Here is a book that every traveler in the state of New Mexico will want handy in his glove compartment, and every resident of the state who entertains visitors will want on his bookshelf to answer those embarrassing questions that everybody should be able to answer about his own state. It’s loaded with information.
Warren A. Beck has set out to give facts and figures regarding the 422 years of New Mexico’s historical past, plus a smattering of the prehistoric from information gleaned by archeological and geological studies. Understandably, considering the magnitude of the attempted coverage, the treatment is not deep in any area, but the work is well-documented and contains an excellent bibliography which will allow the reader to pry to his heart’s content into any facet.
New Mexico is a triple-decker cultural sandwich, with Spanish culture laid upon Indian beginnings, and the most recent Anglo impact on top of all. In many ways the strata remain distinct with little intermingling: for example, one will find a pre-Columbian Indian pueblo topped with a television antenna and occupied by Spanish-speaking Indians who drive new cars to participate in age-old tribal ceremonies. And from beneath all of this, remains of the Sandia man and the Folsom man have been unearthed.
Doctor Beck has organized his material well, starting with geographical considerations and proceeding to the peoples. He briefly sketches the historical highlights of a more than four-century span and comes back to do a round-up treatment of mining, stock-raising, industry, labor, and transportation. He finishes with analytical chapters on “Things Political” and “Things Cultural.” An excellent index provides ready access to specific information.
Almost everyone who had measurable influence upon the state’s origins and growth is mentioned, but the author does not attempt to plumb either the people or the peoples. The prose is unvarnished and unadorned: facts for those who want facts.
