La Nueva Mexico: Art & Life in the Interior Lands

New Mexico is a land of artistry, innovation, and cultural adaptation. Throughout this historical period cross-cultural influences, reliance on the land, the use of materials brought up the Camino Real (the Royal Road from Mexico City to Santa Fe), and the use of materials sourced locally merged to create a unique Nuevomexicano culture and regional artistic traditions.

Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, La Nueva México features a special section highlighting the contributions made by Nuevomexicanos in support of the US War of Independence.

Items on display date from the early 1600s to the mid-19th century. All were either brought up the Camino Real from Mexico and used in New Mexican homes or made right here in the tierra de adentro. Highlights include men’s and women’s dress and adornment, regional textiles, furniture, 18th century hide paintings, bultos and retablos, horse gear, and utilitarian items made of copper, iron, and silver. Many items have never been on view and are coming out of the museum’s vaults for the first time. The objects show how ingenuity and creativity enhanced everyday life in La Nueva México.