The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Then and now: Evolution of the Southwest
State offers history, diversity, culture and flavor
New Mexico became the country’s 47th state 105 years ago, but its story goes back more than 3,000 years.
Much of this history can be found in Las Cruces, “The City of the Crosses,” in the southeastern part of the state. A place where the past and the present coexist, Las Cruces holds onto its very colorful past while embracing all things modern.
The galleries and exhibits of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum are a good place to start experiencing its bygone days. Life-size replicas and exhibits such as the Colonial Home and the Mercantile welcome you to the times when checkers were played at the general store. The Colonial Home from the 1800s and Home Sweet Home, with its kitchen from the early 1900s, show the progress in quality of life over 100 years.
A large mural spanning the entire gallery depicts the progression of 4,000 years, starting with scenes of American Indians planting crops through the development of the ranching industry. Much of the museum showcases the art of local artists. Experiencing the early days of agriculture includes stepping into a one-room pit house made of adobe and sticks and looking into pits made of stone where they stored the food such as corn before attempting to grind it with a grinding stone known as a mano and a stone grinding disk known as metate.
The journey through history continues through the museum into the farm-life exhibit demonstrating the change in farming over time. See a horse-drawn plow evolve into the modern tractors and horse and buggies replaced by automobiles and pickup trucks.
Outside the museum, many of the animals found in the farming communities, such as a variety of horses, donkeys, cattle, sheep and goats, are viewable
The museum’s demonstrations allow the opportunity to learn about craftsmanship of past times.
The crafters are always happy to take a few moments to talk about the history and importance of their craft, whether it be spinning wool, weaving or quilting.
Visiting the blacksmith is enlightening as you learn firsthand the process just to make a simple nail. He stands at his forge, pounding and working a piece of fiery-hot metal while telling stories about how he got into blacksmithing, the history behind the craft, the importance it played in an evolving community, and how he teaches blacksmithing. Plan to spend at least half a day exploring the history here.
Looking for more of the Old West? The small town of Mesilla is the place to go. Once used as a major stop for those traveling from San Antonio to San Diego, Mesilla hasn’t changed much in 150 years and still holds on to the Old West charm it had as an early 1800s border town. The busy La Posta de Mesilla is a must for lunch with a wide variety of Mexican food and steaks so tender they can be cut with a fork. The white adobe building, housing one of the most famous restaurants in the Southwest, offers a festive atmosphere and surprises inside, with its brightly painted walls, greenery and parrots.
The Basilica of San Albino -- one of fewer than 100 basilicas in the United States, in the heart of Mesilla Plaza -- offers respite from the afternoon heat. Stained-glass windows depicting The Blacksmith at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum explains the history of blacksmiths and the impact they had on the development of the area while demonstrating how nails are made.
historical Biblical scenes line both sides of the church and during the early morning cast a colorful glow throughout it. The adobe church was built in 1855 and still has services in both English and Spanish.
Mesilla, once a stop for the Butterfield stage coach, is where Billy the Kid stood trial for murder.
Chile Pepper Institute is a must for spicing things up. Housed at the New Mexico State University, Las Cruces Campus, it is a result of work done by Fabian Garcia, a horticulturalist who studied chili peppers in the 1880s. He is known as the father of the U.S. chili pepper. Take time to taste a variety of chili pepper sauces, ranging from a sweet and mild to mouth-on-fire, sweatingbullets sauce. Talk to the institute’s research assistants to learn more about the types of chili peppers, the best varieties to use and how to grow them. The institute has a wide variety of research information on pamphlets available to guests plus wide range of hard-to find-chili pepper seed varieties, cookbooks and chili pepper art.
During the weekends downtown Las Cruces is the place to be for shopping. The Wednesday and Saturday Las Cruces Farmers & Crafts Market on Main Street is one of the largest farmers markets in the Southwest and has a little bit of everything. A dragon made from pop bottle caps, old tin signs, handmade soaps, pastries, local produce, paintings
and wood carvings all are found there, and vendors are happy to chat the morning away, telling stories of how they came into their craft. In 2011, the market, now going strong after 46 years, was named the No. 1 Large Farmers Market in the Nation. The market stimulates all the senses, with an assortment of music varying from Latin to folk, scents and samples of pastries and fresh flowers.
Downtown’s Museum District also has The Branigan Cultural Center, The Las Cruces Museum of Art, The Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science and the Las Cruces Railroad Museum, many with interactive exhibits for hands-on learning with insects, animals, natural history, science experiments and railroad cars.
New Mexico is a big producer of pecans, and restaurants such as the family-owned and -operated De La Vega’s Pecan Grill and Brewery, which uses as many local ingredients as possible, uses pecans in a variety of craft beers and local chilies in many entrees and appetizers. The pub has a warm, inviting atmosphere, with live entertainment and open-mic nights, and it can accommodate families and large groups for dinner. Its award-winning beers have a distinct taste, and with more than 16 on tap, a beer sampler allows diners to taste eight light or eight dark craft beers. A combination appetizer of mussels over rice, french fries and stuffed green chilies, followed by an entrée of grilled chicken over linguine, with bacon, green chilies and parmesan, left little room for dessert. However, a blue raspberry cotton candy martini with cotton candy in the drink was a must-try. Ashley Springer, who helps run the restaurant with her parents, can be found making rounds and regularly talking to customers to make sure they are enjoying their evening.
Hotel Encanto, with its Spanish Colonial décor, offers a quiet, relaxing way to wind down a busy day with an evening in the outdoor hot tub. There you can watch the New Mexico sun set behind the mountains, splashing vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow across the sky, the view resembling a watercolor painting.