| 10,000 - 9000 BC | Nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabit the region |
| 1500 BC | Corn arrives from Mexico; agriculture begins |
| 100 BC - 400 AD | Basketmakers cultivate farms, create baskets, jewelry and weavings |
| 600 | Decorated pottery is widely made |
| 800 | People settle in villages of pit houses |
| 1000 |
Norsemen land in North America |
| 1150 | Chaco Canyon is at its peak as a trading and
cultural center |
| 1250 - 1400 | Ancient sites are abandoned as modern Pueblos
are founded
|
| 1300 - 1600 | Elaborately designed polychrome pottery and
mural painting flourish |
| 1400 - 1600 | Apache and Navajo Indians migrate into New Mexico |
| 1492 |
Columbus lands in the Caribbean |
| 1519 |
First horses brought to the New World |
| 1540 | Francisco Vasquez de Coronado leads the first
Spanish expedition to New Mexico |
| 1565 |
Spanish found St. Augustine, Florida |
| 1598 | Don Juan de Oñate leads the first Spanish
settlers to northern New Mexico |
| 1607 |
English found Jamestown Colony in Virginia |
| 1609 | Oñate is disgraced and replaced by Don Pedro
de Peralta |
| 1610 | Peralta establishes Santa Fe, the oldest capital
in the U.S. |
| 1620 |
Pilgrims from the Mayflower land in Massachusetts |
| 1680 | Pueblo Indians revolt and drive the Spanish out |
| 1692 | Don Diego de Vargas leads the reconquest of New Mexico |
| 1692 - 1821 | Spanish-Indian relations improve; Santa Fe is an
important center for trade with Mexico |
| 1750 | Churro sheep ranching and weaving are dominant industries |
| 1776 |
Declaration of Independence signed. |
| 1821 | Mexico wins independence from Spain; New Mexico is a
part of Mexico |
| 1821 | Willian Bechnell reaches Santa Fe, opening trade on the
Santa Fe Trail |
| 1846 | The U.S. and Mexico are at war; General Stephen Kearney
declares New Mexico an American possession |
| 1853 | Jean Baptiste Lamy becomes the first archbishop of Santa Fe |
| 1862 | The Civil War battle of Glorieta is fought near Santa Fe;
the Union wins |
| 1879 | Railroads come to Santa Fe; tourism and much needed
commerce follow |
| 1912 | New Mexico becomes the 47th state of the Union |
| 1915 | Popular silent Western movies starring Tom Mix are shot in northern
New Mexico |
| 1929 | Painter Georgia O'Keeffe visits northern New Mexico
and eventually makes it her home |
| 1943 | Scientists begin building the first atomic bomb at the
secret city of Los Alamos |
| 1945 | First atomic bomb detonated at Trinity Site in southern NM |