COMMENTARY
Land of Enchantment
Albuquerque wall mural. (Doug Hill)

New Mexico first used its “Land of Enchantment” slogan on state vehicle tags in 1941. It was an accurate description before, then and now. The state has attracted and enchanted visitors from all over the world for centuries, including Spanish conquistadors, British artists and students.

A recent road trip there found the relatively new Meow Wolf art complex in Santa Fe that’s also called the House of Eternal Return. Novelist and Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin envisioned the massive installation, while a team of artists physically created it. It’s an overwhelming experience.

More tranquil is an afternoon at Santa Fe’s plaza (see below), where little changes from one generation to the next. Albuquerque is even more attractive in some respects than the state’s more famous and glamorous capital city to the north. Broad boulevards, diverse restaurant choices and the National Hispanic Cultural Center are found there.

  • Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.

  • Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.