REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO MAINTAIN THE DISTINCTIVE HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE AND LAND OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO BY DESIGNATING IT AS A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

WHEREAS, north central New Mexico is blessed with a cultural and historical mosaic that begins with America's earliest inhabitants, many of whom still live on their ancestral lands, to Spanish settlement in 1598; and

WHEREAS, throughout its centuries, the contributions of Mexican, French, German and Irish immigrants have given north central New Mexico its vitality and uniqueness; and

WHEREAS, it is the celebration of cultures, languages, folk arts, customs and architecture that makes north central New Mexico worthy of preservation; and

WHEREAS, pueblo and early Spanish communities have provided through their families, acequias, plantings, harvests, language, folklore and cultural celebrations a distinct definition to this wondrous milieu; and

WHEREAS, members of the broader community residing in Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos counties have made valuable artistic, literary and commercial contributions; and

WHEREAS, our total "ambiente", encompassing the Rio Grande, Sangre de Cristo mountains, forests, arroyos, parks, pueblos, capillas, museums, monuments, crystalline skies and sacred sanctuaries, has been celebrated for its unmatched beauty; and

WHEREAS, New Mexico was honored by the United States postal service with a postage stamp depicting the Espanola mission convento in celebration of four hundred years of Ibero-Hispanic contributions;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the United States congress be requested to make every possible effort to maintain and preserve the distinctive historical, social and cultural characteristics of the people and land of north central New Mexico by designating it as a national heritage area; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.