Introduction

When doing business around the United States, New Mexico citizens are often mistaken for foreigners. For example, when the US hosted the 1996 Olympics, people from New Mexico trying to purchase tickets were asked to buy them through their embassy assuming they were from Mexico. Attending to the New Mexican's complaints, the United States Department of Interior has decided to do a study of the origins of the people of New Mexico. They are hiring a group of historians from the New Mexico History Department to do research.

The Task

You are a select group of historians searching historical records and information about New Mexico. Teams will be made up of one specialist in the history of Mexico, one specialist in the history of America in the southwest, one specialist in southwest Indian history, and one specialist in art. Each member of the team will represent the point of view of his/her assigned specialist. You will be required to find the origins of the people who inhabited this area. The history department has developed some questions you will research and answer. Each team will use its research information to present a report to the United States Department of Interior.

Divide your team into the four specialists. Each member will research his/her area of expertise and complete the following assignments that may be included in your report:

• Who were some of the earliest inhabitants of the area?
• In what way did the voyage of Christopher Columbus affect the Americas?
• Did Columbus have the right to claim Indian land for the Spanish crown?
• What routes did the explorers take in the United States?
• How did the New Mexico territory become part of the United States?
• How does New Mexico's past connect with its present?
• Display a piece of art from each of the three main cultural groups involved (Native-American, Mexican/Hispanic, Anglo-American).
• Each team will produce a multimedia presentation of its findings.

The Process

1. Document your findings to be used in your presentation.
2. To organize the documentation of your findings:
   a) Open a new word processing or spreadsheet document;
   b) Divide the page into three columns;
   c) Name the columns: Site Address, Name of Web Page, and Notes.
3. Save all your information to a floppy disk as your backup.
4. Meet as a team, analyze your findings, and develop your presentation.

Resources

Online Resources:

Welcome to 1492
The Santa Fe Trail Page
El Camino Real
Alacrán Press
Archives of the West
Santa Fe Indian Traders
Important dates and events in Mexican History
Independent Mexico
Azteca Page
This Day in History
Institute of Hispanic/Latino cultures
AltaVista Search Engine

Off Line Bibliography:

Native American

Griffin-Pierce, T. (1995). The Encyclopedia of Native America. Viking. ISBN 0-670-85104-3.

Hakim, J. (1993). The First Americans. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507745-8.

La Pierre, Y. (1994). Native American Rock Art: Messages from the Past. Thomasson-Grant. ISBN 1-56566-064-1.

Martell, H. M. (1993). Native Americans and Mesa Verde. Dillon Press. ISBN 0-87518-540-1.

Nies, J. (1996). Native American History. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-39350-3.

Roessel, M. (1995). Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave. Lerner. ISBN 0-8225-2657-3.

Sneve, V. D. H. (1993-1995). The Hopis (ISBN 0-8234-1194-X). The Navajos (ISBN 0-8234-1039-0). Holiday House.

Thomson, P. (1995). Katie Henio: Navajo Sheepherder. Cobblehill Books/Dutton. ISBN 0-525-65160-8.

Viola, H. J. (1996). North American Indians. Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-517-59017-4

Viola, H. J. (1998). Why We Remember. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-84303-X.

Mexican/Hispanic

Arnold, C. (1994). City of the Gods: Mexico' Ancient City of Teotihuacán. Clarion Books. ISBN 0-395-66584-1.

Hoobler, D. & T. (1994). The Mexican American Family Album. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508129-3.

Martinez, E. C. (Ed.) (1991). 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures. SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP). ISBN 0-9631123-0-9.

Martinez, E. C. (1995). The Mexican-American Experience. Millbrook Press. ISBN 1-56294-515-7.

Anglo American

Bacon M., & Blegen, D. (1995). Bent's Fort: Crossroads on the Santa Fe Trail. The Millbrook Press. ISBN 1-56294-526-2.

Lavender, D. (1995). The Santa Fe Trail. Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-1153-2.

Marrin, A. (1993). Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom.. Maxwell Macmillan. ISBN 0-689-31774-3

Learning Advice

1. Go to the resources and explore.
2. Make sure you document your information by following "The Process" directions.
3. Remember to include ALL points of view in your presentation.

Conclusion

This project has enabled you to learn about the history of the communities in the southwest by searching through various sources of information on your own. You should now be better able to draw your own conclusions as to how New Mexican culture was developed.

This page was written by Ron McCracken, Hermogena Slag, Laura E. Sujo de Montes, Joyce Wade. Last Updated: 10-10-97