New Mexico

C

Religion

Roman Catholics formed the largest single religious group in New Mexico, representing about one-third of all church members. The two largest Protestant denominations are Baptists and Methodists.

V

Education and Cultural Institutions

A

Education

Throughout the periods of Spanish colonialism and government under Mexico, education in what is today New Mexico was largely in the hands of religious orders. Although a royal decree provided for a public school system for the territory in 1721, it was not until New Mexico became a United States territory in the 1850s that the first permanent schools were founded. The first public school law was passed in 1891.

Educational opportunities are available to all residents throughout the state and at virtually all levels. Navajo educational facilities include primary and secondary schools, a vocational training school, and a community college. Native American schools are generally subsidized by the federal government though some tribes have sought grants and provided their own funds to enhance government educational facilities.

Elementary and secondary public schools are controlled by a 15-member board of education, headed by an appointed superintendent of public instruction. Attendance is compulsory from ages 5 to 18. Some 7 percent of the children attend private schools. In the 2004–2005 school year New Mexico spent $8,448 on each student’s education, compared to a national average of $9,910. There were 14.9 students for every teacher (the national average was 15.5 students per teacher). Of those older than 25 years of age in 2007, 82.3 percent had a high school diploma, while the nation as a whole averaged 84.5 percent.

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A

1

Higher Education

New Mexico had 28 public and 14 private institutions of higher learning in 2006–2007, a large number considering its relatively small population. Among the more notable is the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque. The university also has branch campuses in Gallup, Valencia County, and Los Alamos; graduate centers in Los Alamos and Santa Fe; and an education center in Taos. Other public institutions of higher learning are New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces; New Mexico Highlands University, in Las Vegas; Western New Mexico University, in Silver City; New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, in Socorro; and Eastern New Mexico University, in Portales. Private institutions include St. John’s College and the College of Santa Fe, both in Santa Fe; and United World College-USA, in Montezuma.

B

Libraries

New Mexico has 92 public library systems, and a state library, which is in Santa Fe. State aid to rural libraries began with the establishment of the state library extension service in 1929. The public libraries annually circulate an average of 5.3 books for every resident. Among the special libraries in the state are those operated in conjunction with museums, the university libraries, and the scientific library at Los Alamos. The largest public library in New Mexico is in Albuquerque.

C

Museums

The state-run Museum of New Mexico was set up in Santa Fe’s Palace of the Governors in 1909. The museum includes the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, and the Museum of International Folk Art. The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and the El Rancho de las Golondrinas are also in Santa Fe. In 1997 the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, which exhibits paintings, drawings, and sculpture by the renowned artist who died in 1986, opened in Santa Fe. O’Keeffe’s home and studio, located in the small town of Abiquiu approximately 50 miles north of Santa Fe, is now owned by the Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation, and limited tours are made available to the public.

In the metropolitan area of Albuquerque there are several widely recognized museums and galleries. The Albuquerque Museum has collections of traditional and contemporary art from New Mexico and displays over 400 years of regional cultural history. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science features a collection of dinosaurs, a walk-through volcano, and an “evolution elevator.” The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center features performances of traditional Pueblo and other Native American dances and demonstrations of traditional crafts. Other museums in Albuquerque include the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, the University Art Museum and Jonson Gallery, the National Atomic Museum, the National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico, and the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum of Albuquerque.

Other museums throughout the state cater to a variety of interests. At the Roswell Museum and Art Center is a collection of Robert H. Goddard’s experimental rockets. The Bradbury Science Museum at Los Alamos houses exhibits dealing with the history and current research of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Museums displaying Native American, Spanish, and Mexican crafts, anthropological artifacts, pioneer relics, and objects of regional interest are housed at state and national monuments and at colleges and universities.

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