I.

Introduction

New Mexico, one of the south-western states of the United States, bordered on the north by Colorado; on the east by Oklahoma and Texas; on the south by Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua; and on the west by Arizona.

New Mexico entered the Union on January 6, 1912, as the 47th state. By the 1990s, services (including tourism) and government dominated the economy, although mining, ranching, and manufacturing were also important. Visitors were attracted not only by the scenic beauty of New Mexico’s deserts and mountains but also by the rich Native American and Spanish cultural heritage that distinguishes the state. The region north of Mexico was named Nuevo Mexico by a Spanish explorer in the 1560s. The name was translated and applied to the US territory organized in 1850 and later to the state. New Mexico is known as the “Land of Enchantment”.