4-31 The State of New Mexico

The great state of New Mexico became the 47^th state in the Union on January 6, 1912.  Its capital is Santa Fe.  It was named by the Spanish, in reference to Mexico. 

A Spanish explorer called Francisco Vásquez de Coronado was searching for gold and he traveled the region that became New Mexico in 1540–1542.  The first Spanish settlement was established on the Rio Grande River by Juan de Onate in 1598.  In 1610 Santa Fe was founded and it was made the capital of New Mexico.

The United States acquired most of New Mexico in 1848 after the Mexican American War and the remainder of the area through the Gadsden Purchase in1853.  The Union troops captured the territory from the Confederate army during the Civil War.  In 1886, with the surrender of Geronimo, a great Indian leader, the Apache Wars and most of the Indian conflicts in the area were ended. 

In 1906, the people of New Mexico and Arizona voted on the issue of joint statehood.  New Mexico voted in favor and Arizona voted against it.  The people of New Mexico drafted a constitution ands was admitted as the 47th state in 1912.

Emblem/Symbol	Name of Emblem/Symbol	Adopted
Motto	"Crescit eundo" (It grows as it goes)
Nickname	Land of Enchantment
State Seal		1913
State Bird	Chaparral	1949
State Flower	Yucca	1927
State Song	"O, Fair New Mexico"	1917
State Tree	Nut Pine	1948
State Flag		1925
State Insect	Tarantula Hawk Wasp	1989
State Ship	New Mexico Cutthroat Trout	1955
State Animal	Black Bear	1963
State Gem	Turquoise	1967
State Reptile	New Mexico Whiptail Lizard	2003
State Amphibian	New Mexico Spade Toad	2003
State Grass	Blue Grama Grass	1973

Complete the questions below.

1.  New Mexico became the 47^th state in the Union on January 6, .

2.  The state bird is the .

3.  The state capital, , was founded in 1610.

4.  The New Mexico Whiptail Lizard is the state .

5.  "Crescit eundo," the state motto, means ().

6.  The state insect is the .

7.  The state song is "."

8.  The Turquoise is the state .

9.  The state nickname is .

10.  The state animal is the .