HOUSE MEMORIAL 47
54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019
INTRODUCED BY
Jim R. Trujillo
A MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE INCLUSION OF LOS LUCEROS AS A FUTURE WORLD HERITAGE SITE IN ANTICIPATION OF THE UNITED STATES REJOINING THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION.
WHEREAS, New Mexico is renowned for its artistic temperament and stunning historic landscape; and
WHEREAS, one of the most historically significant and impressive sites in the state is the one-hundred-forty-eight-acre Los Luceros historic property located north of Espanola along the Rio Grande near the village of Alcalde; and
WHEREAS, ancient peoples once farmed and dwelled on Los Luceros land, and two Pueblo communities are located next to the land; and
WHEREAS, Los Luceros is the core of an early Spanish land grant that was established by General Don Diego DeVargas in 1705 and has been known by many names over the centuries, but the name that stuck is Los Luceros, the morning stars; and
WHEREAS, during the Mexican period of New Mexico history, from 1821 to 1846, Los Luceros evolved into a sustainable working farm and ranch; and
WHEREAS, in the waning years of Mexican rule, Los Luceros was the county seat for Rio Arriba county; and
WHEREAS, the territorial period of New Mexico's history, from 1846 to 1912, was an era that brought new laws, new people, a new language and many economic and social schemes to the region, according to El Palacio author Michael Miller; and
WHEREAS, after New Mexico achieved statehood, the Los Luceros area absorbed an influx of women from the eastern United States, including Mary Cabot Wheelwright, who bought Los Luceros and made it into an estate that employed local Native Americans and Hispanos; and
WHEREAS, Mary Cabot Wheelwright led an active social life and introduced many artistic friends to the southwest; and
WHEREAS, when Mary Cabot Wheelwright died in 1958, she bequeathed the ranch house at Los Luceros to the Wheelwright museum in Santa Fe and left the remaining property to her friend, Maria Chabot; and
WHEREAS, the museum declined the bequest and the ranch house reverted to Maria Chabot, who then enlisted her friend, Georgia O'Keeffe, to find a buyer; and
WHEREAS, Charles Collier, a friend of Georgia O'Keeffe's, purchased the property and lived there with his wife, Nina, until selling the property in the 1970s; and
WHEREAS, a series of owners tried to maintain the property in the following years; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Los Luceros was placed on the national register of historic places and the property is also on the New Mexico state register of cultural properties; and
WHEREAS, the cultural affairs department purchased the Los Luceros property in 2008 and is working to ensure the site's preservation and integrity in perpetuity; and
WHEREAS, today, the centerpiece of the historic ranch complex is the hacienda, a five-thousand-seven-hundred-square- foot, eighteenth century territorial-style adobe home; and
WHEREAS, the renovated property also includes a visitor's center, director's residence, visitor center complex and irrigated pasture and bosque on the Rio Grande; and
WHEREAS, the cultural affairs department's intent is to bring together historic preservation, filmmaking, education and training and agricultural and environmental interests; and
WHEREAS, Los Luceros is used as a cultural destination with interpretative exhibits and public access, as a retreat center for workshops and seminars related to New Mexico's film industry and for crop-growing and environmental studies programs; and
WHEREAS, the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world that is considered to be of outstanding value to humanity; and
WHEREAS, the application process for a United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization designation is rigorous; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico has three United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization designated sites: the Pueblo of Taos, Carlsbad caverns national park and Chaco culture, which includes Chaco culture national historical park, Aztec ruins national monument and several smaller Chaco sites managed by the United States bureau of land management; and
WHEREAS, these world heritage sites bring significant prestige to New Mexico and are a significant boost to tourism and the economy; and
WHEREAS, historic Los Luceros lies halfway between Santa Fe and Taos, two major tourist destinations in New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, the Pueblo of Taos welcomes millions of visitors a year, Carlsbad caverns national park reports over four hundred ten thousand visitors a year and Chaco culture reports five hundred fifty thousand visitors a year; and
WHEREAS, a historic property of Los Luceros' significance deserves wider recognition and is deserving of inclusion as a United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization world heritage site; and
WHEREAS, as a heritage site, Los Luceros could have the potential of attracting one hundred thousand visitors a year, and, at an estimated ten-dollar ($10.00) entry fee per visitor, could generate an income of one million dollars ($1,000,000) a year;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the cultural affairs department be requested to study the feasibility of submitting an application to the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization for the inclusion of Los Luceros as a future world heritage site in anticipation of the United States rejoining the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of cultural affairs and the president of los amigos del rancho Los Luceros.
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