Celebrate National New Mexico Day with All The Things

• These are all the off, random and funny things about New Mexico.

June 14th is National New Mexico Day. Here are a bunch of all the things including weird laws, fun facts and New Mexico-isms to help you celebrate this state’s day.

• If a newspaper in Quemado prints someone’s name and spells it incorrectly, the newspaper may be subject to a fine. 
• You can visit the American International Rattlesnake Museum, if you’re in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
• What’s known as “indecent waitering,” is considered a petty misdemeanor in New Mexico. What does that mean? Well, it’s legal for your waiters, waitresses and servers to show you their privates. Which restaurant made this a law and why? What a crazy law to add to all the things.
• The law states that it’s illegal for women to pump their own gas and change a flat tire. If anything, this law needs to be rewritten or taken out altogether. 
• There’s a huge rock, that looks like a camel, and it’s called camel rock. It’s located in Tesuque. This rock formation looks like a resting camel and would be a great selfie spot.
• If you’re in Deming, you can be arrested for public spitting. 
• Also, if you’re in Deming at the Mountain View Cemetery, it’s illegal to ride a bicycle there. You can’t hunt there either. 
• Another petty misdemeanor in New Mexico is improper use of official anthems. 
• State officials mandated that 400 sexually explicit words be removed from “Romeo and Juliet.”
• You can visit the giant roadrunner statue in Las Cruces. It’s 20 feet tall, 40 feet long, and has Volkswagen headlights for eyes. This piece of art was originally created in 1993 by Olin Calk. He wanted to create this art to promote recycling.
• For a historic AirBnb, stay at Kokopelli’s Cave in Farmington, New Mexico. This cave-looking suite includes 1,700 square feet of space and has a kiva and waterfall shower.   
• In Hatch New Mexico, there are parts and areas around Sparky’s that are massively kitschy. How cool to see larger than life figures like Yogi the Bear and a giant KFC bucket. I want to see all the things!
• Women can go topless, sans nipples. That is, if you don’t want to wear a shirt in New Mexico, you still need to cover your nips.
• Men are allowed to be fully naked,. Well, sans genitalia. So men need to cover their sex organs but are otherwise free to roam in their birthday suits.
• If you don’t know anything else about New Mexico, you know about Roswell or you’ve at least heard of it. Roswell as a city has really embraced the UFO theme, making the town both wonderful and wacky. You see alien-themed murals along with street lamps and statues of little green men lounging around town. 
• In the city of Carrizozo, women are banned from being unshaven in public. Um, sexist much? This law needs to be removed as well. 
• In Carlsbad, New Mexico, having sex in a parked car during a lunch break is fine. Make sure to have coverings on the car or van windows to prevent others from seeing inside but otherwise, you’re good to go. Crazy considering some of the other laws and worth the add to this list of all the things.
• The weirdest of all the New Mexican laws is that “idiots” are not allowed to vote. 
• The Classical Gas Museum in Embudo is a large collection. There are gas pumps and gas station memorabilia. 
• New Mexico is sometimes thought of as a big desert but it’s got high and chilly mountain spaces and wide, open plains. 
• Chile is essential to the state cuisine of New Mexico and some consider their Chile some of the best. 
• New Mexico’s flag depicts the ancient Zia sun symbol, using the colors of Spain. The Zia symbol was built into the state capitol’s shape, a circle with four slightly protruding entrances that represent the sun’s rays. 
• Chile season is sometimes called New Mexico’s fifth season. People sell their chiles out of their vehicles and that’s not the only thing.
• To see McGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch, visit Alamogordo, home of the world’s largest pistachio. This sculpture is a memorial to Tom McGinn who started a pistachio and grape farm. 
• People sell firewood, jelly and even tamales on the side of the road and out of their cars.
• A staircase in Loretto Chapel, located in Sante Fe, seemingly has no supports. It’s one of those spiral staircases with 360 degree turns and functions without any visual or observable methods of support. 
• New Mexicans sometimes used the word “coke” to refer to all types of soda. 
• For all the the folk art of New Mexico, visit Tinkertown Museum in Sandia Park. All of the inside and outside is pretty much a museum, in the weirdest but best way. Folk art at its best.

What do you think of this list of all the things to celebrate National New Mexico Day? Look at that sunset!

For some odd New Mexico news, follow the link to New Mexico Man Finds 15,000 Bees in His Car.