Dixon, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Dixon is an unincorporated village
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
located in Rio Arriba County
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*51.6% White*0.5% Black*16.0% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*28.2% Other races*71.3% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, on NM Highway 75, just east of NM Highway 68 in the north-central part of the state, at Latitude 36.20 & Longitude -105.89. The elevation of Dixon is 6028 feet (1837 meters) above sea level . It is on the banks of the Embudo River
Embudo River
Embudo River also known as Rio Embudo A river formed by the confluence of the Rio Pueblo and Santa Barbara Creek near Peñasco in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The Embudo empties into the Rio Grande in the community of Embudo between two distinctively shaped buttes, thus creating a funnel...
, a tributary of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, which it flows into two miles (3.2 km) down stream from Dixon. The population of around 1,500 is still predominately Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, but many non-Hispanics have made their homes here since the mid 1960s. Here s an extensive collection of statistics about Dixon and its population, etc. .
The area was inhabited by Tiwa people
Tiwa people
The Tiwa are group of related Tanoan pueblo peoples in New Mexico and Texas. They traditionally spoke a Tiwa language , and are divided into the two Northern Tiwa groups, in Taos and Picuris, and the Southern Tiwa in Isleta and Sandia, around what is now Albuquerque, and near El Paso.-Name:Tiwa is...
s from nearby Picuris Pueblo
Picuris Pueblo, New Mexico
Picuris Pueblo is a census-designated place in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 86 at the 2000 census. The Pueblo people are from the Tiwa ethnic group of Native Americans. Picurís Pueblo is a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos.Picuris village has occupied its present...
, then settled by Spanish colonists under the 1725 Embudo Land Grant. The original name was El Puerto del Embudo de Nuestro Señor San Antonio and the grant was made in 1725, to Francisco Martin, Lazaro Cordova and Juan Marquez. The acequia
Acequia
An acequia or séquia is a community-operated waterway used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest, acequias are usually historically engineered canals that carry snow runoff or...
s (irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
canals) were the first public work project of any land grant, so they were started immediately after settlement, on Sept. 20, 1725 and there are 10 Historic Acequias with senior water rights on the Embudo River and one with junior water rights. On the Rio Grande there are two with senior rights and two with junior water rights.The aldea was known as San Antonio del Embudo until around 1900 when a post office was established and the name was changed to Dixon, reputedly to honor Collins Dixon, a school teacher who taught here in the late 19th century; one tradition has him being a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
army deserter; his descendents live around nearby Española
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
.
Because of the temperate climate generated by the local topography and helped by the acequia
Acequia
An acequia or séquia is a community-operated waterway used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest, acequias are usually historically engineered canals that carry snow runoff or...
s (irrigation ditch system) set up by the Spanish around 1800, the Embudo Valley has become a significant fruit and grape growing area and the greater Dixon area boasts of several fine wineries, including the La Chiripada Winery and the Vivác Winery. About two miles (3 km) north of the town on NM Highway 75 rock and mineral collectors can visit the Harding Mine, a pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
mine donated to the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
by Dr. Arthur Montgomery. Maps and release forms to visit the mine can be obtained at the University of New Mexico, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, or at the Dixon home of Gilbert Griego, mine caretaker, or at the Embudo Valley Library in Dixon.
The town is home to the largest population of organic farmers in the state, and is about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
. Its zip code is 87527.
The substantial number of artists and craft people living in the area led to the 1982 creation of the Dixon Studio Tour which annually draws many visitors during the two days in November that it occupies. There are several galleries in the area, including: Rift Gallery, Rare Earth Gallery and Metier Fine Handweaving and Craft. Annual summer stonecarving workshops are held at Southwest Stoneworks adjacent to Rift Gallery.
Dixon is home to the community supported Embudo Valley Library, radio station, KLDK-LP and the Dixon Community Food Co-op, and during the summer months the Dixon Farmer's Market, all of which serve the needs of the whole community. It also has a retreat center, at Mission Embudo, which offers space for workshops & retreats, as well as reasonably priced accommodation for visitors.