Land of Enchantment

They call it ‘the Land of Enchantment’... The American State of New Mexico lies east of Arizona, sharing its southern border mainly with Texas but also a small stretch of Mexico. Whilst it is the fifth-largest State, it is the sixth most-sparsely populated, with vast areas of desert in the southern half. Its capitol city, Santa Fe, however, located in the northern mountains, has the highest elevation of any capitol city in the US. So New Mexico is a land of contrasts, and surprises.

Inhabited by Native Americans for centuries, the Mexican border also brought in many Hispanics, so New Mexico is strongly influenced by these two cultures, apparent in everything from food to architecture, art to music.

With its huge sky, rugged landscape and an artist’s palette that includes the sand, the rock and light, New Mexico provides me with a beautiful mix of colour and texture. One is constantly coming upon the unexpected, with many opportunities to ‘look through to another world.’

I hope these images can convey a flavour of this State’s unique character and special sense of history. (Other images of New Mexico are found in some of my other portfolios, but this small collection contains some of my favourites.)