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(0)Marc Simmons
The rock-ribbed hills surrounding Cerrillos, New Mexico, are honeycombed with mineshafts and it is these mines that have shaped the history of the town and of the district over which it presides. The Pueblo Indians for untold ages took out turquoise; the Spaniards in their turn found gold, silver and lead; and finally, the Anglo-Americans exploited all of these in addition to copper, zinc and coal. Mining gave life to Cerrillos and to neighboring
..."Having written about New Mexico history for more than forty years," explains the author, "it was perhaps inevitable that in time I should publish a few articles on Billy the Kid. After all, he is the one figure from this state's past whose name is known around the world. The Kid's career, although astonishingly short, nonetheless, left an indelible mark in the annals of the Old West. And his name, William H. Bonney, alias Billy the Kid, seems
..."I first saw New Mexico as a kid, in 1950," the author says. "At once I fell under its hypnotic spell, as have so many others. My commitment to become a writer about things New Mexican was born shortly thereafter. From more than a half century of prowlings along the byways of the state, I've managed to glean a fair knowledge of its peoples and culture."What continues to impress me is that history in New Mexico lies so close to the surface. Here
...When was Santa Fe under siege? Who was the local witch reputed to fly around in an egg? Which governor found his chair thrown into the street? Why were Judge Eaton's burros so expensive? What was the Santa Fe-Granada, Spain connection? What city celebration was sixty years too soon? Which governor paid a bribe to win a horse race? Who was "Telegraph" Aubry and why was he famous? What ended the usefulness of the Santa Fe Trail? If you don't know
...Today, as much as ever before, the red-rock, pinon-covered state of New Mexico remains tierra encantada, "the land of enchantment," to Indians, Anglos, and descendants of the conquistadores.
New Mexico's long history of intermingling peoples and of efforts to balance human needs with nature's resources can instruct a nation facing similar hard decisions in the late twentieth century. It is a story, believes author Marc Simmons,...