New Mexico

True to its name, New Mexico boasts a unique cultural heritage melding the traditions of the Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache, Spanish settlers, and later immigrants from Anglo America. The United States acquired most of the territory in 1848 at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War and the remainder by the 1853 Gadsden Purchase, but New Mexico was admitted only in 1911, the 47th state. Services, particularly tourism-related, comprise the largest segment of the economy, although ranching and mining are significant. Carlsbad Caverns and the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the White Sands, desert ranches, and ski resorts are popular destinations. Not available for tourism is the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the facility at which the United States designs its nuclear weapons. The largest city is Albuquerque, approximately 60 miles southwest of Santa Fe, the capital.