Official Scenic Historic Markers

How They Got Started

When Americans took to the road, many states devised ways to attract motorists off the highway, explore, and invest some time and money learning about local cultures and landmarks. In 1935, New Mexico—no stranger to promoting tourism with its history—began installing those signature big, brown, log-hewn signs to inform travelers about the landscapes and the people who inhabited them.

Official Scenic Historic Markers explain land formations, public archaeological sites, important buildings, historic travel routes, places, and events. They mark locations of geologic, cultural, economic, political, scientific, and artistic significance to New Mexico, the Southwest, and the nation.

From El Camino Real to Route 66, from record producers to recording stars, from prehistoric civilizations to the first atom bomb, historic markers cover the broad and diverse history of the Land of Enchantment.

Markers memorialize Native American warriors, Spanish conquerors, and some outlaws. Women’s role in history was seldom mentioned until 2007, and now is illustrated on 75 historic markers. Travelers will discover ghost towns, battlegrounds, and utopian settlements no longer inhabited by a soul.

To get an idea of what New Mexico’s approximately 650 historic markers are all about and where to find them, use the Official Scenic Historic Marker Guide, the most complete database available of New Mexcio's markers. Many of the markers are also found on websites and smartphone apps.

New Mexico is vast and often remote. If you find a marker that time and the elements have rendered illegible, or is significantly damaged, please contact the historic marker coordinator. Please send GPS coordinates if you can.

How to Propose a Historic Marker

Most marker proposals originate in the public or an organization, although any person, group, government agency, or corporation may nominate a marker. Generally, proposals are successful when the subject of the proposed marker relates to a specific location, place, or feature, and prompts would-be readers to think about their immediate surroundings.

The crux of a successful proposal is the effective communication of a proposed marker subject’s historical significance. Applicants should rely on substantial, evidence-based research to provide information on the subject and clearly make the case for its significance in the history of New Mexico (or the Southwest or United States). It should be noted that interesting or important historical subjects in family, local, or county history do not necessarily meet the significance threshold under the established regulations and standards for the Official Scenic Historic Marker Program.

Marker proposals begin with the questionnaire that contains 10 questions concerning the history of the proposed marker subject and a potential location. With each question geared toward specific program standards and requirements, the questionnaire is designed to assist both applicants and the program coordinator determine whether the proposed marker is eligible. It is imperative that each question is answered completely and thoroughly for the program coordinator to conduct an evaluation. The program coordinator will notify applicants of the determination, whether a proposed marker is eligible or not, within 30 to 45 days of receiving a questionnaire.

If a proposed marker is determined to be eligible, the program coordinator forwards the proposed marker application to the Cultural Properties Review Committee (CPRC). At one of its six annual meetings, the CPRC finalizes text and location. Applicants should note that the CPRC aims to incorporate provided wording and information, but the CPRC is ultimately charged with crafting and drafting final marker text. Similarly, while proposed marker locations are considered, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, in consultation with the CPRC, determines final locations based on highway safety, rights-of-way, and space requirements.

Before filling out the questionnaire, first please review the regulations and standards. Then, consider if the proposed marker in mind fits the bill, contacting the program coordinator with any questions. Finally, download the questionnaire, complete it, and submit it via email to the program coordinator.

For new marker proposals, please fill out the questionnaire and submit it to the program coordinator, Matt Saionz, at matt.saionz@dca.nm.gov.

For questions or concerns about the condition, text, or location of existing markers, please contact the program coordinator.