Introduction
Las Cruces is an American city in the state of New Mexico. It is the second largest city in the state and the main economic capital of Southern New Mexico. It also serves as the political capital of Dona Ana County. As of 2015, the city had an estimated population of about 101,000 people, making it one of the most populous cities in New Mexico. The city is also one of the key geographic and economic centers of the Mesilla Valley, a major agricultural zone extending from Hatch to EL Paso, Texas. The city is home to various companies though the federal government remains the foremost employer. Nevertheless, this small city has a vibrant culture and is home to key historical sites and museum. In this regard, this paper contends that understanding the history of Las Cruces is critically important to understanding modern realities that shape the city as well as dynamics such as demography and architecture.
Background
Human occupation of the city’s modern-day location can be traced to ten thousand years ago when the temporary shelter was established along the Rio Grande. Early inhabitants hunted antelopes, buffalo, and deer on the surrounding grasslands and marshes bordering the river. During drought when the marshes dried up and animal disappeared, these inhabitants got into farming activity. They constructed ditches from where they transported water to their fields and built pit house villages. Many American southwest dwellers at the time lived in pit-houses which were partially underground to provide cover against harsh weather. Early builders dug ground pits and put up a roof to offer support. Both the walls and the roof were horizontally made and covered with grasses and branches, and the outer surface mud plastered 1 . The inside of these pithouses had a central fireplace and were typically entered through an opening in the roof. These structures, inquiry shows, were, in fact, common across much of ancient American cultures including amongst the Alaskan Inuit 2 . Nevertheless, the conditions proved too harsh, and nearly a millennium ago, these inhabitants disappeared.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
When the Spanish explorer Juan de Oñate together with his followers arrived in 1598, they established settlements along the upper Rio Grande and soon thereafter constructed a new road to Santa Fe from Mexico City which later came to be known as Camino Real. This road was roughly 1500 miles, and with it, much of New Mexico was introduced to the language, architecture, and religion of the colonial capital. Caravans and traders on the Camino Real found the road impassable on the marsh riverbanks North of Las Cruces, and soon, travelers opted for Journey of the Dead Man or Jornada del Muerto 3 . Thi s route veered from the river valley by about 90 miles to adopt a waterless stretch. This left much of the Las Cruces with limited interaction with colonial powers though a degree of cultural exchange continued 4 .
Colonial rule in New Mexico led to the Pueblo Revolt. The Pueblo people suffered a state of near starvation after nearly a decade of Spanish colonialism. The revolt led to the extermination of nearly a third of all Spanish population while the rest fled to missions in El Paso. It was not until 1692 that Spanish occupation was re-established in New Mexico, effectively delaying European resettlement in the region for nearly a century. In the mid-1800’s, descendants of Guadalupe Indians settled along the Melissa valley, and by the end of that century, the tribal government had been transferred to Las Cruces from Paso del Norte. The areas quickly turned into a major Catholic community with Guadalupe fiestas being moved to the nearby Tortugas Village 5 . Parts of the communities in Las Cruces still celebrate this tradition with feasts and yearly pilgrimage to Tortugas Mountain.
The Mescalero Apache moved here in the early 1500 and thereafter claimed much of southern New Mexico as their hunting ground. They stole horses and raided Spanish caravans which prevented Spanish settlement in the Mellissa valley until the 1830s. The Sacramento and White Mountains were an established part of the Mescalero reservation through the presidential order in 1873. By early 1800, Spanish control in the Americas had waned, and Mexico revolted. In 1821 when Mexico won independence from Spanish colonialism, New Mexico became part of Mexico. Unlike the Spanish, the new authorities embraced outside trade and opened the Camino Real to international trade. Booming trade and its expansion to other parts of the United States via the Chihuahuan Trail increased American influence considerably. Paso del Norte, Juárez and El Paso were the only major communities with a population of about 4, 000 by 1839 6 . Land grants were offered by the Mexican government to encourage more occupation and the Doña Ana Bend Colony, the first Mexican settlement in the Medulla Valley, was founded in 1843. Influenced by the idea of manifest destiny, Americans sought expansion westwards. When attempts to buy land from Mexico failed, American movements led to the declaration of Mexican American war in 1846. About 9 miles from Las Cruces, American and Mexican troops confronted in the battled of Brazito leading to a resounding victory for American forces 7 .
The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the US-Mexican war, and the United States was granted much of the territory from California to Texas. The Doña Ana communities, faced with teeming Americans and afraid of cultural cooptation, requested the American government to set aside a territory for these newcomers. This led to the establishment of a town about six miles south of Dona Ana, close to a stand of crosses that marked graves of soldiers and travelers. These landmark crosses form the basis for the name of the new town- Las Cruces. Since the new town was located on a major trade route that dated back to the Camino Real, it quickly flourished. It supported a vast array of businesses which were by and large run by families. Immigrants from other parts of the United States and even beyond were attracted to this sprawling new town. Shortage of timber meant that the primary building material was a mix of mud and dried straw and adobe. Logs obtained from cottonwood acted as roof supports. Jacales were the only alternative mode of construction 8 . This partly explains the unique architectural design found in some parts of the city.
In 1878, New Mexico witnessed the first railcar. Melisa valley leaders were eager to have the railroad reach their area though political problems, weakening commercial base and floods acted as a potent inhibitor. Las Cruces was quick to embrace the new transport with the attendant requirements from the New Mexico Town Company. In April 1881, the first train arrived in the town, a fete widely celebrated by Las Cruces. The new transport system had far-reaching implications on various life aspects of Las Cruces. The first ever street to be paved in the town, Depot Street- today called Las Cruces Avenue- run from the railroad tracks to town. The capacity to transport new building materials to the city brought new architectural styles to Las Cruces. Frame construction, previously impossible with local construction materials, was a major game changer in the construction industry 9 . In the 1890s, the town enjoyed considerable prosperity as newcomers filled hotels and saloons. Local newspapers credited the booming business to the railroad which had made the Las Cruces a central point for the purchase of goods. The prosperity was accompanied by increased socialization in the city; most of the residents joined community bands, musical clubs and participated in Las Cruces Drama. Through the initiative and effort of women’s improvement association, the town developed a library, a hearse, a park and even a water sprinkling vehicle for the dusty streets. It will, however, be remembered that this prosperity was not peculiar to Las Cruces or New Mexico but was, in fact, a phenomenon witnessed across much of the United States 10 .
Train service in the city has since then witnessed major phases of decline. In the 1960s, there was a tremendous decrease in the number of people traveling by rail despite an increase in freight services. By 1968, train service was only limited to cargo. In 1988, unable to cope with cheaper freight rates offered by planes and trucks, the local train service came to an end. The city of Las Cruces took over the system in 1992, and to date, freight trains from Albuquerque, El Paso and beyond pick up and deliver train cars for regional and local businesses 11 .
For much of the 19 th century, Catholic dominance was maintained in Las Cruces just like much of Southern America. As the 20 th century came of age, immigrants into the town brought with them new religious beliefs. By 1910, the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Baptist congregations had set churches in different places in the town 12 . The CME church in 1911 established the Philips Chapel which was the first black church in the city. It was also common for Jewish settlers at the time to hold services in their homes or travel to El Paso for holy day services. The Jewish community in the town set up a synagogue in 1961.
The first schools to be established in the state of New Mexico were founded in the 1870s in Las Cruces. They were deeply egalitarian with poor students being allowed to study for free. The schools had been set up by the Loretto sisters and were largely what spurred the founding of public schools. Public schools in the town, in a general sense, had an erratic start. Lawmakers did not allocate funds to public schools as required by territorial law up to 1912, and therefore, it was left to individual precincts to cater for the cost. In 1888, Las Cruces College opened in a two-room adobe building 13 . The New Mexico College of agriculture and mechanic arts, created by the territorial legislature of New Mexico in 1889, merged with Las Cruces College in 1890. This institution, in 1960, would later be renamed to New Mexico State University 14 .
Periodic droughts threatened economic stability in the Mesilla valley by the start of the 20 th century. The bureau of reclamation, upon conducting a feasibility study, proposed the construction of the elephant dam which was completed in 1916. The dam was at the time one of its kind and the largest in the world. The new reservoir transformed agriculture in far-reaching ways. Cropping patterns and land ownership changed, and new ethnicities and cultures came in to take advantage of the new opportunities. They were involved in leveling sand dunes and clearing bosques to create new farms. Farmers were also able to switch to new crops that were profitable such as cotton away from fruits and vegetables. To date, cotton, along with pecans and chile, constitute an important part of the county’s economy.
The residents of Las Cruces and indeed New Mexico were some of the hardest hit by the great depression. The National Bank of Las Cruces closed down for nearly two months. The farmlands in New Mexico, including those in the Mesilla Valley, dropped significantly in value and were amongst the lowest in the entire of the United States. The farmers, heavily reliant on cotton, saw their prices fall significantly and the government offered subsidies to farmers not to grow cotton. Destitute New Mexicans left the state for California in the hope of finding better conditions.
World War II also had far-reaching impacts on Las Cruces city. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, enrollment into the New Mexico College fell by over 75% 15 . With the bulk of the students engaged in war, the university campus ended up being used as an army training center. By the time the war came to an end, over 120 students had lost their lives. Members of the New Mexico National Guard sent into the Philippines were captured by the Japanese army in 1942. After being taken prisoners, they were forced to march for miles without water or food for over 60 miles. Termed the Bataan death march, less than half survived. Over the thirty soldiers captured, many of them were from the Las Cruces area. This led to tremendous resentment of the Japanese that Japanese war prisoners were not allowed to work in the Mesilla valley farms. Instead, war prisoners from Germany and Italy were used to pick cotton 16 . Economically, the war meant constant rations from sugar to gasoline to tires. College girls volunteered to leave school and participate in cotton picking. Las Cruces community held drives to collect rubber, tin foil and metal for the war effort.
In the post-war period, Las Cruces experienced a considerable degree of stability and growth. Most of the returnees from the war enrolled back to college. The scarcity of housing was solved through the development of sub-divisions. In 1949, Las Cruces celebrated its centennial in a weeklong event characterized by pageant in the college football stadium. Between the 1950 and 1960s, the Las Cruces’ population doubled to 29,000 from 12,000. The cities' leadership also adopted an urban revitalization program for downtown. It led to the closure of main street blocks and creation of a walking mall. Many traditional buildings including cathedrals were torn down and thousands of acres of underdeveloped land constructed on 17 .
Conclusion
Today, as was earlier noted, Las Cruces remains one of the major political and economic centers of Southern New Mexico. The city combines a unique geography and culture. However, to understand the modern day Las Cruces, one would need to undertake a thorough historical inquiry of its growth. The territory emerged first as part of the Spanish colonial territory, fell into the hands of the Mexican government before finally becoming part of the American territory after the Mexican-American war. Thereafter, the city witnessed a quick revival largely thanks to the fact that it was located along a key trading route. The American civil and the economic boom that was witnessed thereafter all had far-reaching consequences on the economy and other aspects of the city. As it has been seen, the city was the first in New Mexico to embrace school-based education especially through the creation of a college that would later become the State University of New Mexico. The town also embraced the rail system that significantly shaped its economic trajectory in the late 19 th century. In the 20 th century, the town continued to grow though it faced a number of hurdles, most notably the great recession and the Second World War. It is thus submitted in this essay that to understand the modern day city of Las Cruces, one needs to understand all these aspects of her history which shape many of her characteristics such as architecture, culture, and demographics.
Bibliography
City of Las Cruces. (2017). Administration . Retrieved 11 26, 2017, from City of Las Cruces: http://www.las-cruces.org/departments/administration#contact
Las Cruces Magazine. (2017). History of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Las Cruces Magazine .
Las Cruces Magazine. (2017). Las Cruces Churches, Religion, And Places Of Worship . Retrieved 11 26, 2017, from Las Cruces Magazine: http://lascrucesmagazine.com/las-cruces-churches-religion-and-places-of-worship/
Liebmann, M., & Preucel, R. (2006). The Archaeology Of The Pueblo Revolt And The Formation Of The Modern Pueblo World. Harvard University .
Moore, D. (2014). Historic Las Cruces . Retrieved 11 26, 2017, from New Mexico Magazine: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjSvLOD693XAhWDchQKHfE2BsAQFggwMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newmexico.org%2Fnmmagazine%2Farticles%2Fpost%2Fhistoric-las-cruces-85266%2F&usg=AOvVaw339cSEdcJLl0HB8rl3mLBM
Neil, & Mangum. (1997). The Battle of Brazito: Reappraising a Lost and Forgotten Episode in the Mexican-American War. New Mexico Historical Review, 72 .
Paso del Norte Group. (2009). The Paso del Norte Region. OECD Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City .
Salazar, J. (2016). Historical perspective: NM was built with entrepreneurial spirit and courage . Retrieved 11 29, 2017, from Albuquerque Journal.
Tenney, L. (2016). Bataan Death March. Atomic Heritage Foundation .
The Branigan Cultural Center. (2017). Las Cruces: Crossroads of history . Retrieved 11 29, 2017, from http://www.las-cruces.org/code/history_exhibit/waterhardtimes.html
