Forget little green men: here's the real reason you should visit New Mexico

Ask someone what they know about New Mexico and you'll likely get one of three answers. If they're a Breaking Bad fan, they'll know that the hit TV series about mild-mannered teacher turned merciless drug baron Walter White was set in the state's largest city, Albuquerque (a notoriety its residents have understandably mixed feelings about). If they're intrigued by little green men, they'll have heard of Roswell, the closest city to the alleged crash site of a UFO in July 1947. And if they're interested in geology, they may be aware that the state is home to the earth's largest gypsum dunefield, the other-worldly White Sands National Park, and one of the world's most spectacular cave systems, the gargantuan Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

What they're less likely to know is that New Mexico is the epicentre of North America's native Pueblo culture, which has existed in this region for more than a thousand years. The state has several impressive archaeological sites, such as Bandelier National Monument, which contains Ancestral Puebloan cave dwellings, rock paintings and petroglyphs, plus Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which was the capital of an ancient civilisation that built elaborate five-storey housing complexes and hundreds of kilometres of arrow-straight roads.

While these sites offer a historical perspective, what makes New Mexico so special is that it's also home to 19 Pueblos, independent sovereign nations whose residents attempt to preserve Native traditions, languages and religions. Some of the Pueblos allow visitors, providing a unique insight into the challenges of maintaining an ancient culture in a country that's preoccupied with progress.

My quest to learn more about Pueblo culture starts at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre in Albuquerque. Founded in 1976 by the 19 Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, this museum and gallery space has a range of exhibitions that not only explain Pueblo history but also showcase its artistic, cultural and culinary achievements.

In the permanent exhibit, We Are of This Place: The Pueblo Story, there's a re-creation of a traditional adobe house, constructed using sun-baked bricks made of mud and straw, plus beautiful examples of intricate Pueblo clay pottery and the colourful headdresses and apparel worn during social and spiritual dances. Other exhibits explain the civilisation's deep connection with nature, the earth and the seasons, plus the inevitable cultural clash that occurred during three successive waves of colonisation - first by Spain, then by Mexico and finally the United States.

During this time, Native people endured the all-too-familiar cycle of violence, oppression and displacement that many indigenous groups experienced during colonisation, and it says a lot about their resilience that they managed to survive.

This collision of cultures is also evident in the centre's restaurant, Indian Pueblo Kitchen, where visitors can sample traditional indigenous cuisine, including bison stew, fry bread and salads featuring "The Three Sisters", the agricultural staples of corn, beans and squash. Also on the menu are dishes featuring red and green chilies, which were introduced by the Spanish from Central America in the 16th century and have since become a New Mexico obsession (they're even on the state licence plate).

Just in case there was any doubt as to the extent of the cultural assimilation, when I leave the centre, I notice that across the street, on land also owned by the 19 Pueblo tribes, is a plaza containing a Holiday Inn Express, a Domino's Pizza joint and what I later discover is the state's largest Starbucks.

Drive an hour north-east from Albuquerque and you hit Santa Fe, an attractive city of low-rise burnt orange Spanish Pueblo-style adobe buildings in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It's America's oldest state capital, having been founded by the Spanish in 1610, but Native Americans have been calling the area home for thousands of years.

Today it's a thriving arts centre, with more than 200 galleries, 20 museums and a busy calendar of festivals and events. However, its turbulent past is littered with colonial conflict, most notably the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, where several Pueblo tribes joined together to successfully expel the invading Spanish (at least for 12 years). You can learn more about this event at the New Mexico History Museum, which presents a detailed timeline of the region's rollercoaster ride of troubles and triumphs.

Another must-see is the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, where the Here, Now and Always exhibit showcases not only the extraordinary craftsmanship of the Pueblo people but also of New Mexico's four Native American Indian Tribes and Nations. Featuring more than 600 pieces of ceramics, jewellery, paintings and fashion, it's curated by a primarily indigenous team and is centred around contemporary themes such as community, ancestors and resilience.

If you haven't yet reached your museum threshold, one more notable institution to check out is the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, which is the US's only museum dedicated to progressive Native American art.

Predictably, the city isn't short of places to buy art either. While the upmarket galleries along Canyon Road specialise in striking contemporary sculptures with strikingly high-end prices (think $US98,000 for a two-metre-high bronze moose), you'll find more affordable options in Santa Fe Plaza where Native artisans sell handmade paintings, pottery, textiles and jewellery under the shaded portal of the Palace of Governors.

Another interesting area to visit is the Railyard district, which has been transformed from a neglected train depot into a vibrant community hub featuring galleries, breweries, restaurants and a weekly artisan market. It's here that I meet Irvin Louis, a craftsman from the Acoma Pueblo who specialises in horse hair pottery, an intricate process where strands of horse hair are added to a piece just after firing to produce beautiful abstract designs. The reason he has to make the 200-kilometre journey to Santa Fe is because his Pueblo is still closed to visitors because of the aftermath of the pandemic. "We lost a lot of people," he says gravely.

There are lots of reasons to visit Taos, a small, bohemian community 112 kilometres north-east of Santa Fe in New Mexico's high desert. Like Santa Fe, it's a haven for artists, with numerous galleries and art museums lining its historic main plaza and surrounding streets. It's also a popular ski resort, with 110 trails and more than seven metres of annual snowfall. Finally, it's home to several detour-worthy sites, including the striking 18th-century adobe San Francisco de Asis Mission Church and the mighty 390-metre-long Rio Grande Bridge. Notwithstanding all that, I'd suggest the region's most compelling drawcard is Taos Pueblo, a community five kilometres north of town that has straddled Red Willow Creek for more than a thousand years, making it the US's oldest continuously inhabited dwelling.

I visit as part of a Historic Taos Trolley Tour, a popular sightseeing excursion that includes entrance to the Pueblo and a guided tour. We're shown around by Arrianna, an eloquent 26-year-old who's currently studying nursing in Taos but plans to finish her studies in Albuquerque. Like many young Native Americans, she navigates two contrasting worlds - the traditional one inside the Pueblo, with its customs, ceremonies and basic facilities (there's no electricity or running water), and the contemporary Western one outside, with all its opportunities, conveniences and modern-day stresses.

She shows us the San Geronimo de Taos Catholic Chapel, which was built around 1850, and explains that most of the 150 or so residents identify as Catholic but also still practice their Native religion - the details of which she is not permitted to divulge.

Architecturally, the highlight is Hlauuma, a five-storey rust-red adobe residential complex that's thought to have been built between 1000 and 1450AD. This imposing edifice is one of the reasons the Pueblo is the only living Native American community that's both a UNESCO World Heritage site and a National Historic Landmark.

While these conservation initiatives will help to safeguard the Pueblo's physical presence, the bigger challenge is how to preserve its customs, stories and culture. Arrianna says that Tiwa, the community's traditional native language, is dying out among younger members. "I wish I'd learnt it," she says wistfully, "so I could communicate with my elders."

After the tour, there's free time to grab a snack and browse the many small, family-run stores selling handmade pottery, jewellery, boots and drums. I find myself in the gallery and ancestral home of Deborah Lujan, an award-winning photographer whose work I remember seeing at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre in Albuquerque. Sadly, I don't have space for one of her prints so instead buy a hand-painted Christmas bauble as a festive reminder of this special place. "Thank you," she says, smiling warmly. "That was made by my mum."

Not content with having the US's oldest continuously inhabited dwelling, the world's largest gypsum dunefield and more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other US state, New Mexico has one more superlative up its sleeve: it's America's oldest wine region.

The story goes that the first grapes were planted in 1629 by a group of monks who smuggled them out of Spain. Today, the state has more than 50 wineries, mostly concentrated around Albuquerque, Taos and Las Cruces, many of which have cellar doors that offer drop-in tastings.

Among the highlights are a dangerously drinkable pinot grigio that won double gold at the 2021 San Francisco International Wine Competition and the 2018 Nini, a complex blend of seven red grapes that's been aged in oak barrels for 42 months.

Another outfit exclusively using New Mexico-grown grapes is Sheehan Winery. At its tasting room in Albuquerque's Old Town district, I sample an eclectic range of drops, from a herbaceous gruner veltliner and a light, pinot noir-like chambourcin to a smooth, dark cherry cab sav. Assistant winemaker Ann Stecker explains that the locals prefer sweeter wines, particularly the Cielo Dulce, a sugary blend of riesling and gewurztraminer that means "Sweet Heaven" in Spanish.

Proving that high elevation is no barrier to making great wine, 1800-metre-high Vivac Winery, located 30 minutes southwest of Taos, produces a wide variety of styles, from a crisp, Chablis-like unoaked chardonnay to a full-bodied aglianico. If you drop in for a tasting, be sure to try the truffles made by co-owner, Liliana Padberg (I can personally vouch for the salted caramel).

Just as I'm starting to think that sparkling wines might be the only chink in New Mexico's viticultural armour, I visit Gruet Winery's tasting room in Santa Fe and sample several excellent fizzies made using the traditional French "methode champenoise". Notably, the winery's New Mexico Sparkling Pinot Meunier Rose is made using grapes grown at Santa Ana Pueblo, the first time a Pueblo has partnered with a professional winemaker. "It's historic," says my host, "a truly authentic expression of New Mexico."

The writer travelled as a guest of New Mexico Tourism and Brand USA

Getting there: Qantas flies from Melbourne and Sydney to Albuquerque via Los Angeles.

Staying there: New Mexico-based and minority-owned, Heritage Hotels & Resorts has several award-winning properties in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Las Cruces. Many of the hotels feature distinctive designs that incorporate elements of the region's Native culture and can organise immersive excursions through its tour partner Heritage Inspirations. hhandr.com; heritageinspirations.com

Explore more: newmexico.org; visittheusa.com.au