About one third of New Mexico’s 1,928,384 residents can trace their origins to the original Spanish colonists who settled the northern portion of the state. Because of this and because of the relative isolation of New Mexicans from other Spanish speakers, many New Mexicans speak a unique dialect of Spanish known as New Mexican Spanish. This dialect preserves some late medieval Castilian vocabulary and includes words adopted from the languages of local Native American tribes in its lexicon. Many speakers of modern Spanish consider New Mexican Spanish archaic, but it reflects the rich Spanish and Native American history of the state and its people.
Post-World War II Americans romanticized New Mexico’s National Old Trails Highway, later to become known as Route 66. Today, the state’s 59,000+ miles of highway are its dominant means of transportation. New Mexico’s economy is driven by the oil and gas production and tourism industries with federal government spending for land management and military presence making up over $2 billion of the state’s haul. New Mexico is home to three air force bases, a testing range, and an army proving ground. The state has a long history of military presence having been the site of the design, manufacture and testing of the first atomic bombs.
Roads
Interstate 10: In the Southern United States, I-10 is the major east-west interstate. The portion of the route running through New Mexico makes a brief foray through the state’s southwestern corner.
Interstate 40: Spanning the breadth of America from Barstow, California to Wilmington, North Carolina, I-40 is vast. It travels 374 miles in New Mexico and serves as the state’s major west-east corridor.
Interstate 25: Also known as the Pan-American Freeway, I-25 is the main North-South highway in New Mexico. I-25 connects Albuquerque with Santa Fe and Las Cruces.