HOUSE MEMORIAL 26
56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023
INTRODUCED BY
Tanya Mirabal Moya and Gail Armstrong and Brian G. Baca and Harry Garcia
A MEMORIAL
COMMEMORATING FEBRUARY 6, 2023 AS "VALENCIA COUNTY DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
WHEREAS, Valencia county is part of the Rio Abajo; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county is the home of the largest matanza in the United States, and the matanza is a symbol of the rich Spanish heritage of the Rio Grande valley; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county is the home of the famous Tome land grant, which the king of Spain granted to thirty families in 1739; and
WHEREAS, the village of Los Lunas was founded by Spaniards in the seventeenth century; and
WHEREAS, Belen is officially known as "Nuestra Señora de Belen", or "Our Lady of Belen"; and
WHEREAS, Belen means "Bethlehem" in Spanish; and
WHEREAS, Belen was a strategic point along the Camino Real, also known as the "Royal Road", which carved a trade route south into Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Belen has gained the nickname "hub city" because of the Belen cutoff of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway, now known as the BNSF railway company; and
WHEREAS, Bosque Farms was a destination for relocated dust bowl refugees; and
WHEREAS, Bosque Farms strives to be a sparsely populated, agricultural community; and
WHEREAS, Peralta was the site of a minor engagement during the American civil war; and
WHEREAS, Rio Communities is home to Valencia county's only golf course, Tierra del Sol; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county is home to the decalogue stone, which contains an inscription that is interpreted to be an abridged version of the ten commandments in a form of the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county houses two museums, the Belen Harvey house museum and the Los Lunas museum of heritage and arts; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county is home to parts of the Cibola national forest and the Manzano wilderness; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county is renowned for its agriculture; and
WHEREAS, Valencia county hosts the United States' largest matanza, a family fun event that raises funds to provide scholarships to students while preserving Valencia county traditions by promoting and enhancing local business development through civic, social, cultural and employment training programs;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 6, 2023 be commemorated as "Valencia County Day" in the house of representatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the mayors of Belen, Los Lunas, Bosque Farms, Peralta and Rio Communities.
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