All language subtitles for Aerial America Series 1 14of20 New Mexico 1080p

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.