1. In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, the U.S. Army led by General Stephen Watts Kearny entered New Mexico and captured the city of Santa Fe. This event marked the end of Mexican rule and the beginning of American occupation in the region.

2. On February 4, 1862, the Confederate Army led by General Henry Hopkins Sibley won the Battle of Valverde against Union forces in central New Mexico. This was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Civil War in the Western territories.

3. In 1913, New Mexico became the 47th state of the United States. The state was admitted as a result of the Enabling Act of 1906, which allowed territories to become states if they met certain conditions. New Mexico was the first state with a Hispanic majority and the first to have a woman governor, Susana Martinez, elected in 2010.

4. The Taos Pueblo, a Native American community in northern New Mexico, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. The pueblo has been continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

5. New Mexico is home to one of the largest balloon festivals in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The festival takes place in October and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to see hundreds of colorful hot air balloons take to the skies over the city.