![Northern New Mexico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Northern_New_Mexico.jpg)
Northern New Mexico in cultural terms usually refers to the area of heavy-
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
settlement in the north-central part of
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 ...
. However, New Mexico state government also uses the term to mean the northwest and north central, but to exclude both the northeastern high plains counties and
Sandoval County
Sandoval County is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 131,561, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo, New Mexico, Bernali ...
. The five largest cities in Northern New Mexico are:
Santa Fe,
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Española,
Los Alamos, and
Raton.
Cultural
![Cutural-Northern-New-Mexico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Cutural-Northern-New-Mexico.png)
The traditional southern boundary of the area is an escarpment called
La Bajada southwest of
Santa Fe. The other boundaries are poorly defined. The map in is a guide: from La Bajada the boundary runs northwest about 50 miles (80 km) west of
U.S. Routes 285 and
84, and northeast about 20 miles (30 km) east of
Interstate 25, to the
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 ...
border. The area might also be described roughly as comprising
Rio Arriba
Rio Arriba County is a List of counties in New Mexico, county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 40,246. Its county seat is Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, Tierra Amarilla. Its nort ...
,
Los Alamos,
Taos
Taos or TAOS may refer to:
Places
* Taos, Missouri, a city in Cole County, Missouri, United States
* Taos County, New Mexico, United States
** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico
*** Taos art colony, an art colo ...
, and
Colfax Counties; northeastern
Sandoval County
Sandoval County is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 131,561, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo, New Mexico, Bernali ...
, northern
Santa Fe County
Santa Fe County ( es, Condado de Santa Fe; meaning ''Holy faith'' in Spanish) is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 144,170, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo Cou ...
; and western
San Miguel and
Mora
Mora may refer to:
People
* Mora (surname)
Places Sweden
* Mora, Säter, Sweden
* Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality
* Mora Municipality, Sweden
United States
* Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community
* Mora, Minnesota, a city
* M ...
Counties, possibly with parts of adjoining counties. To the west is the
Four Corners
The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...
region; to the east are the high plains of
Eastern New Mexico.
While Northern New Mexico, also known as the or upper river area, did receive a lot of Hispanic settlement, much Hispanic colonial settlement also occurred in southern areas, known as the or lower river. The distinction between and dates back to colonial times, and continues to be a cultural and linguistic division in New Mexican Hispano society.
Governmental
![State-Government-Northern-New-Mexico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/State-Government-Northern-New-Mexico.gif)
New Mexico state government generally divides New Mexico into four regions:
Eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
,
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
,
Southwestern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and Northern New Mexico.
For those purposes Northern includes the Four Corners area together with the cultural area, but excludes Sandoval County.
The Northwest Region is frequently referred to as the "Four-Corners Region".
Tourism
For tourists, New Mexico is divided into six regions, with Northern New Mexico being divided into North Central Region, Northeast Region and Northwest Region. Sandoval County is part of the Central Region to the south. Under that schema, the North Central Region includes the core part of cultural Northern New Mexico.
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area
The
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The national heritage area includes a section of the upper Rio Grande Valley that has been inhabited by the Puebloan peop ...
is in the Upper
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 ...
Valley and North Central Region of northern New Mexico. It is a federally designated
National Heritage Area
In the United States, a National Heritage Area (NHA) is a site designated by Act of Congress, intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 62 NHAs, some ...
. It includes the area that has been inhabited by the
Puebloan peoples
The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zun ...
since the early
Pre-Columbian era
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the Migration to the New World, original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization of the Americas, European colonization, w ...
.
Notable people
*
Andrew Valdez (born 1951), juvenile court judge for
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The coun ...
.
Andrew A. Valdez - Judgepedia
Notes
See also
*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 ...
**List of census-designated places in New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the Western United States. New Mexico has several census-designated places (CDPs) which are unincorporated communities lacking elected municipal officers and boundaries with legal status.
List of census-designa ...
**List of counties in New Mexico
There are 33 counties in the U.S. state of New Mexico.
The New Mexico Territory was organized in September 1850. The first nine counties in the territory to be created, in 1852, were Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Ana, San ...
**List of municipalities in New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the Western United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, New Mexico is the 15th least-populous state with inhabitants but the 5th-largest by land area, spanning . New Mexico is divided into 33 co ...
** New Mexico statistical areas
References
* The second edition doesn't include the map.
*
*
External links
{{authority control
Regions of New Mexico
Spanish-American culture in New Mexico
Geography of Cibola County, New Mexico
Geography of Colfax County, New Mexico
Geography of Mora County, New Mexico
Geography of Los Alamos County, New Mexico
Geography of McKinley County, New Mexico
Geography of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Geography of San Juan County, New Mexico
Geography of San Miguel County, New Mexico
Geography of Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Geography of Taos County, New Mexico
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area