SENATE MEMORIAL 23

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Joshua A. Sanchez and Gregory A. Baca and

Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics

A MEMORIAL

COMMEMORATING FEBRUARY 6, 2023 AS "VALENCIA COUNTY DAY" IN THE SENATE.

     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 SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 6, 2023 be commemorated as "Valencia County Day" in the senate; 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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