January 2024 NM History & Culture Opportunities

The Albuquerque Historical Society & the Historical Society of NM

Encourage your participation in the following history & cultural events:


ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM.  January 21, 2pm, free/ Roland Penttila gives a “Walking tour of downtown Albuquerque; for those who prefer to Sit”. Includes Free parking & Free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. albuqhistsoc.org.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW MEXICO. New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. Read about it, https://newmexicohistory.org/nm-journey-to-become-a-state/. Visit – NewMexicoHistory.org to view thousands of entries: photos, videos, podcasts, Timelines for the five periods of NM History & More ! The New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez can be reached at 505-476-7911.

MUSIC, CONCERTS, CAREER EXPLORATION, COMPUTER TRAINING, COOKING, & MORE – ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES AT THE BRANCHES OF THE ABC LIBRARY SYSTEM, Go to abqlibrary.org to review listing by location, days and times! Be sure to look for all kinds of free family & children’s activities.


JANUARY 1 OBSERVANCE OF NEW YEARS DAY.

JANUARY 3, 12 noon, free, virtual. Dr. Billy Kiser, Association Professor of History, Texas A & M, San Antonio speaks about The Civil War and Reconstruction in the US Mexico borderlands. Sponsored by the NM History Museum Friends of History. Go to the website FriendsofHistoryNM.org/lecture-series/ to watch this and the past lectures on their YouTube channel.

JANUARY 4, 8:30-4 pm, $25. Bosque Education Guide Workshop features various materials. Rio Grande Nature Center, 2901 Candelaria NW. More info at NM Natural History Museum.

JANUARY 4/5, 11 am, $2. Tour of Torreon Mundos de Mestizaje fresco by Frederico Vigil. National Hispanic Cultural Center. More info at nhccnm.org.

JANUARY 5, 10:30 am, free in-person or virtual. DNA Research Group sponsored by the Albuquerque Genealogical Society. Main Branch library. Free two hour parking across the street at 5th & Copper NW.

JANUARY 5, 4 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, The Spanish Founding of Florida and the Spanish Jesuit Massacre in Ajacan (modern day Virginia). Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

JANUARY 5, 5-8 pm, free. Opening of new “Art Gallery One” in City Hall, 5th & Marquette NW. Free parking in the Civic Plaza garage. See hundreds of pieces of art.

JANUARY 5, 5-8 pm, free. Art Crawl – galleries open around ABQ. Opportunity to visit in person with the artists. artscrawlabq.org.

JANUARY 5, 5-8 pm, free. Monthly Art Walk in downtown ABQ along Central and side streets. Check Facebook.

JANUARY 5, 5-7 pm, free. Palace Avenue First Friday Art Walk at the NM History Museum. NMHistoryMuseum.org.

JANUARY 6, 8 am, free. Bosque Wild Guided Hike. Check in at the Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW. RSVP 768-4950.

JANUARY 6, 3-5 pm, free. Movie Matinee at Special Collections Library. Bombardier, filmed in 1943 at Kirtland Army Air Field (KAFB) in NM. PG 13. Special Collections Library, 423 Central & Edith NE. Watch for parking regulations.

JANUARY 6 – CELEBRATION OF NEW MEXICO STATEHOOD More info about the journey to statehood on the website. https://newmexicohistory.org/nm-journey-to-become-a-state/

JANUARY 6, 11 am. New Mexico History Hike in commemoration of New Mexico statehood in 1912. Come walk the ¾ mile loop in Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present”.

JANUARY 6, 2-3 pm, free. Sandia Mountain Dulcimers play at Pat Baca Library, 8081 Central NW at Unser.

JANUARY 6, 10 am, free. Tomas Farish speaks on Tales of New Mexico History. Sponsored by the Los Alamos History Museum. Hans Bethe House on Bathtub Road. More info on the Facebook page of Los Alamos History.

JANUARY 6/7, 12 noon, Cultural dances, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. indianpueblo.org.

No January program for the Taos County Historical Society. More info at TaosCountyHistoricalSociety.org. Monthly programs at Kit Carson Electric Boardroom, 118 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos County Historical Society.

JANUARY 7, free admission to the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum.

JANUARY 8, 11:45 am, free. Albuquerque Press Women & Friends. Speaker is Sila Avcil, Ex. Director of New Mexico Open Elections (formerly New Mexico Open Primaries). She will discuss the concept of open election “which is to move us from the current system of partisan primaries and awkward local runoff elections to alternative methods that might be fairer as well as more efficient”. Sila is an alumnus of UNM with a Master’s in Political Science. In-person at Weck’s Restaurant, 7301 Paseo del Norte NE.  (You may purchase food/beverage.) More info from lockettabq@comcast.net. Sponsored by Albuquerque Press Women and Friends.

JANUARY 9, 7 pm, free. Bruce Held speaks on My Incredible year as Acting Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central, Los Alamos. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Historical Society.

JANUARY 9, 7pm/doors open 6 pm, $33 includes book/couple $38. Pulitzer prize author Michael Cunningham speaks about his new novel Day. Downtown Library Auditorium (only 200 tickets). Co-sponsored by the ABQ Public Library Foundation and Bookworks.

JANUARY 10, 12 noon-1 pm, free Environmental Educator Elena Kayak speaks about Aldo Leopolds time in New Mexico. Juan Tabo Library, 3407 Juan Tabo NE.

JANUARY 10  School resumes for APS and Rio Rancho Schools.

JANUARY 11, 8am-4:30 pm, $80 but scholarships available. New Mexico Water Dialogue statewide. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Emphasis will be on the 2023 Water Security Planning Act. For scholarships contact NMWaterDialogue.org with your name and why you want to attend.

JANUARY 11, 2-3 pm, free. Bob Smith presents classic and folk music. Alamosa Library, 6900 Gonzales Rd. SW.

JANUARY 11/12, $2. National Hispanic Cultural Center, tour of Torreon. nhccnm.org. 

JANUARY 12, 6pm, $10 includes drink ticket. “Science on Tap” Decrypting the Future: The ABCs of the Blockchain, Crypto and NFT Space. Dr. Reilly White, associate professor of finance at UNM. National Museum of Nuclear Science.

JANUARY 13, 3-5 pm, free. House History Workshop. Ever wondered who lived before in your house? Do you think your house is historic?  Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Be aware of parking restrictions around the Library.

JANUARY 13/14, 12 noon, fee. Cultural dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. IndianPueblo.org.

JANUARY 13, 10 am, free. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march from University & MLK to the Civic Plaza. Speakers and activities on Civic Plaza.

JANUARY 13, 11 am, free. New Mexico’s Spanish & Mexican Land Grants: An Enduring Legacy presented by former state historian Robert Torrez. Guiterrez-Hubbell House, 6029 Isleta SW, 244-0507. More info from David Ottaviano, dottaviano@bernco.gov.

JANUARY 13, 10 am, free. Introduction to Aquaponics gardening by Dr. Rossana Sallenave. Martha Liebert Library, 124 Calle Malinche in Bernalillo.

JANUARY 13, 1 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, The Massacre of San Lorenzo AKA The Pueblo Revolt and the Origins of Genizaro. Presented by the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

JANUARY 13/14, 12 noon, admission fee. Cultural Dance Program representing various pueblos. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Go to indianpueblo.org for more info.

JANUARY 14. Sunday morning admission free from 9 am-1 pm at the Albuquerque Museum. Go to cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-Museum.

JANUARY 14, 1-4 pm, free.  How to Get Started Researching Your Genealogy presented by Theresa Baca Aragon at the Sandoval County Historical Society. Need to sign up. Call Martha Liebert at 867-2755. Sandoval County Historical Society & Museum, 161 Homestead Lane, located between the Santa Ana Star Casino and Coronado Historic Site, just north of 550, turn at the dirt road by the IHOP. SandovalHistory.org. 505-867-2755.

JANUARY 14, $17. Speaker series “Resistance & Resilience” sponsored by the NM Holocaust and Intolerance Museum. Panel Discussion–Indian Boarding Schools-psychological and physical trauma – LeMyra DeBruyn PhD and Mareta Burns. NM Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana SE.

JANUARY 15 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY, no school.

JANUARY 15, Luncheon in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Community of Joy Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho. Contact Leonard Waites with the state MLK Commission. 505-222-6467.

JANUARY 15, 6 pm, free. Candlelight vigil commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker is Belen Fire Chief Charles Cox. Belen Public Library, 333 Becker Ave. Belen.

JANUARY 16, Opening day of the New Mexico Legislature. More information daily at nmlegis.gov.

JANUARY 16, 10 am-5:30 pm, free. “Back in time Tuesday”, come explore manual typewriters. Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE. Watch for parking restrictions.

JANUARY 17, 5:30-7 pm, free. What is AI ? San Pedro Library, 5600 Trumbull SE at San Pedro.

JANUARY 18, 5-8pm, free. 3rd THURSDAY AT ABQ MUSEUM. Discussion of historic film techniques and News for the People: Local Journalists in the 1970s. Featured talk by Dr. David Correia about Gallup and Larry Casuse and the fight for native liberation. Music by Feliz Gala Peralta (Cumbia, Blues).

JANUARY 18, 4 pm, virtual, $20. ANTHROPOLOGICAL GENETIC HISTORY, Roanoke: The Lost Colony three DNA. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

JANUARY 20, 11 am, free. The History of the Albuquerque Indian School presented by historian Joe Sabatini. Guiterrez-Hubbell House, 6029 Isleta SW, 244-0507. More info from David Ottaviano, dottaviano@bernco.gov.

JANUARY 20, 3-5 pm, free. “Snail Mail Social” stationary, pens and more provided. Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Watch for parking regulations.

JANUARY 20, 1:30 pm, free. Virtual, Laura Weber describes different types of DNA and how to use it to solve genealogical research questions. Sponsored by the Albuquerque Genealogical Society.

JANUARY 20, 1:30-2:30 PM, free. David Schepps plays the cello. South Broadway Library, 1025 Broadway SE.

JANUARY 20, 4-5 pm, free. Annie Benjamin plays the flute: country, classical rock ‘n roll. Lomas Tramway Library.

JANUARY 21, 2pm, free. ABQ Historical Society. Roland Pentilla gives the “Downtown walking tour; for those who prefer to sit”. Free parking and free admission to the ABQ Museum. Sponsored by the Albuquerque Historical Society. albuqhistsoc.org.

JANUARY 21, 2 pm, free. Lone Pinon sings and plays “Cultural Complexity and Abundance in NM Music”. Sponsored by the  Corrales Historical Society, old San Ysidro Church. CorralesHistory.org.

JANUARY 20/21, 12 noon, fee. Cultural dances Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. More info at indianpueblo.org.

JANUARY 23 San Ildefonso Pueblo Feast Day.

JANUARY 24, 2pm, free. Don Bullis speaks about New Mexico’s Unsolved Mysteries. Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Art. Sponsored by the Friends of the Los Lunas Public Library and the Speaker’s Bureau of the Historical Society of NM.

JANUARY 25, 3 pm, free for members, $10 others. Speaker Dominic Cappello presents What’s Different about Santa Fe: A Conversation about Innovation, Altruism and the 3 Headed Hydras. At El Zaguan, 545 Canyon Rd. Historic Santa Fe Foundation More info at HistoricSantaFe.org.

JANUARY 27, 7am-3pm, (check Facebook for ticket price). World’s Largest Matanza, sponsored by the Valencia County Hispano Chamber of Commerce. Eagle Park, 305 Eagle Lane, Belen. Free Shuttle bus runs from Our Lady of Belen Church to park.

JANUARY 27, 11 am-12 noon, free. Tour the Special Collections Library and learn about the 1925 constructed building. 423 Central NE at Edith. Watch for parking regulations.

JANUARY 27, 11 am, free. Tour the restored 1850s Gutierrez Hubbell House and learn why it is on both the state and national register of historic places. Guiterrez-Hubbell House, 6029 Isleta SW, 244-0507. More info from David Ottaviano, dottaviano@bernco.gov.

JANUARY 27, 2-3 pm, free. Opening day talk Indigenous Art from Canada by Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator of the McMichael Canadian Art exhibit. Albuquerque Museum.

JANUARY 27, 2 pm, free. Author Cynthia Sylvester speaks about her book “The Half White Album”. Placitas Library, 453 NM 165. PlacitasLibrary.com.

JANUARY 27, adm. fee. DaVinci Machines: The Exhibition. Celebrating the feats of engineering of Renaissance thinker Leonardo DaVinci. Museum of Nuclear Science and History. 601 Eubank SE.

JANUARY 27, 1 pm, virtual, $20. Anthropological Genetic History, The Comanche War of Extermination that destroyed the Apache in the 1700s. Presented by Angel Cervantes and the New Mexico DNA project and Iberian Peninsula DNA Institute. Payment must be by postal mail. Contact angelrcervantes@gmail.com for postal address and to register.

JANUARY 27, 2-4 pm, free but donations appreciated. Pace Lavendar from Sandia Labs speaks on “Black Matter”.Contact 243-6269 or leba4@aol.com to RSVP. Wheels Museum, 1100 2ndSt. SW.

JANUARY 28, 2 pm, free. Bob White speaks about the infamous 1986 riot at the prison of NM in Santa Fe. Additional comments by Richard Melzer. Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Art.

JANUARY 28, 2pm, free. Coronado Lecture Series Jon Ghahate will speak on Chaco Canyon. Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo, 145 Calle Malinche. Sponsored by the Friends of Coronado Historic Site.

JANUARY 30, APS Main Office. The Public invited to come meet finalists for APS Superintendent.

JANUARY 30, 6-7 pm, free for members but $10 others. Jayne Aubele speaks on New Mexico Geologic Landscape and its Effect on our Culture and Social History. NM Museum of Art in Santa Fe. Sponsored by Historic Santa Fe.


Closed until Feb. 1, Randall Davey Audubon Center and sanctuary, 1800 Upper Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe. Tour the gardens and historic Randall Davey house. Fridays @ 1 pm are docent led house tours, $5. Saturdays @8:30 am are guided bird walk. More info at RandallDavey.audubon.org. Monday – Saturday, 8am-4pm.

The historic court case involving Isleta pueblo member Miguel Trujillo and voting rights for Native Americans. To request traveling exhibit contact tasneem.bsaies@dca.nm.gov. There is a six part podcast available at podcast.nmculture.org.

DOZENS OF ACTIVITIES & PODCASTS DESCRIBED ON THE WEBSITE OF THE NEW MEXICO HUMANITIES COUNCIL, NMhumanities.org.

INDIAN EDUCATION AT UNM, iaie.unm.edu. Watch several previously recorded programs about Native American education, the Dine language and more.

HISTORIC SANTA FE FOUNDATION (historicSantaFe.org) offers many free programs to watch: Ron Duncan Hart speaking on the Early Jews in NM; Rob Martinez – The Enduring Hispanic Music of NM.

The Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW is open. Times are Sunday-Thursday, 9 am-12 noon. Call first to confirm, 243-6269 or info@wheelsmuseum.org.

MURALS OF ALBUQUERQUE (www.murosabq.com) This shows over 130 murals in the ABQ metro area. You click on each picture and it shows the mural, gives its title and address, describes the image, and the artists.

ONLINE TOUR OF THE 15 HISTORIC MURALS AT THE INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER The tour gives details  of the artist and the dance or ritual illustrated in the mural. https://indianpueblo.org/pueblos-pigments-and-prominence-the-murals-of-ipcc/

Virtual Tour of the Downtown Main Library, 1975. Presented by Modern Albuquerque and sponsored by the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund. More information including the YouTube link to the live stream is on their Events page. See www.modernabq.org/events

Cibola County History Museum, 525 West High St., Grants NM. Go to the museum’s Facebook page for more information.

NUCLEAR MUSEUM – The Museum has a huge collection of oral history interviews (also transcribed) called Voices of the Manhattan Project. There are some 600 interviews of individuals who were either at the Manhattan Project or a family member who worked there. The  interviews are organized into 39 categories such as: Internment of Japanese Americans, Life in the Secret cities,  Hispanic employees, Native American. https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/educate/atomic-heritage-foundation  https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. invites anyone to come and hoe tumbleweeds and goat heads. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. Wear hard soled shoes & bring your own tools.   www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present.

*****AMAZING HISTORY / CULTURE OPPORTUNITIES ONLINE*****

Many of the museums and cultural centers in the ABQ metro area have put programming on their websites, Facebook pages or YouTube links. This includes everything from:

  • concerts, history lectures, video tours of various museum collections,
  • photograph pod casts, curriculum and study guides for children, audio interviews,

All of this is free and even “low tech” individuals can navigate these websites. There are YouTube channels available at no cost to watch to all. You are urged to explore many websites but especially these:

  • CORONADO HISTORIC SITE – Watch numerous programs from the website of the Friends of Coronado Historic Site. Kuaua.org/presentations. All info on their website.
  • NEW MEXICO HISTORY IN TEN MINUTES (newmexicohistory.org) On the home page, go to the bottom and click on Video of the Month. The entire list of episodes will appear by clicking on the corner of the video. NM State Historian Rob Martinez is most engaging and informative and there are more than 40 Episodes. The episodes may be heard in chronological order or by topic which is introduced in the first minute or so of the episode.
  • CIVIC AUDITORIUM HISTORY VIDEO (1957-1986) www.modernabq.org. Go to the Resources Tab, then the drop down to the three Civic Auditorium videos. They tell the story of the structure: why it was built, how it was used and why it was ultimately demolished.
  • HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and GELLERT EDUCATION CENTER NM, 616 Central SW. Go to the website nmholocaustmuseum.org. Questions call 247-0606.
  • ALBUQUERQUE OASIS LIFELONG LEARNING PRESENTS VARIOUS NM TOPICS www.albuquerque.oasisnet.org  or 884-4529.

ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVED VIDEO PROGRAMS

The Albuquerque Historical Society provides videos of scheduled program presentations. The videos are linked to from the appropriate AHS Program pages. Presentations captured on videos to date include: