#newmexicoproblems

What impact does the name of New Mexico have?

Qué impacto tiene la palabra Nuevo Mexico?

Okay! So this is a really fun one to address, and I am curious to see if anyone else has a different opinion than I do. I think all of us who live here agree that having the name”New Mexico” is problematic for a couple reasons. 

1. Everywhere you go, people will constantly ask/assume that you don’t live in the United States. As we discussed when we were in Juarez, there is nothing particularly wrong with being mistaken for someone who comes from Mexico, but when you are a United States Citizen and other people in your country don’t even know that your state exists, it just goes to show the extent of American ignorance in other areas of the U.S. 

2. I think having the name “New Mexico” in some ways inhibits us from forming our own identity that is separate from associations with Mexico. This is tricky, because I think New Mexico definitely has a really distinct culture and atmosphere that is unlike any other place I have been. That being said, I think there is a certain limiting nature of the name as it relates to perceptions of our state. New Mexico is extremely diverse in its human and wildlife manifestations, and I think the name “New Mexico” fails to encompass the huge Native American influence, among other things.

Those are my main two quarrels with the name, but I also like the name as it honors the history of our Mexican/Spanish influence. Sometimes I also feel grateful that New Mexico isn’t always associated with the U.S, especially when I disagree with a major political movement or something of that nature.