Only in Albuquerque....

The Albuquerque Museum

once has an exhibit of objects used in every day life.

I really enjoyed that exhibit.

But then, they closed that exhibit.

They spent years redesigning and remodeling

the exhibit area.

On March 3rd, they opened the new exhibit,

now called "Only in Albuquerque".

Today was an exciting opportunity to visit the museum

and see the new exhibit area!

The exhibit has an entrance that includes a circular area

leading into four themed areas:

Courageous, Resourceful, Spirited and Innovative.

Lighted up murals line the walls of the entrance to the exhibit.

The floor in the circular entrance has a Google type map on it.

We were so excited to find where we live!

Visitors are invited to explore the local culture

through objects and information.

 Courageous

The first area to the right has to do with the conflicts, wars and politics

that impacted the growth, development, and life of the region.

Spirited

The second area had to do with the religious and daily life

and culture.

Are you ready to explore the food of New Mexico?

Food, of course, comes from farms and ranches.

The growing community of Albuquerque

gained a variety of people.

After Americans from the west started to move to Albuquerque,

Victorian houses and other western styles "deconstructed"

and added to the original structures by the earlier citizens.

As time has passed and Albuquerque has grown,

once rural areas have been covered over by suburban  neighborhoods

while downtown structures are still recognizable.

In 2006, Albuquerque celebrated its Tricentennial.

It was originally founded for Spain in 1706.

This quilt is from the Tricentennial celebration.

Innovative

We have both a unique culture of Pueblo people

and Hispanic people bringing and creating what they needed

to live life in this region.

The Santa Fe Trail, the railroad, and later Route 66 

brought a new American population to New Mexico.

The Santa Fe Railroad brought travel

and Fred Harvey hotels to the region.

Ox carts brought traders up and down

the El Camino Real from Mexico City,

and after 1821, across the US on the Santa Fe Trail.

Resourceful

The history and resourcefulness of the Pueblo people

cannot be ignored in this unique geological area.

Modern neighborhoods were built on the edge of the

Petrogylphs, where native populations once used

the volcanic rocks to record their images.

Pueblo groups lived in adobe pueblo villages,

being resourceful in the way the land and water was

used and preserved.

Adobe, originally used by the Pueblo people,

 is still a popular traditional building material in New Mexico.

The museum has foam bricks to practice

building in the overlapping brick pattern.

Only in Albuquerque is an interesting new way to present

the history and culture in Albuquerque and in New Mexico.

I'm sure I will be back again some time!