NEW MEXICO (USA)

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Albuquerque
Santa Fe

New Mexico, billed as the 'land of enchantment', is a geological wonderland featuring everything from the high Rocky Mountain ranges of the north, the Chihuahuan Desert in the south, the great plains in the east, the spectacular canyons of the west and, cutting right through the centre, the Rio Grande, a river much revered in a state were water is sacred. Combined with a bright blue sky, a rich heritage of ancient Native American culture and Hispanic occupation, New Mexico makes up a fascinating and colourful mosaic that quite understandably draws thousands of visitors looking for a destination that brings surprises at every turn, and reveals hidden treasures behind every mysterious rock formation.

Originally the home of the Anasazi people, who evolved into today's Pueblo Indians still living in their traditional settlements, New Mexico was also the scene of territorial wars between the legendary Apache and Navajo tribes. Along came the Spanish explorers and by 1610 the capital of Santa Fe had been founded and settled.

Today the dual Spanish and Indian heritage provides for some fascinating historic attractions in the State, and the 'living museums' of the pueblos welcome visitors. The state was home, too, to some of the most legendary mountain men and notorious cowboys, like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, not to mention cattle barons like John Chisum who grew rich rounding up longhorns on the southeastern plains. From cowboys to alien space ships is a big leap, but one New Mexico makes with ease in the town of Roswell in the southeast, where UFO enthusiasts flock to investigate the famed 'Roswell Incident'.

Aside from its historic and physical attractions New Mexico has the special appeal of being caught in a time warp. A laid-back attitude prevails even in the cities, and the pace is as slow and languid as the ascent of the myriad of colourful hot-air balloons that fill the skies over the city of Albuquerque in the world-famous annual festival.

Settled in turn by Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans and Yankees, New Mexico is among the most ethnically and culturally diverse of all the states in the US. Each successive group has built upon the legacy of its predecessors; their various histories and achievements are closely intertwined, and in some ways the late-coming white Americans from the north and east have had comparatively little impact. Signs of the region's rich heritage are everywhere, from ancient pictographs and cliff dwellings to the design of the state's license plates, taken from a Zia Indian symbol for the sun - the one near-constant fact of life in this arid land.

Northern New Mexico centers on the magnificent landscapes of the Rio Grande Valley , which contains its two finest cities: Santa Fe , the adobe-fronted capital, and the artists' colony and winter resort of Taos , with its nearby pueblo. More than a dozen Pueblo villages can be found in the mountainous area between the two, while to the west lie the evocative ancient ruins at Bandelier and Puyé . The broad swath of central New Mexico along I-40 - the interstate highway that succeeded the old Route 66 - pivots around the state's biggest city, Albuquerque , with the extraordinary mesa-top Pueblo village of Ácoma ("Sky City") an hour's drive to the west. In wild and wide-open southern New Mexico , the deep Carlsbad Caverns are the main attraction, while you can still stumble upon old mining and cattle-ranching towns that have somehow hung on since the end of the Wild West.

For many visitors, the defining feature of New Mexico is its adobe architecture , as seen on homes, churches, and even shopping malls and motels. Adobe bricks are a sun-baked mixture of earth, sand, charcoal and chopped grass or straw, set with a mortar of much the same composition, and then plastered over with mud and straw. The color of the soil used dictates the color of the final building, and thus subtle variations can be seen all across the state. However, adobe is a far from convenient material: it needs replastering every few years and turns to mud when water seeps up from the ground, so that many buildings have to be sporadically raised and bolstered by the insertion of rocks at their base. These days, most of what looks like adobe is actually painted cement or concrete, but even this looks attractive enough in its own semi-kitsch way, and hunting out such superb old adobes as the remote Santuario de Chimayó on the " High Road " between Taos and Santa Fe, the formidable church of San Francisco de Asis in Ranchos de Taos, or the multitiered dwellings of Taos Pueblo , can provide the focus of an enjoyable New Mexico tour.

Public transportation is rare in New Mexico; Santa Fe, for example, does not have a rail service. Amtrak trains do, however, pass through Albuquerque, pit stop for transcontinental Greyhound buses and site of the only major airport - linked by shuttle services with the rest of the state. Texas' El Paso is a more convenient transportation hub for Carlsbad. A few companies offer guided coach tours in the Santa Fe and Taos area, but as usual getting around is really best done by car .