![USBLM meridian map New Mexico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/USBLM_meridian_map_New_Mexico.jpg)
The New Mexico meridian, is longitude 106° 53′ 40″ west from Greenwich.
It extends throughout
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
and into
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, and together with the
baseline, at latitude 34° 15′ 25″ north, governs
township and range surveys in New Mexico, except those in the northwest corner of the state which refer to the
Navajo meridian and baseline.
The New Mexico meridian and Baseline also provide the basis for township and range surveys in the
upper valley of the Rio Grande del Norte in Colorado.
[Lands in the ]San Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is a region in south-central Colorado with a small portion overlapping into New Mexico. The valley is approximately long and wide, extending from the Continental Divide on the northwest rim into New Mexico on the south. It co ...
were surveyed as part of New Mexico prior to the ''Civil Expenses Appropriation'' act of 2 March 1867 which provided for the survey of the 37th parallel north
The 37th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 37 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.
At this latitude the Su ...
. 39th Congress, Session II, Chapter 167 (1867) 14 ''Statutes at Large''br>466
New Mexico had lost approximately 14,948 square miles, as all of the territory north of the 37th parallel was given to Colorado when it was created in 1861. 36th Congress, Session II, Chapter 59 (28 February 1861) 12 ''Statutes at Large'
172
See Baldwin, P.E. (1930) "A Historical Note on the Boundaries of New Mexico" ''New Mexico Historical Review'' 5(2): pp. 117-137, p. 132 and map facing p. 128
The New Mexico meridian intersects the principal baseline, ''i.e.'' the
initial point
In surveying, an initial point is a datum (a specific point on the surface of the earth) that marks the beginning point for a cadastral survey. The initial point establishes a local geographic coordinate system for the surveys that refer to that ...
, above the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
, about below the mouth of the
Rio Puerco
The Rio Puerco is a tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. From its source on the west side of the Nacimiento Mountains, it flows about ,Calculated in Google Earth generally south to join the Rio Grande about south of B ...
, on Black Butte just southeast of the village of
San Acacia, New Mexico
San Acacia is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place in Socorro County, New Mexico, United States. It was once a prosperous railway town, but is now largely deserted. There is a nearby diversion dam on the Rio Grande, import ...
.
[Luebke, Kurt A. and Creel, Buckner M., V (2007]
"The New Mexico Principal Meridian"
Principal Meridian Project
This meridian was established in 1855 by
John W. Garretson, a surveyor for the U.S. government.
See also
*
Notes
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{coord, 34, 15, 35.94, N, 106, 53, 14.96154, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-NM
Meridians and base lines of the United States
Named meridians
Geography of New Mexico
Geography of Colorado