Layers of Santa Fe

The foundation upon where we live starts with the bedrock geology that forms the topography of mountains and fertile valleys. Within the heart of our community is a distinct blue line on the map, the Santa Fe River, which continues to provide wildlife habitat, sustenance and the vital component for life —Water! For thousands of years people have visited, prayed, fed their animals and farms, lived and played along the Santa Fe River.

ESRI World Terrain Basemap. Created: Oct 26, 2017 Updated: Feb 16, 2022

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 The Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit , developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), provides modeled wind speeds at multiple elevations. Instantaneous wind measurements were analyzed from more than 126,000 sites in the continental United States for the years 2007–2013. Source: ESRI. Created: Aug 25, 2021. Updated: Dec 1, 2021.

Higher temperatures associated with climate change can lead to an increase in ozone — a harmful air pollutant. When we burn fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, we release carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 builds up in the atmosphere and causes Earth’s temperature to rise, much like a blanket traps in heat. This extra trapped heat disrupts many of the interconnected systems in our environment.

Climate change might also affect human health by making our air less healthy to breathe. Higher temperatures lead to an increase in allergens and harmful air pollutants. For instance, longer warm seasons can mean longer pollen seasons which can increase allergic sensitizations and asthma episodes, diminish productive work and the loss of school days due to illness.

Source:  CLIMATE CHANGE DECREASES THE QUALITY OF THE AIR WE BREATHE (cdc.gov) 

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The 2020 Land Cover map shows different types of surface vegetation and land use. This layer displays a global map of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC). The map is derived from GIS imagery to create LULC predictions on a yearly basis. Source: Esri Inc. Publication date: July 2021.

"First and foremost: the loss and degradation of natural habitats must be recognized as a key-driver of emerging infectious diseases from wildlife. When an area of land is deforested and converted to agriculture, or used for infrastructure development, it reduces the natural habitat available to species and can bring them into more regular contact with each other as well as humans. This gives microbes a greater ability to move between species and to make the jump to people."

Source:  Everything on our planet is interconnected - and we are part of the equation (panda.org) 

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This map of nighttime lights is produced from visible infrared satellite images. Source: ESRI. Created: Jul 13, 2021. Updated: Dec 1, 2021

Historically, access to clear night skies were important to many cultural practices in New Mexico. The stars guided the planting season and timing of religious events throughout the year.

"In North America, 70 percent of bird species migrate, and of those, 80 percent migrate at night, using the night sky to help them navigate. During the day they rely on the resources available in natural spaces to rest and refuel before taking off again the next night." — National Audubon Society and International Dark-Sky Association Partner to Protect the Night Sky for Birds and People | Audubon 

Source:  The Devastating Role of Light Pollution in the 'Insect Apocalypse' | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine 

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Acequias within La Cienega help restore aquifers and create riparian areas for wildlife. The La Cienega Acequia, located on Las Golondrinas’ land, is a community shared irrigation ditch used to irrigate fields and animal ranches.

This acequia has been active since 1715 and listed on the New Mexico’s Register of Historic Places. According to the repository of the Library of Congress, a study of the area illustrates the significance of the La Cienega Acequia as, "One of the best preserved acequia systems in New Mexico. An irrigation feature dating to Spanish colonial settlement in the seventeenth century, acequias were constructed to divert water for use in irrigating agricultural fields and pastures. Acequias shaped the surrounding landscape, contributing not only to the physical layout of the villages but to community life and regional identity. La Cienega Acequia remains in operation along relatively unchanged alignments and contains several traditional water control devices such as dams, checks, and flumes. It remains essential to the local agricultural economy and landscape.”

Source:  Study Area Map - La Cienega Acequia, 286-384 Los Pinos Road, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, NM (loc.gov) 

Read a historical essay:  Pueblo-La-Cieneguilla.pdf (santafelibrary.org) 

Maps were developed based on cartography and used as a mechanism of communication, often emphasizing relationships and patterns of human geography, as well as emphasizing power and influencing political discourse. As Europeans began exploring the North American continent, they charted new routes and topography as they explored unknown lands, noting social constructions and occupation of territories by groups of people. Contact with indigenous populations introduced new diseases which resulted in the death of tens of millions of people, as well as competition for natural resources.

In 1823, a series of decisions made by the United States Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Marshall in the legal case Johnson v. M’Intosh, which explained the way in which colonial powers laid claim to newly discovered lands in what is referred to as “The Doctrine of Discovery.” A series of papal bills, constructed during the 15th and early 16th century, established a relationship between the Spanish Crown and the Catholic Church. The goal of the Spanish was laying claim to any land that was not inhabited by Christians was available to be “discovered”, claimed, and exploited.

The Doctrine of Discovery was used for centuries to confiscate indigenous lands and institute forced labor practices from Indigenous peoples across the world. Under these laws, colonizing or dominating nations denied human rights of indigenous peoples such as freedom of religion, life, and the right to own land.

Article 1 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, states “Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations and international human rights law”.

Explore all the articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:  UNDRIP_E_web.pdf 

Click this link to view the map:  Amerique Septentrionale, 1669 - New Mexico Waters - CONTENTdm Title (unm.edu) 

Note* Indigenous refers to those peoples with pre-existing sovereignty who were living together as a community prior to contact with settler populations, most often – though not exclusively –Europeans. Native American and American Indian are terms used to refer to peoples living within what is now the United States prior to European contact. American Indian has a specific legal context because the branch of law, Federal Indian Law, uses this terminology.

Source:  Native American and Indigenous Peoples FAQs - UCLA Equity, Diversity & Inclusion 

According to historian Marc Simmons, Marqués de Rubí carried royal orders in 1766 to conduct inspections of all 21 presidios, or forts, guarding the frontier of northern New Spain (Mexico). After a two-year reconnaissance, Rubí identified issues at the presidios which were meant to protect the Spanish from Indian raiders but were found to be unsuccessful and submitted plans and proposals for their reform.

During this period of time, Capt. Lafora took a census and drew a map of “the layout of the capital” as he stated, then turned it over to the draftsman Urrutia who rendered it in final form. Urrutia’s final map shows the main roads entering and leaving Santa Fe, acequias, buildings, three churches, the Palace of the Governors, and the Plaza.

Click this link to view and explore the map:  Map of Santa Fe - New Mexico Waters - CONTENTdm Title (unm.edu) 

Source:  Trail Dust: Report gave glimpse of Santa Fe in 1766 | Trail Dust | santafenewmexican.com 

"From the year 1838 down to the Civil War, there existed a small but highly significant branch of the Army called the Corps of Topographical Engineers. The Engineers were concerned with recording all of the western phenomena as accurately as possible, whether main-traveled roads or uncharted wilderness. As Army officers they represented the direct concern of the national government the settling of the West.

The Corps of Topographical Engineers was a central institution of Manifest Destiny, and in the years before the Civil War its officers made explorations which resulted in the first scientific mapping of the West. They laid out national boundaries and directly promoted the advance of settlement by locating and constructing wagon roads, improving rivers and harbors, even performing experiments for the location of subsurface water in the arid regions. In short, they functioned as a department of public works for the West - and indeed for the whole nation, since the operations of the Corps extended to every state and territory of the United States.

The work of the Corps in the West had still broader significance. Since a major part of its work was to assemble scientific information in the form of maps, pictures, statistics, and narrative reports about the West, it contributed importantly to the compilation of scientific knowledge about the interior of the North American continent. The Topographical Engineers were sophisticated men of their time who worked closely with the foremost scholars in American and European centers of learning. Scientists and artists of all nationalities accompanied their expeditions as partners and co-workers." —Goetzmann, William H. Army Exploration in the American West 1803-1863 (Yale University Press, 1959; University of Nebraska Press, 1978) 

Click this link to view and explore the map:  Plan of Santa Fe, New Mexico - New Mexico Waters - CONTENTdm Title (unm.edu) 

This map shows the route pursued in 1849 by the U.S. Troops under the command of Bvt. Lieut. Col. JNO. M. Washington, Governor of New Mexico, in an expedition against the Navajos [sic] Indians, by James H. Simpson, 1st Lieut. T. Engrs., assisted by Mr. Edward M. Kern, constructed under the general orders of Col. J. J. Abert. Chief Topl. Engrs. Kern, Edward M. (drawn by, Santa Fe, N.M.); P.S. Duval's Steam Lith. Press, Philadelphia; Shoemaker, J. G. (engr.), Senate Ex. Doc. 1st Sess. 31st. Cong. No. 64, 1849.

Click this link to view and explore the map:  Map of the route pursued in 1849 by the U.S. Troops - New Mexico Waters - CONTENTdmTitle (unm.edu) 

After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, land maps were made to support legal claims by Spaniards and natives so that the United States did not seize land. Maps such as the Relaciones Geográficas were land maps made by indigenous artists and communities that combined Mesoamerican pictures and European rudiments into their design, illustrating land use and ownership. Spanish colonial maps of North America included history and information about communities known at the time, the identification of places with words, and measured distances between towns and landmarks.

Learn more:  Land Grants and Legal Claims | Mapping Mexican History - UT Libraries Exhibits(utexas.edu) 

   Overview of Land Grants in New Mexico – New Mexico History.org 

To explore the map of New Mexico Land Grants, click on the following link:  Land Grants – New Mexico History.org 

Land acknowledgements are a respectful way to start meaningful conversations with and in support of Indigenous communities, and to honor their enduring stewardship of these lands, as well as to elevate the presence and voices of Native peoples – past, present, and future.

To find out what native lands and languages are represented where you live, click anywhere on the map and explore.

 Click this link to help your organization in Creating a Land Acknowledgement - NATHPO 

Prior to colonization, maps of indigenous territories were held in the minds of people who relayed information through the history of oral narratives. The Navajo Creation Story, Diné Bahane', or Story of the People, describes a migration journey through different worlds to homelands which are situated between four sacred mountains. Other tribes within the Southwest region have similar emergence or origin stories. Many Native American tribes recorded maps on rock cliff walls, in traditional weavings, and on buckskin.

This map from the Smithsonian Institute illustrates the original homelands of the Navajo or Diné Bikéyah and the routes taken during the Long Walk. Hundreds of Navajos were forcibly marched through Santa Fe to the internment camp at Bosque Redondo. An estimated 2,000 deaths and unfathomable hardships were experienced by the Diné during the period of the Long Walk and incarceration.

The internment of the Navajo and the Mescalero Apache at Bosque Redondo serves as a reminder to all, that no people regardless of race, color, or beliefs should have to face such harsh treatment as what was experienced. The families of the survivors of the Long Walk refer to this period as “Hwééldi” meaning "pushed aside" and have not forgotten the experience. Their stories continue to be shared and passed down generation-to-generation.

Click this link to view and explore the map:  NK360 - Navajo Treaty of 1868 - Why Was the Navajo Journey Home So Remarkable? - Map (si.edu) 

Historical information associated with the Long Walk:  Civil-War-essay.pdf (santafelibrary.org)   Kit-Carson-monument.pdf 

Jim Enote is a traditional Zuni farmer and director of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center who worked with Zuni artists to create maps that bring an indigenous voice and perspective back to the land, countering Western notions of place and geography and challenging the arbitrary borders imposed on the Zuni world.

 Click this link to learn more about Zuni from Jim Enote's Storymap (arcgis.com) 

Learn more:  Counter Mapping – Emergence Magazine 

This historic trail extends 404 miles between El Paso, Texas to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The historic trail extended all the way to Mexico City and northern New Mexico and was used to trade goods, share stories, cultural practices, and ideas with indigenous communities of the Southwest region for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrived. Across the arid environment of the state, finding water sources for herds of animals and large caravans of travelers was also a challenge thus, the trail closely followed the Rio Grande River which had a continuous flow from the Chama headwaters down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Click the following link to view and explore the map:  Maps - El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) 

Learn more:  National Park Service - National Trails 

Read a historical essay:  El-Camino-Real-de-Tierra-Adentro.pdf (santafelibrary.org) 

The route that would become the Santa Fe Trail had been traveled for many centuries before European contact by Native American groups exchanging goods, ideas, stories and culture with each other. Under Spanish rule, trade between Native Americans and others outside of New Mexico was outlawed; those that traveled to Santa Fe attempting to trade were quickly detained then sent home. During the Mexican period in New Mexico which lasted from 1821–1848, trade between the Great Plains Indians and early settlers of the Texas panhandle was common.

Click this link to view the map:  Santa Fe Trail - Fray Angelico Chávez History Library, Maps - CONTENTdm Title (unm.edu) 

Read a historical essay:  Santa-Fe-Trail.pdf (santafelibrary.org) 

This is a bird's eye view of the City, not drawn to scale, that shows street names, types of buildings and their use, as well as landmarks.

Landmarks on the map include the Post of Fort Marcy, Government Corral, St. Vincent Hospital, St. Michaels College, San Miguel Church, Palace Hotel, Exchange Hotel, Herlow’s Hotel, Cracker Factory, Gas Works, Fisher Brewery, Railroad Depot, the oldest house in Santa Fe, and more...

Click this link to view and explore the map:  Bird's eye view of the city of Santa Fé, N.M. 1882. | Library of Congress (loc.gov) 

Railroad Map of the State of New Mexico, prepared under the direction of the State Corporation Commission, Santa Fe, N.M.

Click the following link to view the map:  Railroad Map of the State of New Mexico - Western Waters Digital Library 

City parks and open space provide people with access to nature which can improve our physical health and sense of well-being. Parks offer ecological benefits such as buffering water pollution, providing shade which decreases surface temperatures and can mitigate climate change, as well as emitting oxygen from trees.

Click anywhere on the map to view and explore:  Improving Urban Health through Green Space | USDA 

The Interactive Trails Map contains trail descriptions, elevation profiles, images, parking locations, and contact info. It allows users to search for trails based on user type (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, backpacking) and includes paved, soft surface single track, double track, trails and roads.

Click on the map image to search for trails by activity type and enjoy your outdoor adventure!

Learn more about Santa Fe County Open Space & Trails properties:  Properties & Trails | Santa Fe County 

Starting in 2022, Littleglobe and Santa Fe Public Libraries sought Santa Fe residents, students and families to join a team of story gatherers, filmmakers and oral historians to learn the technical tools of digital oral history gathering, archiving and to help amplify stories of the Santa Fe community.

Neighborhood Historians is a pilot public-private story-based neighborhood project in Santa Fe, working in collaboration with residents, families, neighborhoods, community-based organizations, public libraries, schools and the City of Santa Fe to share the tools of multimedia storytelling to the diverse people who live here. Participants in the Neighborhood Historians program will be trained in audio and video tools to gather, edit and archive the stories of neighborhood residents.

Click anywhere on the map to explore neighborhood associations.

For more information:  Santa Fe Public Library - Neighborhood Historians (santafelibrary.org) 

Map source: City of Santa Fe data. Accessed: February 2022.

Explore the extensive history of one of Santa Fe's oldest neighborhoods.

Use the inner scroll bar to the right for a virtual StoryMap tour of the Baca District.

Members of the public are invited to experience Santa Fe history through the eyes of local artists in an augmented reality experience highlighting stories of history and culture from the City's historical Storymaps. Using augmented reality experiences as a teaching tool, history is brought to a wider audience in a more engaging manner.

This project was a collaboration of City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department, ceremonial appointed City Historian Valerie Rangel, RefractAR team Lauren Cason and Sam Jones and artists Ehren Kee Natay, Artemisio Romero y Carver, Cliff Fragua, Virgil Ortiz, PAZ (Mapitzmitl), Crystal Xochitl Zamora, Olivia Romo, Lady Shug, and Natachee Momaday Gray.

Each site in the Ojos Differentes project was chosen in collaboration with the City Historian Valerie Rangel, as an augmented reality expansion collaboration with her GIS StoryMaps.

Click this link to explore:  OJOS DIFERENTES 

Article:  Reclaiming Space through Technology: Santa Fe Uncovers Hidden Histories Through Augmented Reality | Southwest Contemporary 

City councilors are the legislators of a municipality who are democratically elected to decide which services will be provided and how to pay for them, among many other tasks.

Think of a concern that you have about your community.

• Is there a problem in your neighborhood such as speeding, pollution or crime?
• Do you wonder what activities are available for kids to do after school, or senior programs?
• Is a new park needed in the part of the city where you live?
• Are you wondering what is being done about homelessness or where to access emergency food and services?
• Do the potholes on your street need repair?
• Are there questions about our city's operations that you want answers to?

You may want to contact your elected representative to address concerns that you may have about your neighborhood, your city, and the services provided by your local city government.

Click anywhere on the map to find the elected representative in your neighborhood.

 Source: City of Santa Fe Council Districts (santafenm.gov) 

Understanding the carrying capacity of a species’ average population size in a particular habitat and its needs are important to community planning and natural resource conservation. Basic needs for the species population to survive and thrive are adequate food, shelter, water, and mates.

What happens to the species if their basic needs are not met?

How many people can the world support?

No species has altered the Earth’s natural landscape the way humans have. Our impact is so extensive that we are crossing into a new geologic epoch – the Anthropocene – propelled by human behavior. Global climate change, mass extinction, and overexploitation of our global commons are all examples of the ways in which humans have altered the natural landscape.

Our growing population, coupled with rising affluence and per capita impact, is driving our planet closer to its tipping point. With the population expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, many wonder if our natural resources can keep up with our growing demands.

Type a location in the "Find address or place" field then press enter to view the data!

Learn more about the carrying capacity of humans and our ecological footprint:  Carrying Capacity- World Population (worldpopulationhistory.org) 

Map source: NM POPULATION AND DENSITY, CENSUS TRACTS, 1990-2014 (pending update).

Language is part of who we are and a carrier of our heritage and culture. Language is also one way of identifying what we mean by ‘communities’. Translation and interpreting services must be provided to ensure that recent arrivals who do not yet have a firm command of English have equal access to services such as health care, food access, legal services and emergency support.

Activities that cultivate diversity of languages help strengthen community cohesion, build trust and foster compassion. In the classroom, music from different countries can be played to go along with activities, or just for fun at the end of the day. Each week, a teacher could showcase music from a specific country or culture and have students guess where it comes from.

The Indigenous Language Institute located in Santa Fe, serves American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, First Nations of Canada, and the international indigenous community. The institute provides tools and training to help Native language teachers and learners help themselves in their efforts to bring language back into everyday lives of the People.

The network of people and organizations formed through seminars and workshops promotes ongoing relationships that cultivate sharing of lived experiences and knowledge, and also builds partnerships that support the passing of traditional wisdom and values to future generations through original languages.

Learn more:  Santa Fe: Indigenous Language Services and Events -Indigenous Language Institute (ilinative.org) 

 "International Mother Language Day  is celebrated each year on February 21st, and is an opportunity to highlight the instrumental role of the languages we inherited in early childhood, whether we call them mother tongues or mother languages, first languages or main languages. They are, for each of us, the bedrock of all our learning and knowledge. This is why education in mother languages is so important: we cannot absorb what we cannot understand. Yet it is estimated that 40 percent of the world's people still have no access to education in a language that they speak or understand, a condition that has negative multiplier effects on the attainment of many of the Sustainable Development Goals." —  Linguistic Diversity: An Imperative for the United Nations | United Nations 

Click anywhere on the map to interact and explore!

Map source: Languages, Ethnicities, and National Origin, NM Small Areas, 2008-101 (pending update).

In 2022, New Mexico ranked 37th in the country for overall health and often has some of the worst rankings for social indicators of health, including rates higher than the national average for poverty, low food access, and food insecurity.

Explore trends and disparities in chronic disease deaths by gender, race/ethnicity and neighborhood. Chronic disease deaths (as % of all deaths) have declined in the last 10 years.

Click anywhere on the map to interact and explore!

Map source: Chronic Disease Deaths v All Deaths, 2008-2017. https://arcg.is/vHu580

 Health officials: New Mexico chronic disease deaths decline | News in brief | santafenewmexican.com 

Read about the history of tuberculosis in New Mexico:  Marian-Hall.pdf (santafelibrary.org) 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "environmental justice" is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

In order to better meet the Agency’s responsibilities related to the protection of public health and the environment, EPA has developed a new environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool called EJScreen. It is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports.

Click anywhere on the map and enter a location in the search field to explore!

This Storymap summarizes some of the economic, environmental, and cultural findings from a larger History of Urban Trees in New Mexico report that was completed by Van Citters: Historic Preservation. The report and this Storymap are part of a larger statewide Urban Tree Assessment project that was performed by the Groundwork Studio for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department Forestry Division. The project was funded by a U.S.D.A. Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration Grant and was initiated in 2016.

Click anywhere on the map to interact and explore!

 Source: Story Map Cascade (arcgis.com) 

 The New Mexico Rare Plant Conservation Strategy  was developed by the Forestry Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) in coordination with the Rare Plant Conservation Partnership (NMRPCP), which includes state, federal, and tribal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and interested citizens. The Strategy aims to achieve results through a collaborative approach that is based on the best available science, close coordination, data sharing, and taking strategic action.

The Strategy is focused on 235 rare and endangered plant species in New Mexico, including 109 species that only occur in New Mexico and nowhere else in the world. These species are distributed among 135 Important Plant Areas (IPAs) across the state.

The overall goal of the New Mexico Rare Plant Conservation Strategy is to protect and conserve New Mexico’s rare and endangered plant species and their habitats through collaborative partnerships between stakeholders and interested parties to aid and improve the conservation and management of rare plant species and to avoid federal listing.

Click on this link to explore:  Map of the distribution of Strategy species across New Mexico's 8 Ecoregions: OBS Figure.png (1075×853) (unm.edu) 

Learn more:  New Mexico Rare Plant Conservation Strategy | NHNM (unm.edu) 

The New Mexico Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool, commonly referred to as NM CHAT, shows a detailed view of important wildlife habitat and corridors throughout the state. When used during the pre-planning stage of a development or conservation project, the web-based map can inform decisions that help protect vital wildlife areas and reduce conflicts and delays. 

“The interactive map overlays allow users to display wetlands, wildlife corridors, crucial habitat and other information at the level of one-square mile hexagons. Land managers can use this information to avoid conflicts and make better choices for wildlife when planning projects such as transmission lines or conservation efforts.”  —Matt Wunder, Department of Game and Fish Chief of Ecosystem and Environmental Planning

Click on this map link to view key areas for animals and plants through the online map at:  http://nmchat.org/ 

Click on the map and enter a location in the search field to explore!

 EnviroMapper for Envirofacts | US EPA 

Sources of information on waters in the western states:  Home - Western Waters Digital Library 

 New Mexico Water Data - New Mexico Water Data 

 The Santa Fe Watershed Association – Protecting Our River, Our Water, Our Future