1. On September 14, 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain, which ended over 300 years of Spanish rule in New Mexico. The newly independent Mexico maintained control over New Mexico until the Mexican-American War in 1846.
2. In 1850, the United States established the Territory of New Mexico, which included present-day Arizona and parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. The territory's capital was initially Santa Fe, and the population was primarily made up of Native Americans, Hispanic settlers, and Anglo-American pioneers.
3. On September 14, 1862, during the Civil War, Union and Confederate troops clashed in the Battle of Antietam in Maryland. Although this battle did not directly involve New Mexico history, many New Mexicans fought in the Union Army during the war, and some historians argue that the war had a lasting impact on New Mexico's development.
4. On September 14, 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state in the United States, following Arizona's statehood earlier that year. New Mexico's statehood marked the end of the territorial period and the beginning of a new era of political autonomy and cultural identity for the state.
5. On September 14, 1977, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta kicked off its first event. The annual festival has since become one of New Mexico's most popular tourist attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to watch hundreds of colorful hot air balloons take to the skies over Albuquerque.