5 Perspectives Transcript
5 Perspectives on Albuquerque – Transcript
©Tom Miles April 2009
We’re here at the east wing of the Albuquerque Convention Center to see the Albuquerque History and Cultural timeline, which is inside on the second level at the top of the escalator.
The timeline itself measures 4 feet x 16 feet and narrates 600 years of Albuquerque’s history from 1400 to 2005. It was installed in April of 2006 in celebration of the 300th birthday of the founding and naming of Albuquerque.
In December 2009, a sister copy was installed in the passenger waiting area at the Albuquerque International Airport.
While the opening shots were done on location at the Albuquerque Convention Center, these shots are being done at home using a 2 foot x 8 foot you see here. This is the size the Tricentennial Committee gifted to all middle and high schools throughout Albuquerque for teaching history and social studies.
There are 5 inter-related structural components or perspectives for viewing the timeline:
1. A geographical view
2. An ethnic and cultural view
3. What I call a “story time-scale” view
4. A true time-scale view
5. And a demographic view
And just for the fun of it, there are a series of quotes by a number of famous historians on the nature of history itself across the bottom.
For the geographic perspective, the idea was to relate Albuquerque history to what was going on in roughly concentric circles outward from Albuquerque.
We begin in Albuquerque the move outward to New Mexico, the United States, Nueva España or México, Europe and then Asia-Pacific. The bottom half displays the arrival and contribution of the various ethnic and cultural groups as they arrive in Albuquerque: Hispanic, Native American, African, French, German, Italian, Jewish, Armenian, Chinese, Celtic, Filipino, Greek, Hungarian, Indian, Middle East, Polish, Russian, Vietnamese.
The top time-scale I call “story time” because the segments represent different time frames from 100 years to 10 years each. This was done for two reasons. One was because in later periods more was happening. The second was to keep the timeline from growing to more than 16 feet in length.
We begin with the whole century of 1400, then shift to 50 year periods for 1500 and 1600 through the Early Spanish era. In 1700 we move to 20-year periods with the 1706 founding and naming of Albuquerque. From 1800 to 2005 we use decades or 10-year periods which take us through the Spanish Colonial period which ends in 1821, the Mexican Republic period gives way to the U.S. Territorial period in 1846. The U.S. Territorial period gives way to U.S. Statehood for New Mexico in 1912.
The bottom time-scale is true-scaled to 10-year intervals throughout.
Of the 500-year Pueblo Indian era from about 1100, only 150 years are shown on this timeline.
The 280-year Spanish eras lasted from 1540 to 1821. While this scaling gives a better picture of the relative time various groups controlled Albuquerque, you really need to see the full timeline in person to appreciate the full impact.
The nearly 30-year Mexican Republic period lasted from 1821 to 1848.
The 64-year U.S. Territorial period lasted from 1848 to 1912 when New Mexico was admitted as a state – so in 2012, New Mexico will celebrate 100 years of statehood.
Next we will look at the demographic navigational feature to the timeline that depicts the 600-year demographic or population dynamic.
We’ve seen the geography, we’ve seen the ethnic and cultural groups, and we’ve seen time. But it’s only when you mix all of these together, this is where it gets juicy and gets to be called “history.”
There is a legend in the lower right-hand corner with color keys for Hispanic, Asian, Black, Native American, and Anglo population groups.
We’ll start with Native Mexican tribal trade being carried on between here and Mexico for a thousand years of more before the Spanish explorers arrived. Plains Indian tribes had been raiding the Pueblos for nearly 100 years before the early Spanish expeditions.
In 1510 Cortez arrives in Mexico and begins the conquest and exploration of this new territory. 23 years later, in 1536, Cabeza de Vaca explores into New Mexico. Three years after that, the Franciscan Monk, Marcos de Niza and the black Moor Esteban follow, and in 1540 Coronado visits.
Nearly half a century later, in 1598, Juan de Oñate creates the first permanent settlement in what is known then as Nuevo Mexico.
72 years later, in 1680, the Pueblo Indians revolt and the Spanish flee to El Paso for 13 years. The timeline narrative explains the conditions and causes. As the Spanish return in their “Reconquest” of the area in 1692, many Pueblo Indians move away.
1706 sees the settlement and naming of Albuquerque, and shortly after that the Pueblos begin returning and actually forming alliances with the Spanish to defend against raiding northern, southern, and Plains Indian tribes.
It will be another 140 years, until 1848, before Anglos from the east begin arriving after the 1846 Mexican-American War, the signing of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the 1854 Gadsden Purchase in which the United States takes possession of all the lands north of Mexico and west to the Pacific Ocean.
32 years later, in 1880, the railroad comes through Albuquerque, bringing African-American, and imported Chinese laborers to work on the railroad.
Another 30 years, in 1910 and 1920, many Mexicans migrate to the U.S. to escape the Mexican Revolution.
In 1936, Route 66 comes through Albuquerque bringing more traffic and more growth. And the late 1930’s bring growth, as defense business develops to support the WWII effort and the birthing of the Atomic Age.
In the i940’s, the Bracero Plan with Mexico brings 300,000 Mexican laborers to the U.S. during WWII.
1960’s and beyond sees rapid growth from increased defense work, the birth of the personal computer, support of NASA’s Man-on-the-Moon program, and a generally improving climate for business.
Most of the population growth comes from the Hispanic and Anglo components, with African-American, Asian-Pacific and Native American populations remaining rather constant.
So – this has been the introduction to the 5 structural components of the Albuquerque Cultural Timeline. After this I hope to do a second video, which will show and tell how the timeline came to be in the first place.
After that, the Timeline contains many fascinating stories to be told like:
• What was Pueblo Indian life like before, during and after the arrival of Spanish explorers
• The recognition of the Pueblo’s sovereignty by the King of Spain and by President Lincoln through the Spanish and Lincoln Canes of Authority
• La Conquistadora – the story of North America’s oldest Madonna who became the Patron Saint of New Mexico
• Juan de Oñate’s “Journada” north in 1598 and how 72 years later, unresolved conflicts and drought set up the 1680 Pueblo revolt.
• The story of “La Malinche;” how a deposed native princess interpreter was key to Cortez in his conquest of Montezuma and Mexico
I hope you’ve enjoyed watching this as much as I have enjoyed making it. And, I hope this has helped increase the “enchantment” of this “Land of Enchantment” whether you either live here or are just visiting.
Until then – see you next time.