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20,000
years of hunting, gathering, raising, growing,
cooking, marketing &
Eating in New Mexico
New
Mexico Cuisine
New Mexican cuisine began as a
blend of the styles of ancestral Mexicans of the
region who made use of local plant variants, animal
availability, etc., and ergo were likely already
to have had a cooking style notably divergent
from that of central Mexico, and nearby Native
Americans such as the Navajo, Zuñi and
Ute. This native style has been strongly influenced
by incoming American tastes since the end of the
Mexican-American War. Over time, a specific New
Mexico style diverged increasingly from similar
styles in California and Texas. This divergence
has accelerated in the last few decades, perhaps
as a protective response to the invasion of heavily
Americanized "Mexican" food products
and fast food.
First
New Mexicans
New Mexico's food
history begins with the hunting and gathering
peoples who came in from the north and later starting
growing crops. World-famous paleoindian sites
such as Clovis, Folsom, Sandia Cave, Mimbres Valley,
and Chaco Canyon, to name a few, provided much
of our understanding of the first Americans and
what they ate.
Apache,
Navajo & Pueblo
Apache, Navajo and Pueblo peoples thrive within
the modern state of New Mexico. Each of these
nineteen sovereign nations has its own food heritage
and traditions.
Hispanics:
Spanish & Mexican Colonial Eras
Hispanic people have been an important
part of New Mexico food heritage since the first
explorers and settlers arrived in the 16th century.
Anglos
& Others: Territorial & Statehood
English-speaking Americans (commonly
referred to as "Anglos") brought their
varied foodways and traditions starting in the
17th century but particularly after the railroad
link was established. People originally from Africa
and Asia also continue to contribute to the Land
of Enchantment's food scene.
Food
Heritage Sites
Due to the efforts of more and
more groups and individuals, the state's food
heritage sites are being recognized and are in
various states of preservation, many with public
access. Organizations have established museums
and displays to educate the public about the long
history of food in New Mexico.
Santa
Fe, Albuquerque,
Las
Cruces: Food Heritage Communities
The history of eating, and an
exploration of the food heritage sites of New
Mexico's largest cities are presented in separate
exhibits.
About
these exhibits
This is a part of The
FOOD Museum's Global Food Heritage Project where
we identify a new category of historic preservation---food
heritage sites and the organizations or individuals
working for a better understanding of food history.
We believe that by helping
people, especially children, become more food
aware, they will make healthy diet choices, and
appreciate their food supplies and environment
more.
This is something new,
an exhibit on the history of eating for an entire
state. We started with New Mexico because it is
where we live. But more to the point, we live
here because it has a unique food history and
heritage.
The idea for this and
the entire Global Food Heritage Project comes
out of the research we did in France for our latest
book, Gastronomie: Food Museums and Heritage
Sites of France.
We have used extensive sources, many of which
are listed below. Any mistakes or misunderstandings
are ours alone. We hope these pages enhance the
awareness of the food heritage of New Mexico and
promote appreciation and preservation efforts.
We also hope this exhibit
will serve as a model for other communities seeking
to investigate their food heritage and discover
what they can do to help the public be more food
aware.
Bibliography:
Anderson, Joan, Spanish Pioneers
of the Southwest, E.P. Dutton, NY, 1989.
Bakker, Elna & Lillard, Richard,
The Great Southwest: the Story of a Land and
a People.
Bunting, Bainbridge, Of Earth
and Timbers Made: New Mexico Architecture,
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1974.
Chavez, Thomas E., An Illustrated
History of New Mexico, UNM Press, Albuquerque,
1992.
Cheek, Lawrence, W., Santa
Fe, Compass American Guide/Fodor, Oakland,
2000.
Fisher, Richard D., Ancient
Knowledge of the Chaco Canyon Anasazi, Sunracer
Publications, 2005, <www.canyonsworldwide.com/chacoCanyon/p1.htm>.
Fussell, Betty, The Story
of Corn, Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1992.
Ferguson, William M., The
Anasazi of Mesa Verde and the Four Corners, University
Press of Colorado, Niwor, 1996.
Gilpin, Laura, The Rio Grande:
River of Destiny, Duell, Sloan and Pearce,
NY, 1949.
Harris, Richard, National
Trust Guide Santa Fe, John Wiley & Sons,
NY, 1997.
Hughes, Phyllis, Pueblo Indian
Cookbook, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa
Fe,1977.
Jones, Evan, American Food:
The Gastronomic Story, E.P.Dutton, NY, 1975.
Jordan, Louann, El Rancho
de las Golondrinas: Spanish Colonial Life in New
Mexico, Colonial New Mexico Historical Foundation,
Santa Fe, 1977.
Juanico, Juan S., One Thousand
Years of Clay: Pottery, Environment and History,
Acoma Museum Project, Acoma, 1982.
LaFarge, Oliver, The Mother
Ditch, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, 1983.
Manchester, Kate, editor Edible
Santa Fe, Edible Communities member, Santa
Fe, Fall 2006.
Nabhan, Gary Paul, Enduring
Seeds: Native American Agricultural and Wild Plant
Conservation, North Point Press, San Francisco,
1989.
Niethammer, Carolyn, American
Indian Food and Lore, Collier/MacMillan,
NY, 1974.
New Mexico Writers Project, New
Mexico: A Guide to the Colorful State, American
Guide Series, Hastings House, NY, 1940.
Palmer, Gabrielle, El Camino
Real: Un Sendero Historico, Latin American
Institute, UNM Press, New Mexico, 1990.
Preston, Douglas and Christine,
The Royal Road, UNM Press, Albuquerque,
1998.
Seymour, Peter, The West
That Was, Hallmark, Kansas City, 1973.
Smith, Eliza Wells, A Bridge
to the Past: The New Mexico State Monuments,
NM State Monuments, Santa Fe, 2006.
Weatherford, Jack, Indian
Givers, Crown Publishers, NY, 1988.
Weideman, Paul, "Farming
Sustained Agua Frians for Centuries", The
New Mexican newspaper, Santa Fe, Feb.19,2004.
(Note: this article is one of a series of reports
on the history of Santa Fe's neighborhoods that
have run in The New Mexican newspaper's supplement
magazine Real Estate Guide.)
Wija, Tantri, "Out of the
Frying Pan: as frybread draws fire for its origins
and hazards, fans defend its cultural value,"
The New Mexican Newspaper, Santa Fe,
August 16, 2006.
Wood, Nancy, Taos Pueblo,
Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1989.
Image
Sources
Sources are listed next to the
images in this exhibit. We have tried to use images
either from The FOOD Museum collections or images
that we believe to be in the public domain and
available for educational purposes. If we have
used an image that causes concern, please contact
us.
Image credits above
(top row, left to right): ; Hatch
chile pepper field;
typical
NM dishes; NM specialties map; Socorro history
wheel (TFM photo); (middle row, left to right):
Zuni
Pueblo waffle garden photo; San
Isidro poster (TFM photo); chuckwagon
(TFM photo); (bottom row, left to right): Geronimo
restaurant in historic Santa Fe farmhouse; Albuquerque's
founding sign (TFM photo); Las Cruces Enchilada
Festival
Go to The
FOOD Museum Online Homepage
Go to Special
Exhibits
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