crossroads_american


	Crossroads of Culture American Expansion Brings More Change

American interest in New Mexico was fueled by two factors: Manifest Destiny, the widely held belief that our nation should reach "from sea to shining sea," and commerce, the ever-powerful driving force behind American expansion. Trade along the Santa Fe Trail rose dramatically after Mexico (and New Mexico) gained independence from Spain in 1821. By the time of the Mexican War (1846), trade had well exceeded a million dollars per year in Santa Fe alone. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ceded New Mexico to the United States in 1848.




	Cumbres-Toltec Railroad, near Chama, New Mexico

Starting in the 1870s, railroads began crossing the Southwest, bringing even greater change to New Mexico. Population and trading continued to grow, encroaching on the Indians' traditional territory and generating considerable conflict. The great Apache chief Geronimo led his people in a long struggle against the "Anglo" settlers, until he finally surrendered in 1886. Twenty six years later – three years after Geronimo's death – New Mexico was admitted to the Union as our 47th state. New Mexico remained relatively quiet and isolated until World War II. However, the Atomic Age would soon change that!