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Telling New Mexico: A New History
This extensive volume presents New Mexico history from its prehistoric beginnings to the present in essays and articles by fifty prominent historians and scholars representing various disciplines including history, anthropology, Native American studies, and Chicano studies. Contributors include Rick Hendricks, John L. Kessell, Peter Iverson, Rina Swentzell, Sylvia Rodriguez, William deBuys, Robert J. Tórrez, Malcolm Ebright, Herman Agoyo, and Paula Gunn Allen, among many others.
- GenresHistory
483 pages, Hardcover
First published February 16, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 20, 2013
New Mexico is deserted (& a desert…), forgotten about, and poor; and has been “owned” by Natives, Spain, Mexico, the U.S. as a territory, and then as a state. And it is geographically intriguing (deserts, caverns, mountains, mesas, pueblos, Rio Grande). There are many gaps in these characteristics I wanted to fill in by reading a history book.
It was neat to learn attention-grabbing anecdotes about the state….
-the state flag is a Zia symbol from a Pueblo pot design,
-the Socorro magma body may erupt some day,
-the significance of Navajos and Mescaleros being shoved into Bosque Redondo during the Long Walk,
-Buffalo Soldiers = what Indians called black soldiers because of their short curly hair and their courage and fortitude,
-Blackdom = NM community built by and for black people fleeing the oppression of post-Civil War life in southern states, and
-NM was initially known as the Sunshine State but Florida stole the term…and then NM became The Land of Enchantment.
Aside from the trivia, I had a really hard time reading. It was a compilation of essays by ~30 different authors, which led to a very piecemeal history with no cohesiveness and too much overlap (I was reading about Po’pay in 11 different essays). History nonfiction is hard enough (for me) to read, without having to deal with getting used to different writing styles every couple of pages. It was also trying to do too much by covering geography, people, history, politics – so it ended up being scant. Looking for better books on NM geography or NM history.
It was neat to learn attention-grabbing anecdotes about the state….
-the state flag is a Zia symbol from a Pueblo pot design,
-the Socorro magma body may erupt some day,
-the significance of Navajos and Mescaleros being shoved into Bosque Redondo during the Long Walk,
-Buffalo Soldiers = what Indians called black soldiers because of their short curly hair and their courage and fortitude,
-Blackdom = NM community built by and for black people fleeing the oppression of post-Civil War life in southern states, and
-NM was initially known as the Sunshine State but Florida stole the term…and then NM became The Land of Enchantment.
Aside from the trivia, I had a really hard time reading. It was a compilation of essays by ~30 different authors, which led to a very piecemeal history with no cohesiveness and too much overlap (I was reading about Po’pay in 11 different essays). History nonfiction is hard enough (for me) to read, without having to deal with getting used to different writing styles every couple of pages. It was also trying to do too much by covering geography, people, history, politics – so it ended up being scant. Looking for better books on NM geography or NM history.
November 17, 2015
In some parts it could have been more profound and broader in scope, in others it is perfect. I liked the personal stories which represent the micro-history of New Mexico. All in all, a book worth reading as a primer for those interested in the history and culture, and unique circumstances, of New Mexico.
September 23, 2014
This book was for my History of New Mexico class. The class is good, but the book is a little boring. I learned a lot from the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews