Deep in the southwest of the United States lies a land where the legacy of the Spanish Empire is felt not as a museum relic, but as a vibrant, living reality. Here, history is not frozen in stone—it shapes daily life, visible in the architecture, street names, and even the surnames of local residents. This is New Mexico, a state whose recorded history predates the American nation by centuries. In this corner of North America, echoes of distant Castile still resonate strongly today.
Contrary to common belief, the name “Nuevo México” has no connection to the neighboring country. This toponym appeared on maps long before modern-day Mexico gained independence. Spanish explorers, pushing north in the 16th century from already colonized lands, used it to name vast unknown territories. Driven by tales of untold riches, they hoped to find a civilization as mighty as the Aztec empire. The advanced Indigenous peoples they encountered in the Rio Grande valley, such as the Apache and Navajo, only reinforced these hopes, reminding them of the inhabitants of the Mexican highlands.
Official colonization began in 1598, when an expedition led by conquistador Juan de Oñate y Salazar established the first permanent European settlement, San Juan de los Caballeros. Just twelve years later, in 1610, the city of Santa Fe was founded, becoming the capital of this remote province of New Spain. This move secured its place in history, as Santa Fe remains the oldest state capital in the entire United States and the first permanent European city west of the Mississippi.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Franciscan friars built around eighty missions across the region. These churches were not only used to convert Native Americans to Christianity, but also served as centers of education, social organization, and political control. However, the imposition of foreign rule did not go smoothly. In 1680, the indigenous Pueblo peoples, led by a spiritual leader named Popé, staged one of the most successful uprisings against European domination in American history. Four hundred Spaniards were killed in the revolt, and the survivors were driven from these lands for twelve long years. When they returned, their strategy changed dramatically: to prevent further rebellions, the imperial administration compromised and allowed Catholicism to coexist with local beliefs. This remarkable blend of two worlds has survived to the present day.
The Spanish influence is evident everywhere. New Mexico leads all states in the concentration of Spanish-speaking place names. Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Española, Socorro—these names sound like music to anyone familiar with the Iberian language. Even natural landmarks, such as the Rio Grande river or the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, bear Spanish names. This heritage is also reflected in annual festivities. For instance, the September burning of the giant Zozobra effigy in Santa Fe, which symbolizes the woes and sorrows of the passing year, directly echoes the Valencian Fallas festival. And if you look closely at the coats of arms of the major cities, you’ll see lions, castles, and crosses—heraldic symbols borrowed directly from the Kingdom of Castile and León.
