New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
Encyclopedia
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...
state government. Created in 1978 by the New Mexico Legislature
New Mexico Legislature
The New Mexico Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate....
, the department oversees the state museum, monument, arts, library, heritage preservation, and archaeology programs. Some 550 employees, spread throughout the state, are employed by the Department's fourteen divisions. The department's annual budget is approximately $35 million.
The Department of Cultural Affairs is currently directed by Cabinet Secretary Veronica Gonzales, who was nominated by Governor Susana Martinez
Susana Martinez
Susana Martinez is the 31st and current governor of New Mexico.A Republican, Martinez is the first female governor of New Mexico, as well as the first female Hispanic governor in the United States. She was formerly the district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District of the U.S. state of New Mexico...
on Dec 29 2010.
Executive Staff:
* Veronica Gonzales, Cabinet Secretary
* Elena Sweeney, Deputy Cabinet Secretary
* Mark Shoemaker, General Counsel
* Therese L. Trujillo, Administrative Services Division Director/ Chief Financial Officer
* Jimmy Martinez, Chief Information Officer
* Louis Fecteau, New Mexico Arts Division Director
* Charles Walter, Museum of Natural History Director
* Mark Santiago, Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum Director
* Jan Biella, Historic Preservation Division Director (Acting)
* Shelby Tisdale, Indian Culture & Arts Mueseum Director
* Marsha Bol, Folk Art Museum Director
* Randall, Hayes, Space History Museum Director
* Barbara Anderson, Museum Resources Division Director
* Gary Romero, National Hispanic Cultural Center Director (Acting)
* Frances Levine, New Mexico History Museum Director
* Mary Kershaw, New Mexico Museum of Art Director
* Benjamin Wakashige, State Librarian (Acting)
* Rudy Acosta, New Mexico Monuments Division Director
* Eric Blinmann, Office of Archelogy Director
History
The information below is excerpted from the Department's official Web site.Divisions, museums, and monuments
Divisions- New Mexico Arts
- New Mexico Historic Preservation DivisionNew Mexico Historic Preservation DivisionThe New Mexico Historic Preservation Division is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.The division is responsible for the preservation of New Mexico's historical heritage. The division's activities include :...
- New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies
- New Mexico State Library
Cultural Centers
- National Hispanic Cultural CenterNational Hispanic Cultural CenterThe National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico is an establishment for preserving and promoting the culture of the Spanish-speaking world...
, Albuquerque.
Museums
- New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage MuseumNew Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage MuseumThe New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is a interactive museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that chronicles the state’s 3,000-year history of farming and ranching. The museum is part of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.- Facility :...
, Las CrucesLas Cruces, New MexicoLas Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. - New Mexico History Museum, Santa FeSanta Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. - Museum of Indian Arts and CultureMuseum of Indian Arts and CultureThe Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology is a museum of Native American art and culture located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is one of eight museums in the state operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and is accredited by the American Association of Museums...
, Santa Fe. - Museum of International Folk ArtMuseum of International Folk ArtThe Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs...
, Santa Fe. - New Mexico Museum of ArtNew Mexico Museum of ArtThe New Mexico Museum of Art , the oldest art museum in the state of New Mexico, is one of four state-run museums in Santa Fe...
(formerly Museum of Fine Arts), Santa Fe. - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and ScienceNew Mexico Museum of Natural History and ScienceThe New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is a natural history and science museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico near Old Town Albuquerque. The Museum was founded in 1986....
, Albuquerque. - New Mexico Museum of Space History, Alamogordo.
- New Mexico Veterans Museum was announced in August 2008 and is planned to be constructed in Las CrucesLas Cruces, New MexicoLas Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. - Palace of the GovernorsPalace of the GovernorsThe Palace of the Governors is an adobe structure located on Palace Avenue on the Plaza of Santa Fe, New Mexico between Palace Avenue and Washington Street. It is within the Santa Fe Historic District and it served as the seat of government for the State of New Mexico for centuries...
, Santa Fe.
State Monuments
- Coronado State MonumentCoronado State MonumentCoronado, New Mexico's first state monument to open to the public, was dedicated on May 29, 1940, as part of the Cuarto Centenario commemoration of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's entry into New Mexico. It is located along New Mexico Highway 44, 1 mile west of Bermalillo and 16 miles north of...
- El Camino Real International Heritage CenterEl Camino Real International Heritage CenterThe El Camino Real International Heritage Center is a center about the culture and history about the El Camino Real trail and the colonization of New Mexico...
- Fort SeldenFort SeldenFort Selden was a United States Army post, occupying the area in what is now Radium Springs, New Mexico. Established in 1865 for the purpose of protecting westward settlers from Native American raids, the post fell into disrepair after the American Civil War...
- Fort SumnerFort SumnerFort Sumner was a military fort in De Baca County in southeastern New Mexico charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863-1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo.-History:...
(location of Bosque Redondo Memorial) - Jemez State MonumentJemez State MonumentThe Jemez State Monument is a protected area in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States, in the village of Jemez Springs. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973....
- Lincoln State MonumentLincoln State MonumentLincoln State Monument was established in 1937 as a New Mexico State Monument, and is a part of a historic district in the tiny hamlet of Lincoln, New Mexico. Seventeen of the forty-eight structures in town are protected as part of the monument. Properties comprising the monument include Wright...