(The first of a series of articles on New Mexico State Monuments, written for Steppin' Out by its director, José Cisneros. More stories by Cisneros and other writers will be posted on the Steppin' Out website during the year, giving readers complete coverage.)
By Jose Cisneros, Director
New Mexico State Monuments
I'd like to take this opportunity to invite each and every one of Steppin' Out's knowledgeable readers to participate in as many 75th anniversary events as you possibly can. I can guarantee you an enlightening experience.
You can find the details below. What I'd like to address in this space is the educational opportunities that State Monuments offer.
Learning history is not high on the list of most children, but as we age, and gain the perspective of time, we began to appreciate it more and more.
A sure-fire way to give kids a head-start in history is to take them to places where important events happened. It's much more exciting to walk the grounds of Fort Selden, where a young Gen. Douglas MacArthur grew up, than to read about MacArthur's boyhood in a textbook.
It's more riveting to stand at the Bosque Redondo Memorial where the Navajo Long Walk came to an end, than to read about the tragedy that took place there.
That's not to denigrate reading, but merely to illustrate how a "hands-on" experience can increase understanding. When you put children, or adults for that matter, in an historic setting, all the senses kick in. What they learn is not soon forgotten. When they see something powerful, they can ask the ranger about it or get more information from an explanatory exhibit.
We hope to have teachers and parents involved in this effort to educate New Mexicans about New Mexico, especially young New Mexicans, for they will be its future leaders.
You'll find more details in future editions of Steppin' Out, or you can visit us at our website: www.nmstatemonuments.org (http://www.nmstatemonuments.org/)
New Mexico State Monuments Celebrates its Diamond Anniversary
"If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development," -- Aristotle.
Many of these treasures are both protected and made available for people to "observe," to use Aristotle's word, by New Mexico State Monuments, Museum of New Mexico, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.
The state monument system was created by legislation March 14, 1931, and turns 75 this year.
To honor the occasion, its director (now retired), José Cisneros, announced that a diamond anniversary celebration would be held during the year. The anniversary officially began with a Saturday, March 11 re-dedication ceremony and reception at the visitor center of Coronado State Monument at Bernalillo.
"From its birth until today, State Monuments has been remarkably successful in protecting our cultural heritage," said Cisneros. "This will be a time to examine its history, honor those who were instrumental in creating it, and celebrate what those pioneers of the early 20th century have left us."
Cisneros sees the year-long celebration is in large part an educational effort. "Learning is more indelible when we look at a bullet hole created by Billy the Kid, instead of reading from a history book about his escape from the Lincoln Courthouse," he said, adding that an adult seminar series and a school educational package, including visits to the monuments by school children, will be a part of the anniversary activities.
Celebration began at Coronado March 11
The celebration kicked off at Coronado, where the visitor center, designed by noted Southwest architect John Gaw Meem, has undergone extensive reconstruction and restoration during the past year. The center contains Indian and Spanish Colonial artifacts.
Restoration work has also been completed on the multi-colored Kuaua murals at the monument– some of the finest examples of pre-contact Native American mural art to be found in North America. Fourteen of the originals are on display. An interprive trail winds through the historic site and along the Rio Grande.
Other 75th anniversary events already scheduled include:
• June 1, the 38th anniversary of Navajo Treaty Day, at Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner;
• August 4-6, Old Lincoln Day celebrations at Lincoln Monument.
• August 13, commemoration of the New Mexico Pueblo Revolt celebrated with a traditional relay footrace ending at Jémez State Monument;
• September 16, Mexican Independence Day and National Hispanic Heritage Day celebrations at El Camino Real International Heritage Center south of Socorro.
Some history...
The New Mexico monument system was founded by state legislation, the language of which is almost identical to that in the Antiquities Act of 1906 that provided authority by the President to designate federal monuments. Both the federal and state legislation was written in large part by an archaeologist and a New Mexican – Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett, who among other accomplishments was president of Highlands University and a champion of Mesa Verde National Park, shepherding legislation creating it through Congress in 1906.
In addition Hewett established the Museum of New Mexico that included the four Santa Fe museums and the monument system around the state, including six that are open.
Cisneros noted that critics might contend that only six monuments are very few for a state with so much early culture. His answer is that "state monuments has "'graduated," even steered, many of its properties to national care."
"In doing so these monuments have received upgrades in national significance, public recognition and monetary support," he said.
The first to be given National Park status was Pecos State Monument, which was transferred to federal care in 1965 and since has been elevated to a national historical park. Glorieta State Monument became a part of Glorieta National Battlefield, a unit of Pecos, in 1990.
Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira State Monuments became the core of what is today Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.
Nor is Cisneros ready to concede that the monuments he directs are "the best of the rest." A former superintendent of four units of the National Park System – Bandelier, Big Bend, San Antonio Missions and Gettysburg – he'll tell you that they are as appealing and as nationally and internationally recognized as any protected by the federal government.
Recent additions to State Monuments
One of the recent additions to the New Mexico system is El Camino Real International Heritage Center, which tells the story of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a national historic trail and a key interpretive feature along that trail.
Another addition, the Bosque Redondo State Memorial, part of Fort Sumner State Monument, is so important that the federal government is now working on a plan to create a national trail to it.
"Touring the state monuments during the 75th anniversary will provide residents and visitors alike with a new lens on the unique and diverse history of New Mexico," Cisneros said.
The public is invited to visit the monuments and to attend scheduled events. For more information and the 2006 Events Calendar, please visit www.nmstatemonuments.org (http://www.nmstatemonuments.org/)
Photo: The kiva at Coronado State Monument at sunset; photo by Steve Burns, Burns Photo Art, Albuquerque
New Mexico State Monuments has announced that the re-dedication of the Coronado State Monument on Saturday, March 11, will feature noted National Park Service historian and book author Dr. Richard Sellars as keynote speaker. Sellars will be joined on the podium by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, New Mexico Secretary of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Stuart Ashman, as well as State Monuments Director Jose Cisneros.
Dr. Sellars is the author of the definitive book on the preservation of nature in the national parks (Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History, Yale University Press, 1997) and is currently writing a separate book on historical parks.
Sellars' study touches on New Mexico's state parks, too, since at least five former state parks -- Abo, Quarai, Gran Quivira, Pecos and Glorieta -- are now a part of the National Park System. Abo, Quarai, and Gran Quivira are part of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair in Socorro and Torrance Counties, and the former Pecos and Glorieta Battlefield State Monuments are now a part of Pecos National Historical Park near the town of Pecos.
By Jose Cisneros, Director
New Mexico State Monuments
I'd like to take this opportunity to invite each and every one of Steppin' Out's knowledgeable readers to participate in as many 75th anniversary events as you possibly can. I can guarantee you an enlightening experience.
You can find the details below. What I'd like to address in this space is the educational opportunities that State Monuments offer.
Learning history is not high on the list of most children, but as we age, and gain the perspective of time, we began to appreciate it more and more.
A sure-fire way to give kids a head-start in history is to take them to places where important events happened. It's much more exciting to walk the grounds of Fort Selden, where a young Gen. Douglas MacArthur grew up, than to read about MacArthur's boyhood in a textbook.
It's more riveting to stand at the Bosque Redondo Memorial where the Navajo Long Walk came to an end, than to read about the tragedy that took place there.
That's not to denigrate reading, but merely to illustrate how a "hands-on" experience can increase understanding. When you put children, or adults for that matter, in an historic setting, all the senses kick in. What they learn is not soon forgotten. When they see something powerful, they can ask the ranger about it or get more information from an explanatory exhibit.
We hope to have teachers and parents involved in this effort to educate New Mexicans about New Mexico, especially young New Mexicans, for they will be its future leaders.
You'll find more details in future editions of Steppin' Out, or you can visit us at our website: www.nmstatemonuments.org (http://www.nmstatemonuments.org/)
New Mexico State Monuments Celebrates its Diamond Anniversary
"If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development," -- Aristotle.
By Ben Moffett
©Steppin Out/SONewMex.com
New Mexico is lavishly rich in original historic and prehistoric cultural fabric -- the brick, mortar, beams, utensils, weapons, tools, and artwork of pre-Puebloan civilizations, military adventurers, and early Spanish explorers and settlers.
Many of these treasures are both protected and made available for people to "observe," to use Aristotle's word, by New Mexico State Monuments, Museum of New Mexico, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.
The state monument system was created by legislation March 14, 1931, and turns 75 this year.
To honor the occasion, its director (now retired), José Cisneros, announced that a diamond anniversary celebration would be held during the year. The anniversary officially began with a Saturday, March 11 re-dedication ceremony and reception at the visitor center of Coronado State Monument at Bernalillo.
"From its birth until today, State Monuments has been remarkably successful in protecting our cultural heritage," said Cisneros. "This will be a time to examine its history, honor those who were instrumental in creating it, and celebrate what those pioneers of the early 20th century have left us."
Cisneros sees the year-long celebration is in large part an educational effort. "Learning is more indelible when we look at a bullet hole created by Billy the Kid, instead of reading from a history book about his escape from the Lincoln Courthouse," he said, adding that an adult seminar series and a school educational package, including visits to the monuments by school children, will be a part of the anniversary activities.
Celebration began at Coronado March 11
The celebration kicked off at Coronado, where the visitor center, designed by noted Southwest architect John Gaw Meem, has undergone extensive reconstruction and restoration during the past year. The center contains Indian and Spanish Colonial artifacts.
Restoration work has also been completed on the multi-colored Kuaua murals at the monument– some of the finest examples of pre-contact Native American mural art to be found in North America. Fourteen of the originals are on display. An interprive trail winds through the historic site and along the Rio Grande.
Other 75th anniversary events already scheduled include:
• June 1, the 38th anniversary of Navajo Treaty Day, at Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner;
• August 4-6, Old Lincoln Day celebrations at Lincoln Monument.
• August 13, commemoration of the New Mexico Pueblo Revolt celebrated with a traditional relay footrace ending at Jémez State Monument;
• September 16, Mexican Independence Day and National Hispanic Heritage Day celebrations at El Camino Real International Heritage Center south of Socorro.
Some history...
The New Mexico monument system was founded by state legislation, the language of which is almost identical to that in the Antiquities Act of 1906 that provided authority by the President to designate federal monuments. Both the federal and state legislation was written in large part by an archaeologist and a New Mexican – Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett, who among other accomplishments was president of Highlands University and a champion of Mesa Verde National Park, shepherding legislation creating it through Congress in 1906.
In addition Hewett established the Museum of New Mexico that included the four Santa Fe museums and the monument system around the state, including six that are open.
Cisneros noted that critics might contend that only six monuments are very few for a state with so much early culture. His answer is that "state monuments has "'graduated," even steered, many of its properties to national care."
"In doing so these monuments have received upgrades in national significance, public recognition and monetary support," he said.
The first to be given National Park status was Pecos State Monument, which was transferred to federal care in 1965 and since has been elevated to a national historical park. Glorieta State Monument became a part of Glorieta National Battlefield, a unit of Pecos, in 1990.
Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira State Monuments became the core of what is today Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.
Nor is Cisneros ready to concede that the monuments he directs are "the best of the rest." A former superintendent of four units of the National Park System – Bandelier, Big Bend, San Antonio Missions and Gettysburg – he'll tell you that they are as appealing and as nationally and internationally recognized as any protected by the federal government.
Recent additions to State Monuments
One of the recent additions to the New Mexico system is El Camino Real International Heritage Center, which tells the story of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a national historic trail and a key interpretive feature along that trail.
Another addition, the Bosque Redondo State Memorial, part of Fort Sumner State Monument, is so important that the federal government is now working on a plan to create a national trail to it.
"Touring the state monuments during the 75th anniversary will provide residents and visitors alike with a new lens on the unique and diverse history of New Mexico," Cisneros said.
The public is invited to visit the monuments and to attend scheduled events. For more information and the 2006 Events Calendar, please visit www.nmstatemonuments.org (http://www.nmstatemonuments.org/)
Photo: The kiva at Coronado State Monument at sunset; photo by Steve Burns, Burns Photo Art, Albuquerque