Today I was reading a thread on social media lamenting the days of yore when ‘we,’ a reference in this case to New Mexicans, weren’t as violent. The statement perplexed me. Based on an interest in human history, violence and destruction is a consistent theme. What has changed are the weapons we wield. As the population has swelled, weapons of war have become more effective, more brutal, and more impersonal. Pretty dysfunctional pattern for a social animal, but that’s merely my perspective. I am just here to cheer for New Mexico
Friendly or Formidable Attitude?
Based on my experience, it is best to live and let live to avoid conflict in New Mexico. The general attitude is usually fairly mellow. I have met a lot of very friendly people in southern New Mexico. There is a desire to help, with a wariness, and, often, a very short fuse.
While discussing peculiar New Mexican nuances with a friend, he summarized an succinctly, “Live and let live or we’ll shoot you.” A dash of California, a dash of Texas, potentially a valid observation….and a dang good t-shirt slogan.

Volatile Geology
New Mexico has always been a rugged place. Mother Nature has been working on this landscape with her full arsenal of geologic tools for millions of years; volcanoes, earthquakes, wind, and water, carving the magnificent, diverse landscapes that we enjoy today.
On a morbid note, if time were to collapse to a point, it would be catastrophic (and fatal) no matter where you are standing in the state. I wrote a sci-fi short story about that when I was a teenager. Over-active imagination.
Human Nature & Survival
Like other areas in the world, this land has witnessed thousands of years of humans struggling to survive, sometimes with good neighbors, sometimes with inhospitable neighbors. Multiple, unrelated languages make it clear that various groups of people migrated here from other regions, which makes New Mexico a “Melting Pot” for over a millennium.
Whereas there were periods of peace, with active trade routes, large, annual trade fairs, and inter-marriage, prolonged periods of drought, and ensuing resource scarcity, provoked raids. Sometimes survival required taking someone else’s food and water. It wasn’t really an attitude problem, but the raiding parties definitely soured the relationship between nomadic tribes and their settled neighbors.
The arrival of the Spanish didn’t involve peaceful assimilation with the local inhabitants. In fact, European geopolitical conflicts, and the dynamics between Spain, England, and France, collided with everyone who lived in this region, permanently altering the course of cultures and communities that had been here for a thousand years.
Spain wanted to push their provincial boundaries north to create a buffer for lucrative silver mining interests in what is now northern Mexico. Also, the sons and grandsons of the conquistadors who conquered the Aztec in 1521 were eager to find more treasure.
The mythos of the Old West isn’t peaceful and the reality wasn’t peaceful. Western lore is heavily infused with swagger, alcohol, gambling, gunfights in the street, public hanging, laudanum addiction, and prostitution. The western territories attracted a lot of men displaced after the Civil War. The military provided an opportunity to start over.
Western expansion involved another wave of land and resource grabbing, with settlers, miners, and wealthy investors from the east moving in heavily in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They staked mining claims, homesteaded, established ranches, and built stagecoach routes, and, later, railroads.
Today is Tomorrow’s History
Perhaps my vantage point, consistently on the periphery of social media, has made me cynical. However, the propensity to wax nostalgic for some bygone era, where humans co-existed with one another in peaceful equilibrium seems like a fantasy, contrary to all existing historic evidence. When was this kumbaya period?
I understand the appeal of the past, but nostalgia should consider the less glamorous aspects. Human history seems to have a high fatality rate, with a much shorter life expectancy. Horrific conditions for most people, with infrequent personal hygiene, little to no access to public health, no penicillin, no dental care, and no air conditioning. The last one is petty, but I think of it a lot when summer temperatures soar.
Attitude or Perspective?
Anything that happened prior to your arrival on the planet seems like history. To the person who is several decades older, it was their childhood. History is individuals. We are tomorrow’s history. Craving a fairer, more just, equitable, or beneficial world requires looking forward. It hasn’t been accomplished yet. Humans have to be willing to confront the past, good and bad. We are no better or worse than our ancestors. We can learn from their achievements…and should learn from their mistakes. Maybe that would provide a much needed attitude adjustment.