partial display of some of the 4,000 costumes and accessories that the state has been collecting over the years. The state now has an ironically named gallery to share them in, at least until the exhibit ends in April 2010.
New Mexico History Museum is also home to the Fray Angelico History Library and several auditoriums. A cafe is coming soon, and a small gift shop is open now.
This state is rife with history, bad and good, and this facility is indeed,
a good place to start learning that.
The New Mexico History Museum is located at 105 W. Palace in Santa Fe. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily now through Labor Day, but closed on Monday the rest of the year. Admission ranges from free (all New Mexico residents on Sunday, New Mexico seniors on Wednesday and Sunday, and museum members, and $6-$9 for in-state visitors on other days or out-of-state visitors). For more information, see www.nmhistorymuseum.org or call (505) 476-5200.