Original subtitles

THE FIRST THINGS YOU NOTICE \h\h\h\h\h\hABOUT NEW MEXICO

ARE ITS VAST LANDSCAPES

AND THE WIDE-OPEN GLORY \h\h\h\h\hOF ITS SKIES.

THEN, YOU HEAR THE QUIET.

WITH AN AREA OF OVER 121,000 SQUARE MILES

\h\hAND A POPULATION OF JUST TWO MILLION,

\h\hNEW MEXICO CAN SEEM LIKE ONE OF OUR LONELIEST STATES.

BUT THERE’S A LOT MORE \h\h\h\hGOING ON HERE

THAN MEETS THE EYE, OR THE EAR.

IN NEW MEXICO, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE RUB SHOULDERS EVERY DAY.

\hBUSTLING CITIES LOOK TO TOMORROW,

WHILE MOVIE MAKERS LOOKING \hFOR THE NEXT BLOCKBUSTER

KEEP THE STATE’S WILD WEST \h\h\h\hYESTERDAYS ALIVE.

MODERN MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE THRIVES

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN A LAND SETTLED BY MISSIONARIES AND CONQUISTADORS.

TRADITIONAL NATIVE DWELLINGS \h\h\h\h\hINSPIRE ARCHITECTS

TO BUILD FUTURISTIC HOMES \h\h\h\hCALLED EARTHSHIPS.

OLD AIRSHIPS COME TO DIE,

WHILE RUMORS OF SPACESHIPS \h\hLURE CURIOSITY-SEEKERS

FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

\h\h\hSCIENTISTS LISTEN FOR REAL ALIENS AMONG THE STARS

\hAND DO RESEARCH THAT MAY SHAPE OUR FUTURE.

IT’S ALL IN NEW MEXICO--

A DECEPTIVELY QUIET STATE,

\hWHERE DREAMERS COME TO REACH FOR THE SKY.

NEW MEXICO HAS ALL THE QUIET \h\h\h\h\hYOU’LL EVER NEED.

AND IT’S NOT JUST THE KIND \h\hOF QUIET YOU CAN HEAR.

OUT ON THE REMOTE PLAINS \h\h\h\hOF SAN AUGUSTIN,

\hTHE RADIO FREQUENCIES ARE PRETTY SILENT, TOO.

THAT’S WHY A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS CAME HERE BACK IN 1980,

WHEN THEY WERE LOOKING FOR \h\hA PLACE TO PUT THIS--

\h\h\h\hA 230-TON TOWER WITH AN 82-FOOT-WIDE RADAR DISH.

THE SCIENTISTS WANTED TO USE IT

AND THE RADIO SILENCE OF THESE REMOTE PLAINS

TO LISTEN FOR FAINT SIGNALS \h\h\h\h\hFROM OUTER SPACE.

\hSO FAINT, THEY KNEW THAT A SINGLE ANTENNA

WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON ITS OWN.

SO, THEY BUILT 27 OF THE DISHES

TO CAPTURE THE DATA \h\hTHEY WERE AFTER.

\h\h\h\hTHEY CALL THEM THE VERY LARGE ARRAY.

THE ANTENNAS ARE MOUNTED ON \h39 MILES OF TRAIN TRACKS,

SO THE RESEARCHERS CAN MOVE THEM AROUND THE DESERT FLOOR

\h\h\hIN ORDER TO FINE-TUNE THEIR OBSERVATION OF SIGNALS

\hTHAT STARTED THEIR JOURNEY TO THIS CORNER OF NEW MEXICO

BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

CONTACT,

A SCIENTIST PLAYED \hBY JODIE FOSTER

CAME HERE TO LISTEN FOR \hEXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE.

\h\h\h\hRESEARCHERS HERE HAVEN’T YET HEARD E.T.,

BUT WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSO FAR

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHAS REVOLUTIONIZED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BLACK HOLES

AND YOUNG STARS,

ALLOWED SCIENTISTS TO TRACE \h\h\h\hCOMPLEX GAS MOTIONS

\hAT THE CENTER OF OUR OWN MILKY WAY,

AND SHOWN US THE FURTHEST EDGES OF THE UNIVERSE.

\h\hNEW STATE-OF-THE-ART ELECTRONICS AND SOFTWARE

\h\hWILL INCREASE THE ARRAY’S SENSITIVITY BY A FACTOR OF 10,

ENSURING THAT ASTRONOMERS CAN CONTINUE TO SEARCH THE SKIES,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND THAT THIS FUTURISTIC ADDITION

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO NEW MEXICO’S ANCIENT LANDSCAPE WILL ENDURE.

\hJUST AS THIS JAGGED PEAK HAS ENDURED FOR 30 MILLION YEARS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBACK THEN, THIS NEW MEXICAN LANDMARK

\hWAS THE MOLTEN CORE OF AN ACTIVE VOLCANO.

THE LAVA COOLED, AND TIME \hAND WIND BEGAN TO SCRAPE

THE REST OF THE VOLCANO AWAY.

THIS TOWER OF BASALT IS ALL THAT REMAINS.

\h\hTHE NAVAJO CALL IT "THE ROCK WITH WINGS,"

AFTER THE LEGEND OF A GREAT BIRD

THAT WAS SAID TO HAVE FIRST \h\h\hGUIDED THEIR ANCESTORS

TO THESE LANDS.

EUROPEAN-AMERICAN SETTLERS \hRENAMED IT "SHIP ROCK,"

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN HONOR OF ITS NAUTICAL SILHOUETTE,

AND THE WAY IT SEEMED TO MOVE \h\h\h\h\h\hALONG THE HORIZON.

\h\hTODAY, PEOPLE COME FROM AROUND THE WORLD

TO SEE IT SAIL THE DESERT

\h\h\h\hAND PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO A SEEMINGLY ETERNAL SYMBOL

OF NEW MEXICO’S TIMELESS BEAUTY.

\h\h\hBUT EVER-CHANGING PLACES, LIKE THE NEARBY BISTI BADLANDS,

ARE A PART OF THAT BEAUTY, TOO.

MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,

THIS BARREN LANDSCAPE \h\hIN THE HIGH DESERT

OF NORTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO’S \h\h\h\h\h\hSAN JUAN BASIN,

\h\hWAS A LUSH SWAMP ROAMED BY DINOSAURS.

IN THE AGES SINCE, TIME, WATER, AND WIND HAVE LEFT THEIR MARK.

ROCK FORMATIONS CALLED HOODOOS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSTAND GUARD

OVER AN EVER-SHIFTING LANDSCAPE.

\hVAST DEPOSITS OF FOSSILS ARE SOME OF THE ONLY CLUES

\hTHAT THESE DESOLATE HILLS WERE ONCE COVERED BY A GIANT WETLAND.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNOW WITHOUT WATER, THE 40,000-ACRE BISTI BADLANDS

IS A TOUGH PLACE TO SURVIVE.

\hBUT DON’T GET THE IDEA THAT ALL OF NEW MEXICO IS BONE DRY.

IN THE NORTH, THE RIO GRANDE \h\h\hFLOWS INTO THIS STATE

\h\h\h\hFROM ITS HEADWATERS IN COLORADO’S SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS,

BRINGING GREEN ALONG WITH IT.

AS THE RIVER FLOWS SOUTH,

\h\h\h\hITS COURSE IS SET BY A UNIQUE GEOLOGICAL FEATURE

THAT IS LITERALLY SPLITTING \h\h\h\h\hNEW MEXICO IN TWO.

\h\h\h\hTHEY CALL IT THE RIO GRANDE RIFT.

FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS,

TWO PLATES OF THE EARTH’S CRUST HAVE BEEN PULLING APART,

LEAVING BEHIND A CLEFT THAT RUNS THE LENGTH OF THE STATE.

\hWITH STEEP WALLS AND A DEEP CANYON,

IT’S NATURALLY ENGINEERED TO CARRY LIFE-GIVING WATER

\h\hTO NEW MEXICO’S DRY SOUTHERN DESERT.

BUT BEFORE IT REACHES THE SOUTH, THE RIFT NARROWS.

\hTHE RIO GRANDE MUST TWIST ITS WAY THROUGH A SERIES OF RAPIDS--

\h\h\hA PERFECT PLACE FOR ADVENTURE SEEKERS.

DESIGNATED A WILD AND SCENIC RIVER IN 1968,

THIS PART OF THE RIO GRANDE

\hDRAWS CROWDS OF WHITEWATER RAFTERS

EAGER TO TEST THEIR SKILLS.

\hCALLED ORILLA VERDE, OR "GREEN RIVERBANK,"

THIS SIX-MILE STRETCH OF RAPIDS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLIES 800 FEET BELOW THE RIM OF THE GORGE.

RAFTERS NAVIGATE AROUND \h\hTHE MASSIVE BOULDERS

THAT HAVE COME TO REST \h\hIN THIS RIVERBED.

FROM ABOVE, IT’S POSSIBLE TO SEE

HOW THE RIO GRANDE’S JAGGED PATH THROUGH THE FLAT DESERT FLOOR

HAS CREATED A STARK, BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE.

BUT THE MOST BREATHTAKING SIGHT ALONG THIS CHASM

MAY BE HUMAN-MADE.

\h\h\h\hBUILT IN 1965 ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 64,

THE RIO GRANDE GORGE BRIDGE \h\h\hLEAPS ACROSS THE RIFT

650 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER,

MAKING IT THE SECOND HIGHEST \h\h\h\h\h\hEXPANSION BRIDGE

IN THE UNITED STATES.

\h\h\hFARTHER SOUTH, THE CLIFFS FALL AWAY

AS THE RIO GRANDE BRINGS \h\h\hTHE GIFT OF WATER

TO CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, JUST AS IT HAS FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.

\h\h\hTHE RIVER HURRIES ALONG ON ITS ETERNAL JOURNEY SOUTH,

HEADING FOR THE STATE’S MODERN METROPOLIS--ALBUQUERQUE.

HOME TO THE UNIVERSITY \h\h\h\hOF NEW MEXICO

\h\hAND THE HEART OF THE STATE’S ECONOMY,

ALBUQUERQUE IS NEW MEXICO’S \h\h\h\h\h\h\hLARGEST CITY.

THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION PEOPLE--

\h\hMORE THAN A THIRD OF THE STATE’S POPULATION--

CALL THIS METROPOLITAN AREA \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHOME.

ONE REASON THIS FAST-GROWING \h\h\h\h\h\hCITY CAN SURVIVE

IS BECAUSE OF THE GIANT AQUIFER THAT LIES BENEATH IT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hRESIDENTS HERE DON’T HAVE THE WATER WOES

THAT PLAGUE OTHER BIG CITIES \h\h\h\h\hIN THE SOUTHWEST,

BUT THAT’S NOT THE CASE FOR MOST PEOPLE IN THIS BONE DRY STATE.

\h\h\hWHICH IS WHY THE WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE ARE SO PRECIOUS.

AND WHY THE GOVERNMENT BUILT \h\hTHIS RESERVOIR IN 1916,

CLOSE TO 150 MILES DOWNRIVER \h\h\h\h\hFROM ALBUQUERQUE.

ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM IS 300 FEET TALL.

IT’S NAMED FOR THE ANCIENT \h\h\hELEPHANT-SHAPED ROCK

\hTHAT RISES OUT OF THIS MAN-MADE LAKE.

ELECTRICITY FROM THE DAM’S HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

FEEDS 490 MILES OF TRANSMISSION LINES AND 11 SUBSTATIONS.

BUT IT’S THE WATER FROM THE RESERVOIR

\h\hTHAT’S TURNING THOUSANDS OF ACRES

OF NEW MEXICAN DESERT GREEN.

\h\h\hNURTURING ACRES OF PECAN GROVES LIKE THESE,

AND DOZENS OF OTHER CROPS,

CREATING THE CLOSEST THING \h\h\h\h\hTO A BREADBASKET

THIS DESERT STATE \hWILL EVER KNOW.

\hTHE RIO GRANDE’S LIFE-GIVING WATER

MAKES THIS TRANSFORMATION \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hPOSSIBLE.

\h\h\hBUT FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS, NEW MEXICO HAS ALSO BEEN SHAPED

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND RESHAPED BY A MUCH DEADLIER FORCE.

FLYING OVER THE SANDY FLOOR

OF SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO’S \h\h\h\h\h\hTULAROSA VALLEY,

A FORBIDDING LANDSCAPE APPEARS.

THIS IS THE VALLEY OF FIRE.

\h\h\h\h\h5,000 YEARS AGO, THIS VAST EXPANSE OF ROCK

WAS AN OCEAN OF MOLTEN LAVA \hFOUR MILES WIDE IN PLACES,

AND UP TO 160 FEET DEEP.

OVER MILLENNIA, THE ELEMENTS \h\h\h\hHAVE GROUND THE LAVA

INTO LIFE-GIVING SOIL

\h\hTHAT SEEMS FAR RICHER THAN THE DESERT AROUND IT.

BUT WHEN IT CAME BOILING OUT OF A NEARBY VOLCANO,

THIS DEADLY FLOW DEVOURED \h\hEVERYTHING IN ITS PATH

\h\h\h\h\hAND CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE FOREVER.

\h\hNOW, IT CAN BE EERILY QUIET HERE,

PROVING THAT IN NEW MEXICO,

EVEN THE MOST PEACEFUL SPOT \h\hMAY HIDE A VIOLENT PAST.

EVEN PLACES AS QUIET \hAS VALLES CALDERA.

TODAY, THIS IS ONE OF

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNEW MEXICO’S MOST UNSPOILED LANDSCAPES.

AND LIKE THE VALLEY OF FIRE, \h\hIT IS TEEMING WITH LIFE,

INCLUDING SOME OF THE LAST REMNANTS

OF AMERICA’S ONCE-VAST \h\hHERDS OF WILD ELK.

THESE PEACEFUL GRASSLANDS \h\h\h\hGIVE THESE ANIMALS

A PLACE TO BREED, CALVE AND FORAGE.

BUT OVER A MILLION YEARS AGO,

TWO GIANT VOLCANOES RIPPED \h\hTHESE MOUNTAINS APART

WITH A FORCE 600 TIMES STRONGER

THAN THE BLAST THAT LEVELED \h\h\h\hMOUNT SAINT HELENS.

THEY SPEWED 150 CUBIC MILES \h\h\hOF LAVA ONTO THE LAND

\h\hAND SHOT OUT CLOUDS OF ASH THAT FELL AS FAR AWAY AS IOWA.

\hTHEN, THEY COLLAPSED IN GIGANTIC IMPLOSIONS

THAT PUNCHED A 175-SQUARE-MILE \h\h\h\h\h\hHOLE IN THE EARTH

\h\hAND LEFT NOTHING BEHIND BUT THESE PEACEFUL MEADOWS.

TODAY, GEOLOGISTS SAY

\hTHAT THERE’S JUST A ONE PERCENT CHANCE

OF ANOTHER VOLCANIC ERUPTION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN NEW MEXICO

WITHIN IN THE NEXT 100 YEARS.

\h\h\h\hBUT FOUR MILES BELOW THE VALLES CALDERA’S FLOOR,

THE MAGMA CONTINUES TO BUBBLE.

THAT DOESN’T SEEM TO WORRY THE ELK,

AND IT DID NOT SEEM TO BOTHER \h\hLUIS MARIA CABEZA DE BACA.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBACK IN 1821, BACA ESTABLISHED A RANCH HERE

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT LASTED UNTIL THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BOUGHT IT

FOR PARKLAND IN THE YEAR 2000.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN BETWEEN, THE STEWARDS OF THIS LAND

MADE SURE TO PRESERVE \hITS NATURAL BEAUTY.

THEIR SUCCESS BROUGHT THE OFFER FROM THE PARK SERVICE

AND CAUGHT THE EYE OF MOVIE PRODUCERS

LOOKING TO RECREATE \h\h\hTHE WILD WEST.

\hGREGORY PECK, ANJELICA HUSTON, LIAM NEESON, AND PIERCE BROSNAN

ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ACTORS WHO HAVE CHEWED THE SCENERY HERE.

BUT THE VALLES CALDERA ISN’T THE ONLY SPOT IN NEW MEXICO

\hWHERE HOLLYWOOD HAS COME KNOCKING.

AND THE OWNERS OF BACA’S LAND \hAREN’T THE ONLY NEW MEXICANS

\h\h\h\h\hWHO’VE ROLLED OUT THE WELCOME MAT WHEN IT DID.

\h\h\hSINCE FIRST GOING INTO THE MOVIE BUSINESS IN 1955,

BONANZA CREEK RANCH HAS PLAYED HOST TO DOZENS OF FILM CREWS.

KIRK DOUGLAS, HENRY FONDA, MATT DAMON, PENELOPE CRUZ,

AND, OF COURSE, JOHN WAYNE \h\h\hHAVE ALL WORKED HERE

IN THIS CAMERA-READY VERSION OF THE WEST.

\hSTARS AND WANNABE STARS STILL COME HERE TO BURNISH THEIR IMAGE

IN NEW MEXICO’S GOLDEN LIGHT.

AND BONANZA CREEK ISN’T THEIR ONLY DESTINATION.

IN 1984, DIRECTOR \hLAWRENCE KASDAN

CAME TO NEW MEXICO LOOKING \hFOR THE RIGHT LANDSCAPE

TO BUILD THE REALISTIC \h\h\h\h\hWESTERN TOWN

CALLED FOR IN HIS SCRIPT, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSILVERADO.

HE FOUND IT IN A PLACE \hCALLED COOK’S RANCH,

\h\h\hHOME TO FOURTH GENERATION WESTERNERS BILL AND MARIAN COOK.

\hBEFORE LONG, KEVIN KLINE, SCOTT GLENN, KEVIN COSTNER,

\h\hAND DANNY GLOVER WERE SHOOTING IT OUT

IN THESE REALISTIC \hWESTERN STREETS.

\h\h\h\h\hGLOVER CAME BACK WITH ROBERT DUVALL, TOMMY LEE JONES,

LONESOME DOVE.

TODAY, BILL AND MARIAN CONTINUE TO RENT OUT THE SETS

AND TO WELCOME THE STARS, \h\h\hDIRECTORS AND CREWS

THAT HAVE BEEN COMING AND GOING HERE EVER SINCE.

\hBUT THERE’S A LOT MORE TO NEW MEXICO’S WESTERN HISTORY

THAN FICTIONAL GUNFIGHTERS \h\h\hAND HOLLYWOOD HYPE.

\h\h\hTHERE WAS A TIME WHEN THIS REALLY WAS THE WILD, WILD WEST.

FOR MOST OF THE 19th CENTURY, \h\h\hREAL COWBOYS AND INDIANS

WAGED A BITTER AND ULTIMATELY \h\hTRAGIC WAR OVER THIS LAND.

\h\h\h\h\hAND FEW THINGS ANGERED THE REGION’S NATIVE PEOPLES MORE

THAN THE THOUSANDS OF WAGONS

THAT CUT THESE DEEP RUTS \hACROSS MILES OF LAND,

\h\hBRINGING THE FIRST FLOOD OF AMERICAN SETTLERS TO NEW MEXICO

ALONG THE FAMED SANTA FE TRAIL.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE TRAIL STARTED ON THE BANKS OF THE MISSOURI RIVER

\h\h\h\hAND HEADED WEST ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS.

FOR OVER 50 YEARS,

IT WAS THE MAIN ROUTE INTO NEW MEXICO FROM THE EAST,

REACHING ALL THE WAY \h\h\h\hTO SANTA FE.

\h\h\h\hIT WAS BLAZED IN 1821 BY AN ADVENTUROUS ENTREPRENEUR

FROM FRANKLIN, MISSOURI, \hNAMED WILLIAM BECKNELL

WHO WAS LOOKING FOR NEW MARKETS FOR HIS GOODS.

BY THE 1840s,

\h\h\hSETTLERS AND MERCHANDISE WERE STREAMING DOWN THE TRAIL.

\h\hTHESE WAGON RUTS ARE ALL THAT’S LEFT.

\h\h\hTHE PLAINS OF NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO

\h\hLOOK JUST AS THEY DID IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSTILL TODAY, HERDS OF PRONGHORN GATHER HERE

ON THEIR LONG ANNUAL MIGRATIONS.

ONLY FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA,

THESE UNGULATES ARE THE FASTEST LAND ANIMALS ON THE CONTINENT.

TO OUTRUN PREDATORS LIKE WOLVES,

PRONGHORN CAN REACH A TOP SPEED OF NEARLY 60 MILES PER HOUR.

\hTHE BIGGEST THREATS TO THIS SPECIES TODAY

\hARE DEVELOPMENT, COYOTES AND CARS.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT IN THE 1800s, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PRONGHORN

WERE SLAUGHTERED BY TRAVELERS \h\h\h\hON THE SANTA FE TRAIL.

AND PRONGHORN WEREN’T \h\h\h\hTHE ONLY ONES

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHREATENED BY THE GREAT MIGRATION WEST.

AS MORE AND MORE SETTLERS \hFLOODED ONTO THIS LAND,

APACHE, NAVAJO, COMANCHE,

AND OTHER NATIVE PEOPLES \h\h\h\h\hIN NEW MEXICO,

DESPERATE TO PRESERVE THEIR ANCIENT RIGHTS TO THE LAND,

\hWERE DETERMINED TO STEM THIS TIDE.

IN THE 1860s AND ’70s,

THEIR RELENTLESS ATTACKS MADE THE SANTA FE TRAIL

ONE OF THE FRONTIER’S MOST DANGEROUS ROADS.

BUT THERE WAS A SAFE HAVEN FOR \hTHE SETTLERS ALONG THE WAY--

A FRONTIER OUTPOST CALLED FORT UNION.

TODAY, ALL THAT’S LEFT \h\h\h\h\hOF THE FORT

ARE THESE HEAVILY ERODED RUINS.

BUT IN THE LATE 1800s, THIS WAS A BUSTLING FRONTIER OUTPOST.

FROM HERE, THE U.S. CAVALRY SALLIED OUT INTO THE DESERT

TO PUT DOWN NATIVE UPRISINGS AND PROTECT THE SETTLERS’ INTERESTS.

THEN, WITH THE ARRIVAL OF \hTHE TRAIN IN NEW MEXICO

AND THE END OF THE INDIAN WARS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1879,

BOTH THE SANTA FE TRAIL \h\h\h\h\hAND FORT UNION

WERE SUDDENLY OBSOLETE.

THE FORT CLOSED FOR GOOD \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1891.

LOCAL SETTLERS SOON BEGAN SCAVENGING BRICKS AND WOOD

FROM ITS WALLS.

TIME AND THE ELEMENTS \h\h\h\hDID THE REST.

IT’S HARD TO BLAME \hTHE SCAVENGERS.

IN THESE HIGH ALTITUDE PLAINS,

\h\h\hBUILDING MATERIALS CAN BE HARD TO COME BY.

AND WITH TEMPERATURES THAT RANGE

\h\h\h\hFROM MINUS 50 TO 122 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

BUILDING THE RIGHT KIND OF HOUSE

CAN BE A MATTER OF \hLIFE AND DEATH.

NOW, AN ECO-VISIONARY NAMED MICHAEL REYNOLDS

THINKS HE’S FIGURED OUT \hTHE BEST WAY TO DO IT.

OUTSIDE TAOS, REYNOLDS IS PIONEERING THE DEVELOPMENT

OF ENTIRE SUBDIVISIONS OF ECO-FRIENDLY HOMES

HE CALLS EARTHSHIPS.

AND, JUST LIKE THE SETTLERS \h\h\h\h\h\hNEAR FORT UNION,

\h\hHE’S DOING A LOT OF IT WITH STUFF HE’S SCAVENGED.

THE LOAD-BEARING WALLS \h\h\hOF THESE HOUSES

ARE BUILT OUT OF OLD TIRES \h\h\h\hPACKED WITH DIRT,

AND SPACES BETWEEN THE TIRES

\h\h\h\hARE FILLED IN WITH RECYCLED BOTTLES AND CANS.

THEN, THE WALLS ARE PLASTERED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND FINISHED.

\hTO KEEP THE HOUSES AS GREEN AS HE CAN,

REYNOLDS CAREFULLY SITUATES THEM TO ALLOW PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING,

AND BURROWS THEM INTO THE GROUND

\hTO KEEP THEM COOL IN THE DESERT HEAT.

BUYERS CAN EITHER CHOOSE \h\h\hA STOCK BLUEPRINT,

OR WORK WITH REYNOLDS TO CREATE THEIR OWN DREAM HOME.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT NO MATTER HOW WHIMSICAL THE DESIGN,

\h\h\h\hTHEY ARE ALL EMINENTLY PRACTICAL.

ACCORDING TO REYNOLDS,

HIS EARTHSHIPS COST NO MORE \h\hTHAN AN ORDINARY HOUSE,

MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR \hANYONE TO LIVE WELL,

WHILE LEAVING A LIGHT FOOTPRINT ON THE DESERT LAND.

BUT EARTHSHIP OWNERS AREN’T THE FIRST AMBITIOUS DREAMERS

TO THINK THEY’VE FOUND THE ANSWER TO SURVIVAL

IN NEW MEXICO.

THIS STATE IS LITTERED WITH THE BONES OF ANCIENT CITIES

THAT STARTED BIG, THEN WITHERED UNDER THE MERCILESS DESERT SUN.

\h\hTHE REMAINS OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST

STILL LIE SCATTERED \h\hACROSS THE FLOOR

OF THE REMOTE CHACO CANYON.

STARTING AROUND THE YEAR 800, A PEOPLE KNOWN AS THE ANASAZI

BUILT A SERIES OF GREAT HOUSES \hAND CEREMONIAL CENTERS HERE.

HUGE STONE BUILDINGS OVERLOOKING BROAD PUBLIC PLAZAS

\h\h\h\h\h\hWERE LINKED BY A COMPLEX SYSTEM OF ROADS

\h\h\h\hTHAT MAY HAVE STRETCHED ALL THE WAY TO THE AZTEC EMPIRE

IN WHAT IS NOW MEXICO.

\hUP TO 5,000 PEOPLE MAY HAVE LIVED HERE.

\h\h\h\hBUT EVEN AFTER STUDYING THESE RUINS FOR OVER 100 YEARS,

SCIENTISTS STILL KNOW \h\h\h\h\hVERY LITTLE

ABOUT WHO THE BUILDERS WERE, \h\h\hWHERE THEY CAME FROM,

OR WHERE THEY WENT.

\h\h\hWHAT THEY DO KNOW IS THAT AROUND THE YEAR 1150,

THESE ANCIENT PEOPLE \hSTARTED TO LEAVE.

SOME SAY THEY WERE DRIVEN AWAY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBY FIERCE HEAT

AND 50 DROUGHT YEARS IN A ROW.

OTHERS WHISPER OF WAR \h\h\hAND CANNIBALISM.

WHATEVER THE REASONS,

\h\h\h\hABOUT 100 YEARS AFTER THE EXODUS BEGAN,

\h\h\h\hTHE LAST RESIDENTS CAREFULLY SEALED THE DOORS

OF THE BUILDINGS AND WALKED AWAY.

A FEW OF THEM MAY HAVE \h\h\h\hENDED UP HERE,

IN BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT’S FRIJOLE CANYON,

\h\h\h\hWHERE NEW MEXICO’S NEXT EXPERIMENT IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

WAS JUST TAKING OFF.

\h\h\hAS THE CIVILIZATION IN CHACO CANYON COLLAPSED,

\h\h\hPUEBLO PEOPLE STARTED COMING HERE

\h\h\h\hTO BUILD THEIR HOMES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CLIFFS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY DESIGNED THEIR WOOD, ROCK AND MUD HOUSES

\h\h\h\h\h\hTO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COOL STONE AND THE WARM SUN,

JUST AS NEW MEXICO’S EARTHSHIPS DO TODAY.

\hTHE CANYON HOLDS ONE OF THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS

OF PREHISTORIC SITES \h\h\hIN THE WORLD,

\hINCLUDING A VAST CEREMONIAL CHAMBER

PERCHED 140 FEET UP THE CLIFF.

\h\hTHE ONLY WAY TO GET THERE IS BY CLIMBING FOUR STEEP LADDERS.

IT’S NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED,

THOUGH THOSE WHO LIVED HERE

WOULD HAVE HAULED WATER AND SUPPLIES

UP THE STEEP WALLS EVERY DAY.

\h\hONCE INSIDE, VISITORS GET A UNIQUE ACOUSTIC EXPERIENCE--

\h\hVOICES ECHO OFF THE WALLS AND CARRY ACROSS THE CHAMBER.

IN THE END, THIS COMMUNITY \h\h\h\h\hFARED NO BETTER

THAN THAT OF CHACO CANYON.

IN THE 1500s, FAMINE AND DROUGHT FORCED THE RESIDENTS

TO ABANDON THEIR HOMES.

BUT TODAY, ONE NATIVE COMMUNITY

\hIS LIVING ALMOST EXACTLY AS THEY DID HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO

ON THE VERY TOP OF THIS MESA.

IT’S CALLED ACOMA PUEBLO

\h\h\h\h\hAND IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY INHABITED SITE

IN THE UNITED STATES.

\h\h\h\h\h\hOVER 800 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST HOMES WERE BUILT HERE,

THE PEOPLE OF ACOMA STILL SURVIVE IN THIS HARSH LAND

JUST AS THEIR ANCESTORS DID--

IN STURDY HOUSES MADE OF MUD AND STRAW BRICKS COVERED IN EARTH.

\hTHE THICK WALLS OF THESE DWELLINGS

KEEP THEIR OWNERS WARM IN THE WINTER AND COOL IN THE SUMMER.

THIS BUILDING TYPE HAS BEEN USED IN HOT, DRY CLIMATES

\h\h\h\hAROUND THE WORLD FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

TODAY, IT’S OFTEN IDENTIFIED BY THE SPANISH WORD FOR IT--ADOBE.

\h\hBUT ACOMA’S FOUNDERS WEREN’T JUST PRACTICAL,

THEY WERE ALSO DEEPLY SPIRITUAL.

THEY MAY HAVE PICKED THIS SITE

BECAUSE OF THE COMMANDING VIEW \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT PROVIDES

OF THIS 400-FOOT-HIGH PLATEAU \h\h\h\h\h\h\hACROSS THE WAY.

IT’S CALLED ENCHANTED MESA.

THE ACOMA HAVE LONG REVERED IT

AS THE DWELLING PLACE \h\h\h\hOF THEIR GODS.

BUT WHEN SPANISH CONQUISTADORS \hFIRST ARRIVED HERE IN 1540,

NATIVE BELIEFS LIKE THIS \h\h\hCAME UNDER ATTACK.

SPANISH MISSIONARIES WERE \h\h\hDETERMINED TO IMPOSE

\h\h\hTHEIR OWN RELIGION ON NEW MEXICO’S NATIVE PEOPLE.

IN 1629, THEY PUT THEIR \h\hNEW SUBJECTS TO WORK

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUILDING ACOMA’S MISSION SAN ESTEBAN DEL REY

\h\h\hIN THE STYLE OF THE NATIVE ADOBE DWELLINGS SURROUNDING IT.

\h\h\hITS TALL, THICK WALLS KEPT THE CONGREGATION COOL.

IT WAS BUILT WITHOUT WINDOWS

\h\h\hSO THAT THE CHURCH COULD DOUBLE AS A FORT,

\hOR MAYBE SO THAT RELUCTANT CONVERTS COULDN’T GET AWAY.

\hTODAY, IT STANDS OVER ACOMA AS A SYMBOL OF CHRISTIAN CONQUEST,

\h\hJUST AS SIMILAR ADOBE-STYLE CHURCHES

\h\hLOOM OVER MOST PUEBLO COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE.

\hBUT THE MOST CELEBRATED ADOBE CHURCH IN NEW MEXICO

ISN’T IN A PUEBLO.

\hIT’S SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS MISSION IN THE CITY OF TAOS.

CONSTRUCTION OF THIS CHURCH \h\h\h\h\h\h\hBEGAN IN 1772

IN THE PUREST ADOBE STYLE.

MORE THAN 150 YEARS LATER,

ITS STARK BEAUTY INSPIRED ONE OF AMERICA’S GREATEST ARTISTS

\h\hTO CREATE SOME OF HER MOST ICONIC WORKS.

\hTHE GREAT AMERICAN ARTIST GEORGIA O’KEEFFE ONCE SAID,

"IF YOU EVER GO TO NEW MEXICO,

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT WILL ITCH YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE."

O’KEEFFE FIRST CAME TO THE STATE IN 1917 AT THE AGE OF 30.

"FROM THEN ON," SHE SAID LATER,

"I WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO GET BACK THERE."

BY THE TIME SHE FINALLY \h\h\hRETURNED IN 1929,

O’KEEFFE WAS AN UP-AND-COMING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hNEW YORK PAINTER

LOOKING FOR A CHANGE OF SCENERY AND A LITTLE PEACE AND QUIET.

FOR THE NEXT TWO DECADES,

SHE CAME BACK TO NEW MEXICO \h\h\h\h\hALMOST EVERY YEAR.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1949, SHE LEFT NEW YORK FOR GOOD

AND SETTLED IN THIS VALLEY \h\h\h\hNORTH OF SANTA FE,

IN A PLACE CALLED GHOST RANCH.

FROM THEN ON, THE LANDSCAPE \h\h\h\h\hAROUND THE VALLEY

WAS THE PRINCIPLE SUBJECT \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF HER ART.

\h\h\hSHE PAINTED SOME OF ITS LANDMARKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

KITCHEN MESA, WHICH LOOMS OVER \hTHE NORTH END OF THE RANCH,

WAS A BELOVED SUBJECT.

\h\h\h\hBUT THE NATURAL LANDMARK O’KEEFFE MAY HAVE LOVED THE MOST

\h\hWAS A FLAT-TOPPED MOUNTAIN TO THE SOUTH CALLED PEDERNAL.

"IT’S MY PRIVATE MOUNTAIN," \h\h\h\h\h\h\hSHE EXPLAINED.

\h\h"GOD TOLD ME IF I PAINTED IT OFTEN ENOUGH, I COULD HAVE IT."

O’KEEFFE LOVED MANY \h\hOF NEW MEXICO’S

HUMAN-MADE LANDMARKS, TOO.

HER PAINTINGS OF THE BARE WALLS AND SIMPLE ADOBE FORMS

OF SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS MISSION IN NEARBY TAOS

\hARE SOME OF HER MOST FAMOUS WORKS.

BUT OTHER NEW MEXICANS HAVEN’T ALWAYS SHARED

O’KEEFFE’S ENTHUSIASM FOR ADOBE STRUCTURES.

ALBUQUERQUE’S SAN FELIPE DE NERI CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1793

WITH FIVE-FOOT-THICK \h\h\h\hADOBE WALLS.

BUT LATER CONGREGATIONS CHOSE \h\hTO HIDE ITS PUEBLO ORIGINS

BEHIND EUROPEAN-STYLE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS.

AND NEARBY, IN 1869, THE ADOBE \h\h\hSAINT FRANCIS CATHEDRAL

WAS COMPLETELY TORN DOWN \h\h\h\h\h\hAND REBUILT

IN A ROMANESQUE REVIVAL STYLE BY A NEWLY APPOINTED FRENCH BISHOP.

\h\h\h\hBY THE EARLY 1900s, ADOBE WAS SO OUT OF FASHION

THAT WHEN UNIVERSITY \h\h\hOF NEW MEXICO

PRESIDENT WILLIAM TIGHT

\h\h\hSTARTED REDESIGNING CAMPUS BUILDINGS IN THE PUEBLO MANNER,

HE SET OFF A FIRESTORM THAT COST HIM HIS JOB.

BUT JUST A FEW YEARS LATER,

A NEW FAD FOR INDIGENOUS \hAMERICAN ARCHITECTURE

WOULD SPARK A PUEBLO REVIVAL \h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUILDING BOOM.

TODAY, PUEBLO ADOBE STYLE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUILDINGS

ARE EVERYWHERE IN NEW MEXICO.

\h\h\h\h\hTHEY SPRAWL ACROSS THE ONCE-PRISTINE LANDSCAPE.

THE TRUTH IS,

\h\h\h\hMOST OF THESE HOUSES AREN’T REALLY ADOBE AT ALL.

THEIR WALLS ARE OFTEN JUST STUDS AND FOAM INSULATION

SLATHERED WITH PAINTED CONCRETE.

EVEN NOW AT THE UNIVERSITY \h\h\h\h\h\hOF NEW MEXICO,

ADOBE-STYLE ARCHITECTURE \h\h\h\h\hRULES THE DAY.

FOUNDED IN 1889, ITS 600-ACRE \h\hMAIN CAMPUS IN ALBUQUERQUE

IS NOW FAMED FOR ITS BELOVED \hPUEBLO REVIVAL BUILDINGS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT DON’T LET THE TRADITIONAL LOOK FOOL YOU.

U.N.M. IS THOROUGHLY UP TO DATE.

MANY OF ITS GRADS WILL GO ON

TO WORK IN THE CITY’S GROWING \h\h\h\h\h\hHIGH TECH SECTOR.

OTHERS MAY END UP WORKING HERE,

\h\h\h\hIN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO’S LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY.

\h\h\h\h\hIF THEY DO, NO ONE MAY EVER KNOW.

\h\h\h\hTHIS IS ONE OF THE MOST TOP-SECRET GOVERNMENT FACILITIES

IN AMERICA.

LOS ALAMOS WAS FOUNDED \hDURING WORLD WAR II

\h\hAS PART OF THE EFFORT TO BUILD THE ATOMIC BOMB.

NEW MEXICO’S VAST EMPTY SPACES

\h\hMADE THIS THE PERFECT SPOT FOR KEEPING THE EFFORT QUIET.

\h\h\h\hTODAY, IT SERVES AS ONE OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT’S

PREMIER NATIONAL SECURITY \h\hRESEARCH INSTITUTIONS.

\h\hITS MISSION--TO MAINTAIN THE SAFETY, SECURITY AND RELIABILITY

\hOF THE NATION’S NUCLEAR DETERRENT.

LOS ALAMOS STORES THOUSANDS \h\hOF POUNDS OF PLUTONIUM,

THOUGH, WHERE, EXACTLY,

\h\hIS ONLY KNOW BY THOSE WITH HIGH-LEVEL CLEARANCE.

\hYET, WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF TOP-SECRET AND NEW MEXICO,

THIS ISN’T NECESSARILY THE FIRST PLACE THAT COMES TO MIND.

THAT DISTINCTION MAY GO \hTO A DESOLATE AIR BASE

200 MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST, \h\h\h\h\h\hCALLED ROSWELL.

IN THE EARLY DAYS \hOF THE COLD WAR,

ROSWELL WAS AN OBSCURE OUTPOST

OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE’S \hSTRATEGIC AIR COMMAND.

THEN, IN 1947,

\h\h\hA LOCAL RANCHER FOUND WHAT HE CLAIMED TO BE A FLYING SAUCER

THAT HAD CRASHED ON HIS LAND.

THE DEBRIS WAS BROUGHT HERE \h\h\hTO THE BASE FOR STUDY.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE MILITARY CLAIMED IT WAS JUST A WEATHER BALLOON,

\h\h\h\hBUT WHISKED IT AWAY TO OTHER BASES IN TEXAS AND OHIO

FOR FURTHER TESTS.

WHEN THE STORY LEAKED,

SENSATIONAL NEWS REPORTS \h\h\h\h\h\hMADE ROSWELL

\h\h\h\h\h\hA SYMBOL OF GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACIES

\h\h\hTO COVER UP THE EXISTENCE OF VISITORS FROM OTHER PLANETS.

THE INCIDENT SPARKED A UFO SCARE

AND INSPIRED DECADES OF SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES.

\h\h\hTHEN, 50 YEARS AFTER THE INCIDENT,

THE AIR FORCE RELEASED A REPORT

ADMITTING THAT THE WRECKAGE WAS PART OF A SECRET SYSTEM

OF ATOMIC ESPIONAGE.

\h\h\hBUT FOR REAL BELIEVERS, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER COVER-UP.

THE TOWN OF ROSWELL HAS MADE \h\h\h\h\hA COTTAGE INDUSTRY

OUT OF UFOs EVER SINCE.

THOUSANDS OF THE CURIOUS \h\h\h\h\hAND THE CRAZY

COME TO ROSWELL’S UFO MUSEUM \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hEVERY YEAR,

DRAWN BY THE STRANGE STORY \h\hOF THE 1947 INCIDENT--

A MYSTERY THAT MAY \hNEVER BE SOLVED.

BUT THERE’S NO MYSTERY \h\h\h\hABOUT THE FATE

OF MOST OF THE OTHER AIRCRAFT \h\h\hTHAT END UP IN ROSWELL.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE AIRPORT IS HOME TO A PRIVATE AIRPLANE SALVAGE YARD,

WHERE JETS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME, NOT JUST TO DIE,

BUT TO BE DISMEMBERED.

ONCE, THIS MD80 FERRIED \h\h\h\hEXCITED TOURISTS

AND HARRIED EXECUTIVES \hACROSS THE COUNTRY.

NOW, IT’S WORN OUT, OUTDATED, OBSOLETE,

AND HEADED FOR THE SCRAP YARD.

THE INTERIOR HAS ALREADY BEEN \h\h\h\hSTRIPPED OF ITS WIRING

AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS.

NOW IT’S TIME TO FINISH THE JOB.

IT TOOK THOUSANDS OF HOURS \h\h\hTO BUILD THIS PLANE.

DESTROYING IT TAKES \h\h\hJUST MINUTES--

ONE BITE, RIP AND CRUNCH \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAT A TIME.

ONCE IT’S BROKEN DOWN \h\h\hINTO TINY BITS,

THE PLANE’S ALUMINUM SKIN \hAND OTHER RAW MATERIALS

WILL BE SOLD AND RECYCLED.

THESE JETS ARE JUST WAITING THEIR TURN,

BUT ONE WILL BE SPARED \h\h\h\h\hDESTRUCTION.

THIS 1962 LOCKHEED JETSTAR \hONCE BELONGED TO A KING.

THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT IS--

ELVIS PRESLEY HIMSELF.

BUT PRESLEY ISN’T \hTHE ONLY SINGER

WHO’S MADE A BIG IMPRESSION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN NEW MEXICO.

EVERY SUMMER, MUSIC LOVERS COME HERE TO THE SANTA FE OPERA HOUSE

TO LISTEN TO UP-AND-COMING \h\hSINGERS AND TOP STARS

PERFORM MANY OF THE GREATEST \h\h\h\hOPERAS EVER WRITTEN.

\h\h\h\hSOME OF THEM MAY TAKE A SIDE TRIP TO NEARBY TESUQUE

TO VISIT THE SHIDONI \hSCULPTURE GARDEN,

AN EIGHT-ACRE DISPLAY \hOF MODERN SCULPTURE.

IT’S JUST ONE PART

\hOF THE REGION’S THRIVING GALLERY AND MUSEUM SCENE.

BUT SANTA FE ISN’T \hJUST THE CENTER

OF NEW MEXICO’S CULTURAL LIFE--

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

\h\hIT’S BEEN THE CENTER OF THE STATE’S POLITICAL LIFE AS WELL.

IN 1610, KING PHILIP III \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF SPAIN’S

\hROYAL GOVERNOR, PEDRO DE PERALTA,

NAMED THE TINY VILLAGE OF \hSANTA FE AS HIS CAPITAL

AND BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OF A HOME FOR HIS NEW ADMINISTRATION.

THAT BUILDING, NOW KNOWN AS THE PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS,

IS THE OLDEST GOVERNMENT \h\hBUILDING IN AMERICA.

THE PLAZA IT FACES REMAINED \hTHE CENTER OF SPANISH LIFE

IN NEW MEXICO UNTIL 1821,

WHEN THE MEXICANS THREW \h\hTHE KING’S MEN OUT.

THEN, IN THE 1840s,

\h\h\h\h\h\hFRICTION BETWEEN THE NEW NATION AND THE U.S.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLED TO THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR.

ON AUGUST 18, 1846, U.S. ARMY \hGENERAL STEPHEN WATTS KEARNY

MARCHED HIS TROOPS \h\hINTO THE PLAZA

AND RAISED THE AMERICAN FLAG \h\h\h\h\h\hOVER THE PALACE,

WHERE IT STILL FLIES TODAY.

FIVE YEARS LATER,

SANTA FE BECAME THE CAPITAL \h\hOF NEW MEXICO TERRITORY,

\h\h\h\h\hAFTER MEXICO CEDED ITS FORMER STATE TO THE U.S.

\hIN THE TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO.

TODAY, THE 2,000-MILE \hINTERNATIONAL BORDER

THE TREATY CREATED

REMAINS A FLASH POINT FOR CONTROVERSY AND CONFLICT.

THOUSANDS OF IMMIGRANTS

CROSS ILLEGALLY INTO NEW MEXICO EVERY YEAR.

MOST ARE LOOKING FOR JOBS \h\h\h\hAND A BETTER LIFE.

BUT MEXICAN DRUG LORDS \h\h\hARE HELPING FUEL

A GROWING CROSS-BORDER TRADE \h\h\h\hIN COCAINE, HEROIN,

MARIJUANA, AND WEAPONS.

\hHERE, A MEXICAN HIGHWAY LIES JUST FEET FROM THE TALL FENCE

THAT NOW SEPARATES THE UNITED STATES

FROM ITS SOUTHERN NEIGHBOR.

ON THE U.S. SIDE--EMPTY DESERT

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION OFFICERS

WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO SCAN FOR SIGNS OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.

\hTHEY DRAG THE GROUND ON THE U.S. SIDE OF THE FENCE

TO MAKE THE FOOTPRINTS OF THOSE WHO CROSS ILLEGALLY

EASIER TO TRACK.

BUT BACK IN 1916, THERE WAS \h\h\hNO ONE AROUND TO STOP

ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS BORDER CROSSINGS IN U.S. HISTORY--

A RAID ON THE TOWN OF COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO,

BY A MEXICAN BANDIT \hAND REVOLUTIONARY

NAMED PANCHO VILLA.

\h\h\hVILLA’S MEN CROSSED OVER ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 9, 1916.

BY THE TIME THEY CROSSED BACK \h\h\h\h\h\hA FEW HOURS LATER,

COLUMBUS WAS IN FLAMES.

\hSOON, PUBLIC OPINION IN THE U.S. WAS, TOO.

\h\h\hSOME SAY VILLA WAS OUT FOR REVENGE

ON AN AMERICAN GUNRUNNER \h\hWHO HAD CHEATED HIM.

\h\hOTHERS SAY HE WAS TRYING TO SPARK ANOTHER WAR WITH THE U.S.

HE ALMOST SUCCEEDED.

\hEVEN TO THIS DAY, VILLA’S DARING RAID

REMAINS A GREAT SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR MEXICANS,

\h\h\h\hAND NOT JUST SOUTH OF THE BORDER.

\h\hAFTER THE AMERICANS TOOK OVER IN NEW MEXICO,

\h\hMANY OF ITS CITIZENS OF SPANISH AND MEXICAN DESCENT

CONTINUED TO CELEBRATE \h\h\hTHEIR HERITAGE,

THEIR CULTURE, AND THEIR FAITH.

THEY STILL DO TODAY,

EVEN IF THEY DON’T ALWAYS \h\hHONOR THEIR TRADITIONS

EXACTLY AS THEIR ANCESTORS DID.

\h\h\h\hIN THE SMALL NORTHERN NEW MEXICAN TOWN OF ESPANOLA,

MEXICAN AMERICANS HAVE DEVELOPED THEIR OWN UNIQUELY MODERN WAY

TO CELEBRATE THEIR ROOTS.

\h\h\h\h\hAROUND HERE, PRIDE COMES ON WHEELS

IN BEAUTIFULLY CUSTOMIZED CARS.

EVERY WEEKEND, CAR-CRAZY ESPANOLANS COME TOGETHER

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO SHOW OFF THEIR ONE-OF-A-KIND WHEELS

AND STAKE THEIR CLAIM \h\h\hTO THE STREETS.

\hIT ALL STARTED WITH AN OLD MEXICAN RITUAL CALLED PASEO.

CABALLEROS WOULD DON THEIR BEST CLOTHES, DECORATE THEIR SADDLES,

AND RIDE THEIR FINEST HORSES \hSLOWLY THROUGH THE STREETS

\h\h\hTO ASSERT THEIR PRIDE AND PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY.

\h\h\hAS EARLY AS THE 1940s, CARS THAT HAD BEEN MODIFIED

TO RIDE LOW AND SLOW \h\hREPLACED HORSES.

\hBUT TAKING YOUR TIME WHILE SHOWING OFF A BEAUTIFUL RIDE

IS STILL WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.

TODAY, ESPANOLA’S LOWRIDERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE PATROLLING

THE MEXICAN SIDE OF \hA CULTURAL DIVIDE

CREATED BY A SECOND WAVE \h\hOF AMERICAN SETTLERS

THAT FLOODED INTO NEW MEXICO \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE 1880s--

\h\h\hA FLOOD UNLEASHED BY THE ARRIVAL OF THE TRAIN.

THERE’S NOTHING IN THE WORLD

QUITE LIKE THE SIGHT \h\h\h\hOF LAS VEGAS

\h\h\hRISING OUT OF THE WESTERN DESERT.

LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO, THAT IS.

FOUNDED IN 1835, 70 YEARS BEFORE ITS GLITZIER TWIN IN NEVADA,

THIS BEAUTIFUL TOWN IS ONE OF

THE STATE’S MOST POPULAR \h\hTOURIST ATTRACTIONS.

\h\hBUT THE STORY OF ITS PAST REVEALS A LITTLE-KNOWN FACT--

\h\h\hLAS VEGAS HAS A SPLIT PERSONALITY.

NAMED AFTER THE AREA’S \hABUNDANT GRASSLANDS,

THE TOWN STARTED LIFE \hAS A MEXICAN VILLAGE

WITH ADOBE BUILDINGS AROUND A TRADITIONAL CENTRAL PLAZA.

BUT WHEN THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA \h\h\h\hAND SANTA FE RAILROAD

ARRIVED IN 1879,

\h\h\hIT TURNED ITS BACK ON THE OLD MEXICAN TOWN

\hBY PUTTING ITS TRACKS AND STATION A MILE TO THE EAST,

WHERE THEY STILL STAND TODAY.

SOON, AMERICAN SETTLERS \h\h\h\h\h\hWERE POURING

INTO THE TINY RED-ROOFED STATION LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO BED DOWN.

MANY MADE THEIR FIRST STOP \hIN TOWN RIGHT NEXT DOOR,

WHERE FRED HARVEY HAD BUILT \h\h\h\hONE OF HIS TRADEMARK

\h\h\hMISSION-STYLE HARVEY HOUSE HOTELS.

THE ENGLISH-BORN HARVEY \h\hWAS MAKING A FORTUNE

BY FOLLOWING THE TRAINS \h\h\hINTO THE FRONTIER

\hAND BUILDING HOTELS NEXT TO THE STATIONS.

\hHARVEY’S INNS WERE ALREADY GAINING FAME

FOR BRINGING GOOD FOOD, \h\h\h\h\h\hCLEAN BEDS,

AND CIVILIZATION TO THE WEST.

\h\h\h\h\hWITHIN A FEW YEARS, THE NEW LAS VEGAS WAS BOOMING.

THE AMERICANS BUILT IT \hAROUND A NEW SQUARE,

\h\h\hREINFORCING THE DIVIDE WITH THE MEXICAN COMMUNITY.

BLOCKS OF BUILDINGS IN VICTORIAN AND ITALIANATE STYLES CAME NEXT.

BEFORE LONG, THE NEW PLAZA HOTEL WAS GIVING FRED HARVEY

A RUN FOR HIS MONEY.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT ROUNDED UP \h\hHIS ROUGH RIDERS HERE.

\hMORE THAN A CENTURY LATER, THE COEN BROTHERS AND JAVIER BARDEM

ARRIVED TO FILM SCENES \hNO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

\h\hTHE HOTEL IS JUST ONE OF OVER 900 HISTORIC STRUCTURES

\h\hIN A VARIETY OF LATE 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURY STYLES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT STILL STAND IN THE NEW PART OF LAS VEGAS.

BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE BUILDINGS FROM THAT BYGONE ERA

ISN’T IN LAS VEGAS.

IT SITS ON A ROCKY HILLSIDE FIVE MILES OUTSIDE OF TOWN.

\h\hTODAY, IT’S CALLED THE MONTEZUMA CASTLE,

AND SERVES AS THE CAMPUS

OF THE ARMAND HAMMER UNITED WORLD COLLEGE

OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

\h\h\h\hBUT IN ITS HEYDAY, IT WAS THE PHOENIX HOTEL,

AN ELABORATE RESORT BUILT \hBY THE RAILROAD IN 1886

TO DRUM UP BUSINESS \h\hFOR ITS TRAINS.

WITH ITS STUNNING MAIN BUILDING OVERLOOKING NATURAL HOT SPRINGS,

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPED GROUNDS,

\h\h\h\hGARDENS WITH ELABORATE FOUNTAINS,

AND ITS OWN SPUR RAIL LINE,

THE PHOENIX SEEMED TO HAVE \h\h\hEVERYTHING IT NEEDED

TO DO THE JOB.

BUT THE HOTEL CLOSED \h\h\h\hIN THE 1890s

WHEN LURING AMERICAN TOURISTS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO NEW MEXICO

\h\h\h\h\hPROVED TOUGHER THAN THE RAILROAD TYCOONS EXPECTED.

MAYBE THEY WERE JUST AHEAD OF THE TIMES.

TODAY, NEW MEXICO IS A MECCA FOR VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD,

THANKS IN PART TO THE STATE’S \h\hINCREDIBLE NATURAL BEAUTY.

\h\hBUT OUTSIDERS DON’T JUST COME TO NEW MEXICO

TO SEE NATURAL WONDERS.

\h\h\hTHEY COME TO REVISIT THE LEGENDS AND LANDSCAPES

OF SOME OF THE WILDEST PARTS \h\hOF THE WILD, WILD WEST.

IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,

\h\h\hRANCHERS, RUSTLERS, SHERIFFS, AND GUNSLINGERS

FOUGHT LIFE OR DEATH BATTLES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hON THIS LAND.

KIT CARSON, DOC HOLLIDAY, \h\h\h\h\h\hAND WYATT EARP

ARE JUST A FEW OF THE LEGENDARY MEN WHO RODE AND FOUGHT HERE.

THEIR GUN BATTLES SOAKED \h\h\hTHE EARTH IN BLOOD

AND MARKED NEW MEXICO TERRITORY AS A LAWLESS LAND.

FEW PLACES IN THE STATE SAW \h\hMORE BLOOD AND LESS LAW

\h\h\hIN THOSE YEARS THAN LINCOLN COUNTY,

WHICH LIES IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE.

\h\h\hIT WAS HERE IN THE TOWN OF LINCOLN, IN THE LATE 1870s,

WHERE A RUTHLESS GANG BOSS \h\h\h\hNAMED JAMES DOLAN

HAD AN IRON GRIP ON ALMOST \h\h\hALL ASPECTS OF LIFE.

LOCAL RANCHER JOHN TUNSTALL \h\h\h\h\h\hCHALLENGED DOLAN

AND PAID WITH HIS LIFE.

\h\h\hSOON, A NEW GANG FORMED TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT AGAINST DOLAN

\h\h\hAND SEEK REVENGE FOR TUNSTALL’S DEATH.

\hTHEY WERE CALLED "THE REGULATORS."

\h\hONE OF THE MEMBERS WAS A YOUNG GUNSLINGER

WHO WOULD BECOME NOTORIOUS \h\h\h\hAS BILLY THE KID.

\h\hOVER THE NEXT YEAR, MURDER FOLLOWED MURDER,

WITH BILLY DOING HIS SHARE \h\h\h\h\hOF THE KILLING.

IT WOULD BECOME KNOWN AS THE LINCOLN COUNTY WAR.

WHEN IT WAS OVER,

BILLY THE KID WAS ONE OF \hTHE LAST MEN STANDING.

A PRICE WAS PUT ON HIS HEAD,

AND HE LIT OUT FOR NEW MEXICO’S WIDE-OPEN SPACES.

BUT LEGENDARY LAWMAN PAT GARRETT TRACKED HIM DOWN.

THE KID WAS SENTENCED TO HANG

\h\h\h\h\hAND BROUGHT HERE TO THE LINCOLN COUNTY COURTHOUSE

TO AWAIT HIS FATE.

BUT WHEN GARRETT LEFT TOWN TO \hBUY WOOD TO BUILD A GALLOWS,

A FRIEND SLIPPED BILLY A GUN.

\h\h\hTHE NEXT DAY, AS HE WAS BEING LED

DOWN THE STEPS OF \hTHE COURTHOUSE,

THE KID SHOT HIS GUARDS \h\hAND MADE HIS ESCAPE.

\h\hHE DIDN’T GET FAR, JUST ABOUT 100 MILES,

BEFORE PAT GARRETT FINALLY TRACKED BILLY THE KID DOWN

FOR THE LAST TIME ON JULY 14, 1881,

AND SHOT HIM DEAD.

BY THE END OF THE CENTURY,

THE KID’S LAWLESS FRONTIER \h\h\h\h\h\hWAS DEAD, TOO.

ON JANUARY 6, 1912, NEW MEXICO WENT FROM TERRITORY TO STATE,

WITH SANTA FE CONTINUING \h\h\h\hAS THE CAPITAL.

TODAY, ITS BUSTLING DOWNTOWN IS FILLED WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

\hIT’S CAPITOL BUILDING, KNOWN AS THE ROUNDHOUSE,

IS ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE U.S.

\h\hIT WAS MODELED AFTER THE ZIA PUEBLO SUN SIGN,

WITH FOUR RAYS REPRESENTING \h\h\h\h\hTHE FOUR SEASONS,

\h\h\h\hFOUR DIRECTIONS, AND FOUR PHASES OF LIFE.

\h\h\h\hITS OCCUPANTS GOVERN AN INCREASINGLY DIVERSE POPULATION

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF MEN AND WOMEN FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD.

SOME OF THEM, OR THEIR PARENTS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOR GRANDPARENTS,

\h\hMAY HAVE ARRIVED BY WAY OF ALBUQUERQUE’S CENTRAL AVENUE,

BACK WHEN IT WAS PART OF

ONE OF THE HIPPEST HIGHWAYS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN AMERICA--

ROUTE 66.

FROM 1926 TO THE LATE ’60s,

ROUTE 66 WAS THE MAIN ROAD \h\h\hFROM CHICAGO TO L.A.

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS ALSO NEW MEXICO’S MAIN DRAG.

THEN, INTERSTATE 40 STOLE ITS TRAFFIC AND DIMMED ITS GLORY.

\h\hTODAY, THE FORMER ROUTE 66 IS GETTING HIP ALL OVER AGAIN.

\hITS OLD HOTELS AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

ARE BEING RESTORED TO \hTHEIR FORMER LUSTER,

\hBRINGING BACK EXCITING DAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 20th CENTURY,

WHEN EAGER ADVENTURERS ROARED \h\h\hINTO NEW MEXICO BY CAR.

BUT IN THE 21st CENTURY,

THE REAL ADVENTURERS AREN’T \h\h\h\hCOMING TO NEW MEXICO

TO DRIVE AUTOMOBILES.

THEY’VE GOT SOMETHING IN MIND

\h\hTHAT’S LITERALLY A LOT MORE FAR OUT.

\h\h\hHERE, ON THE ANCIENT JORNADO DEL MUERTO PLAIN,

\h\hTHE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, BILLIONAIRE RICHARD BRANSON,

AND A GROUP OF PRIVATE INVESTORS

ARE BUILDING THE WORLD’S FIRST

\h\h\h\hPURPOSE-BUILT COMMERCIAL SPACEPORT.

IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED,

SPACESHIPS WILL START BLASTING \h\h\hOFF FROM HERE VERY SOON,

TAKING PRIVATE CITIZENS

WHO CAN AFFORD TO PAY HUNDREDS \hOF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EACH

FOR A TRIP TO OUTER SPACE.

BUT EVEN IF THE PLANS \h\hFOR THE SPACEPORT

\h\h\hNEVER GET OFF THE GROUND, AMBITIOUS PROJECTS LIKE THIS ONE

PROVE THAT NEW MEXICO REMAINS AN ANCIENT STATE WITH A BIG FUTURE,

WHERE DREAMERS STILL COME \h\hTO REACH FOR THE SKY.