September 2026 NM History & Culture Opportunities

The Albuquerque Historical Society & the Historical Society of NM

Encourage your participation in the following history & cultural events:

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH BEGINS SEPTEMBER 15-OCTOBER 15
NEW MEXICO STATE FAIR SEPTEMBER 10-20, info at StateFair.expoNM.com

THE ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, September 20, 2pm, free. The history of Catholicism & Catholic Churches in Albuquerque presented by John Taylor, noted Valencia County historian/author. Free parking & free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. Albuqhistsoc.org.

SEPTEMBER 26, SATURDAY, 11am ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL SPEAKER SERIES-FREE AT 12 LOCATIONS WITH 12 DIFFERENT SPEAKERS:

  • Roger Zimmerman speaks on Rerouting Rt. 66 through Tijeras Canyon, Isleta Pueblo Cultural Center;
  • Abraham Santillanes speaks on the Many Roads to Old Town – the original Rt. 66; Fred Luna Multi Gen Center in Los Lunas;
  • Donatella Davanzo speaks on Route 66 connected: A photo-ethnographic exploration of the contemporary Rt. 66 in NM, South Valley Library;
  • Lynne Peckinpaugh presents The Italian’s pathway to prosperity on ABQ’s Rt. 66, Wheels Museum;
  • Gary Herron speaks on Motels on Rt. 66 in ABQ, East Mountain Library;
  • Joe Sabatini speaks on North Fourth St.-ABQ’s original Rt. 66, International District Library;
  • Chinese Merchants of ABQ’s Route 66 by Aimee Tang; Raymond Sanchez Community Center on N. 4th St.;
  • Hazel Lathrop speaks on Tijeras Canyon-Five Miles of Road and Hundreds of Stories, Special Collections Library at Central & Edith NE;
  • Roland Pentilla speaks about Route 66 Trivia !, Patrick Baca Library at Central & Unser NW;
  • Gordene MacKenzie speaks about Agriculture, Architecture, Artists, Bootleggers & Businesses on the Mother Road in Los Ranchos, Martha Liebert Library in Bernalillo.
  • Jennifer Bohnhoff speaks about the Civil War along Rt. 66 (Battles of Glorieta, Peralta, ABQ), Esther Bone Library in Rio Rancho.                              Details at www.route66speakers.org.

Petroglyph National Monument, 899-0205; Valles Caldera National Preserve, 670-1612; and Salinas Pueblos National Monument, 847-2585. Call and check their websites for details.

SEPTEMBER FEAST DAY DANCES AT PUEBLOS AROUND NM – Laguna, September 19; Taos, Sept. 30. Call the individual pueblo offices to confirm times. 

INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER — Cultural dances every Friday at 2pm, Saturday and Sundays at 11am & 2 pm. More info and ticket prices at indianPueblo.org.

ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL MUSIC SERIES, FREE. SEPTEMBER 12, 19, 26. Rt 66 Visitor Center, 12300 Central SW. See website for details of musical groups. 768-3556.

SEPTEMBER 4 and every Friday of SEPT 11, 18, 25; 11am. Free Ranger led hike at Quarai unit of Salinas National Monument. More details call visitor Center, 847-2770. https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

SEPT. 4, $12 (includes one drink), doors open 5:30pm, program 6pm. The Evolution of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team.  Museum of Nuclear Science, 601 Eubank SE. NuclearMuseum.org.

SEPT. 4, 5-8 pm, free. Art Crawl at various galleries across ABQ. Come meet the artists. ArtsCrawlABQ.org.

SEPT. 4, 5-8 pm, Downtown ABQ Artwalk – music & art along Central Ave. More details and maps at AbqArtwalk.com.

SEPTEMBER 5 and other Saturdays in Sept, 12, 19, 26, 9am, free. Morning hike 2.2 miles of Rinconada Canyon. Meet at parking lot at Unser & St. Joseph NW. Sponsored by Petroglyph Nat Monument, 899-0205.

SEPTEMBER 5, 8:30-11am, free. Bosque Wild Hike, meet at the Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW, 768-4951 or Dione Epps at depps@cabq.gov.

SEPTEMBER 5, 8am-11am. Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. Come clean a plot to commemorate the past. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/The communityofHistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present”.

SEPTEMBER 5, 10am, free. John Fleck speaks on the Rio Grande and Making of Modern ABQ. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. More info at wheelsMuseum.org or call Leba Freed at 243-6269, or info@WheelsMuseum.org.

SEPTEMBER 5 and every Saturday in SEPT 12, 19, 26, 11am. Ranger led hike at Gran Quivira unit of Salinas National Monument near Mountainair. Call 847-2770 for more info.https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

SEPTEMBER  6 and every Sunday in SEPT  13, 20, 27- 11 am. Ranger Led hike at Quarai unit of Salinas National Monument. Call 847-2770 for more info.https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.

SEPTEMBER 7 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY started in the 1880s  because of working conditions: 12 hour days, 7 day work weeks, child labor. Became Federal holiday in 1894.

SEPTEMBER 8, 6 pm, free. Ben Radford presents Weird NM: Miracles, Monsters, Magic in the Land of Enchantment. Book Works, 4022 Rio Grande NW, bkwrks.org.

SEPTEMBER 8, 3-4 pm, free. Author Maria Dolores Gonzales speaks about growing up bilingual and bicultural in NM. Lomas Tramway Library.

SEPTEMBER 9, 4-5:30 PM, free. Celia Foy Castillo speaks about Maria Rosa Villalpando and Hidden History-a Revolutionary Story. New Mexico History Museum, nmHistoryMuseum.org.

SEPTEMBER 10-20, NEW MEXICO STATE FAIR  More info, ticket prices, parking at  StateFair.expoNM.com.

SEPTEMBER 10 and other Thursdays in Sept., 10, 17, 24, 5 pm free.  Afternoon 1.5 mile hike at Pierdras Marcadas Canyon. Meet at parking lot at 9421 Jill Patricia NW. Sponsored by Petroglyph National Monument. Call 899-0205 for more info.

SEPTEMBER 10, 6-7pm, $10. Steven Jasinski, curator of Paleontology at the NM Museum of Natural History speaks about Dinosaurs of NM and their World. NMNaturalHistory.org.

SEPTEMBER 11, PATRIOTS DAY, Remembrance of September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the US. Ceremony at Civic Plaza begins at 11am, sponsored by the City of ABQ.

SEPTEMBER 11, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) begins at Sundown.

SEPTEMBER 11, 11am, free Carl Christensen from the Water Utility Authority speaks on How to Xeriscape your yard. Cherry Hills Library, 6901 Barstow NE.

SEPTEMBER 11, 7 pm, free. Dark Skies/Bright Stars at Abo. (telescopes, star information) Salinas Pueblo National Monument, Mountainair NM. Call 505-847-2585 for more info.

SEPTEMBER 12, 10 am-4pm, $2 free after 12 noon.  Monthly sale of used books, vinyl, posters, music & more. Craft/fabric/knitting supplies are new bonus ! Sponsored by the Friends of the ABQ BernCo Public Library. Main branch, 5th & Copper NW. Will carry purchase to your vehicle. Two-hour free parking across the street at the City garage. Bring your ticket in to be stamped. All proceeds benefit the Library. FriendsofthePublicLibrary.org.

SEPTEMBER 12, 10:30am-12 noon, free. Dr. Eppie Rael, professor emeritus UTEP speaks about The Spanish and other Pueblo de Cochiti Visitors. National Hispanic Cultural Center Domenici Building. Sponsored by the Hispanic Genealogy Resource Center NM.

SEPTEMBER 12/13, 10am-5pm, free. Sandia Heights artists studio tour (40 artists, 13 studios). Get map and more info at www.sandiaHeightsartists.com.

SEPTEMBER 13, 9am-4 pm, $17. Placitas Garden Tour of SIX unique gardens. Buy tickets and get map at PlacitasGardenTour.com.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2pm, free. Speaker Series-Dan Flores speaks on Coyote American, the unique story of the animal both hunted as a varmint but also considered a sacred entity.  Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center, 6510 Western Trail NW. More info at 899-0205.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2 pm, free. Colcha Embroidery: A NM Spanish Heritage Art by Teresa Hernandez. Sandoval County Historical Society Museum. Off 550 just west of Coronado Monument in Bernalillo. More info at SC-hsm.org. SandovalHistory.org 

SEPTEMBER 14, 11:30 am, free. Press Women & Friends. Leading child care advocate involving children in CYFD custody Maralyn Beck, NM child First Network speaks. Weck’s restaurant, 7301 Paseo del Norte NE, turn on Holly from Wyoming NE. Order your own food.

Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. More info at wheelsMuseum.org or call Leba Freed at 243-6269, or info@WheelsMuseum.org.

SEPTEMBER 16, 5:30-7 pm, free. To honor Hispanic Heritage month, create your own nichos. Materials provided. Erna Fergusson Library, San Mateo & comanche NE.

SEPTEMBER 17, 5:30-9:30 pm, free. Constitution Day with numerous groups promoting importance of informed voting. Albuquerque Press Club in Highland Park at I-25 & Gold SE (behind Parc Central Hotel). League of Women Voters, Common Cause

SEPTEMBER 17, 7 pm, free. Rev. Paul Anway ministers to the LBGTQIA + community; he speaks on “This is my faith and this is what I want you to know about it”. Metropolitan Community Church, 1103 Texas NE. Sponsored by the NM Interfaith Dialogue.

SEPTEMBER 17, Constitution and Citizenship Day commemorate the signing of the US Constitution in 1787.

SEPTEMBER 17, 5-8pm, free. 3rd Thursday at ABQ Museum featuring “The Other Rt. 66 Exhibit”. Pop-up performances around the building including poetry, opera, and student led performances. food & beverage for sale. ABQ Museum in Old Town. More info from dianadelgado@cabq.gov.

SEPTEMBER 18, 19, 20, free. FIESTAS at historic St. Francis Xavier Church, 820 Broadway SE. Performing groups, food, crafts, mass.

SEPTEMBER 18, 10am-2pm, admission. Conversation with Photo Archives staff featuring photos to spark curiosity. Albuquerque Museum, Contact archivist Jill Hartke, jhartke@cabq.gov, 243-7255.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2-7pm & Sept. 19 10-4pm, $15. Prickly Pear Festival. Food tasting, demos, crafts and more. Gutierrez Hubbell House, 6029 Isleta SW. More info NMPricklyPearFest.com.

SEPTEMBER 18, 4 pm, free. Santa Fe southside library. V.B. Price discusses Chaco Now: New and Archived Poems. 6599 Jaguar Drive in Santa Fe.

SEPTEMBER 18, 5-7 pm, free. Celebrate the 1912 statehood of NM and how it fits into USA 250th. NM History Museum in Santa Fe. Music food. NMHistoryMuseum.org.

SEPTEMBER 19, 12 noon , free. The remarkable story of the US Capital. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. More info at wheelsMuseum.org or call Leba Freed at 243-6269, or info@WheelsMuseum.org.

SEPTEMBER 19, 10:30 am-12 noon, free. Main Library: Genealogy Center 2nd floor: When we were Mexicans: presented by former state historian Robert Torrez. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with researcher, writer and former NM State Historian, Robert J. Torrez, as he takes a close look at the short period when NM was part of the Mexican Republic (1821-1848). Learn what NM’s own Mexican-period archives tell about the critical events that unfolded as the province transitioned from being a part of the Spanish empire to part of the Mexican Republic and eventually an occupied territory of the US.

SEPTEMBER 19, 4-8pm, free. Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration with music, dancing and more. Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW, 768-4951 or Dione Epps at depps@cabq.gov

SEPTEMBER 19, 3-4 pm, free. Murals from around Albuquerque and NM. Presented by Robin Dunitz. Lomas Tramway Library.

SEPTEMBER 19, 10 am, adm fee. Author Norma Naranjo speaks about Four Sisters and gives a cooking demo of fruit empanadas. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, call 843-7270 to register. IndianPueblo.org.

SEPTEMBER 19/20, 10am-5pm, free. North Valley artists studio tour. Download map and get more info at NorthValleyStudioTour.com.

SEPTEMBER 19, 11am, free Ethnobotany Nature Walk at Quarai unit of Salinas National Monument. 847-2585.

SEPTEMBER  20, Yom Kippur (most sacred day of Judaism) begins at sundown.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2 PM, free. “The History of Catholicism in ABQ/Bern County. Noted historian & author John Taylor speaks and shows photos of church buildings. ABQ Historical Society. Free parking & free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. Albuqhistsoc.org

SEPTEMBER 20, 2 pm, free. Classical guitarist Omar Villanueva and violinist Andre Silva play outdoors at Quarai Ruins,  5 miles north of Mountainair off Highway 55. Sponsored by Salinas Missions National Monument.

SEPTEMBER 20, 10am-5pm, free. Celebrate the centennial of Route 66 with Community Day at the NM History Museum. Car show, dancing music, vood, story time. 1912 . NM History Museum in Santa Fe, nmHistoryMuseum.org.

SEPTEMBER 23, 3:30, 5:30 & 7:30 PM, $7 or $10.  screenings of The Rio Grande: A century of Water, Land & People. Guild Theatre on Central in Nob Hill. GuildCinema.com/movies.

SEPTEMBER 25/26 9am-4pm, free. Harvest Craft Fair and Plant Sale. ABQ Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE. Tastings, food demos, crafts, food for sale. albuquerquegardencenter.org.

SEPTEMBER 26, 11 am, free. ROUTE 66 SPEAKER SERIES at 11 locations throughout metro area (ABQ, Bernalillo, Rio Rancho, Isleta Pueblo, Los Lunas) with different speakers. Go to www.route66speakers.org for list of speakers, details of talks and locations/ addresses.<

SEPTEMBER 26, 11am – 4pm, free. Historic northern NM “High Road” Catholic churches open to visit & tour interior (4TH Sat of the Month). Includes Truchas, Las Trampas, Cordova, San Jose de Gracia. Brochure info at Prayatalltimes.com/mission-churches.

SEPTEMBER 26, 10am-9m, tickets. Albuquerque Folk Festival. Music and dance workshops, arts and crafts, food. National Hispanic Cultural Center. Nhccnm.org.

SEEPTEMBER 26, 9am-4pm, free. Libros for Kids Book Festival. Every child receives a free new book, reading by former US poet Laureate Joy Harjo, authors present, wild bird show, magic show, tour 1927 ABQ Bus and more. APS Berna Facio Building, Comanche & 3315 Louisiana NE.

SEPTEMBER 26, 10am-3pm, free. Celebrate the Wildlife Refuge birthday with Story Riders, includes workshops, performers and fun.   Contact  dakota_dominguez@fws.gov. Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge,7851 2nd St. SW, 248-6667.

SEPTEMBER 26, 6-9 pm, free. Civic Plaza Fiesta Flamenca Burqueno Flamenco Outdoor Festival with performances. More info at flamencoworks.org.

SEPTEMBER 26, 8:30-10:30 am, free. Elena Gallegos Foothills Wild Hike. Meet at the Elena Cottonwood Springs Trailhead. 7100 Tramway Blvd. NE. Contact Open Space division for more info.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2pm, free. Speaker Series. Sara Dent speaks on Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center, 6510 Western Trail NW.

SEPTEMBER 26/27, 10am-4pm, free. RAILROAD DAYS at the Railyards. Wheels Museum will be open. Engine 2926 will be there too. 1100 2nd SW.

SEPTEMBER 26, 6 pm, $15. Evening with poet Joy Harjo. KiMo Theatre, 423 Central NW, 228-9857. Sponsored by City of ABQ, Bookworks, Public Library Foundation and Leopold Writing Program. bkwrks.org for tickets.

SEPTEMBER 26, 6:30 pm, free. Youth event includes historic preservation. Old time “scary” movies at Historic Fairview Cemetery (old north side), 700 Yale SE, free popcorn & soda. Chairs provided.

SEPTEMBER 26/27,  free. Heritage Days in Corrales at Casa San Ysidro and Corrales Harvest Festival. Demos by artisans, blacksmith demo, fresh horno bread, Lectures, music, food demos, hay wagon rides, shopping. More info from Aaron Gardner, agardner@cabq.gov or 768-3918.966 Old Church Rd

SEPTEMBER 27, 1-4pm, free. East Mountain Celebration at the Los Vecinos Community Center. 478 NM-333 in Tijeras. Music, entertainment, car show, family activities.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2-3 pm, admission. Kathleen Dull speaks on “100 years of the Fred Harvey Indian Detours”. ABQ Museum.

SEPTEMBER 27, 6:30 pm, free. Dr. Federico Reale speaks on book,  Feet of Clay, Spirit of Fire: Corridos de las Mercedes de Nuevomexico 1856-1969. The NM style of Ballads. National Hispanic Cultural Center.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2 pm, free. Coronado Lecture Series. Archeologist Tim Maxwell speaks on The Mysteries of the Casas Grandes Region of Northern Mexico.  Martha Liebert Library, 124 Calle Malinche in Bernalillo. More info at BernalilloLibrary.org or 505-867-1440.

SEPTEMBER 27, 10am-5pm, $15. Aki Matsuri Japanese Fall Festival at Expo NM. Cultural demos, Japanese dancing, music and food for sale.

SEPTEMBER 27, 6pm, free but must reserve tickets. Viva Mexico! Music, Dance and Poetry of Mexico. National Hispanic Cultural Center.

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge. 7851 2nd St. SW, 505-248-6667.

Valles Caldera National Monument on NM 4 north of Jemez Springs. Go to nps.gov/vall for information.  39201 NM 4. Jemez Springs, NM. Call 505-670-1612 for more info. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/valle-de-oro.

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair.  Contact Natalia Sanchez Hernandez for more info. Call 505-847-2585, nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit or call 505-847-2585 X 221.

Randall Davey Audubon Center and sanctuary, 1800 Upper Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe. Tour the gardens and historic Randall Davey house. Fridays @ 2 pm are docent led house tours, $5. Saturdays @8:30 am are guided bird walk. More info at RandallDavey.audubon.org. Monday – Saturday, 8am-4pm

INDIAN EDUCATION AT UNM, iaie.unm.edu. Watch several previously recorded programs about Native American education, the Dine language and more.

HISTORIC SANTA FE FOUNDATION (historicSantaFe.org) offers many free programs to watch: Ron Duncan Hart speaking on the Early Jews in NM; Rob Martinez – The Enduring Hispanic Music of NM.

The Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. Monday – Thursday, 9 am-12 noon, Sat & Sunday, 10am-2pm. Call first to confirm, 505-243-6269 or info@wheelsmuseum.org

MURALS OF ALBUQUERQUE (www.murosabq.com) This shows over 130 murals in the ABQ metro area. You click on each picture and it shows the mural, gives its title and address, describes the image, and the artists.

Cibola County History Museum, 525 West High St., Grants NM. Go to the museum’s Facebook page for more information.

NUCLEAR MUSEUM – The Museum has a huge collection of oral history interviews (also transcribed) called Voices of the Manhattan Project. There are some 600 interviews of individuals who were either at the Manhattan Project or a family member who worked there. The  interviews are organized into 39 categories such as: Internment of Japanese Americans, Life in the Secret cities,  Hispanic employees, Native American. https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/educate/atomic-heritage-foundation  https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/

New Mexico event music groups at the Rt. 66 Visitors Center, music, exhibits. 12300 Central SW, 768-3556. Call city’s 311 for more info.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. invites anyone to come and hoe tumbleweeds and goat heads. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. Wear hard soled shoes & bring your own tools. www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present.

AMAZING HISTORY / CULTURE OPPORTUNITIES ONLINE

  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW MEXICO. New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. Read about it, https://newmexicohistory.org/nm-journey-to-become-a-state/. Visit – NewMexicoHistory.org to view thousands of entries: photos, videos, podcasts, Timelines for the five periods of NM History & More! The New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez can be reached at 505-476-7911.
  • NEW MEXICO HISTORY IN TEN MINUTES (newmexicohistory.org) On the home page, go to the bottom and click on Video of the Month. The entire list of episodes will appear by clicking on the corner of the video. NM State Historian Rob Martinez is most engaging and informative and there are more than 40 Episodes. The episodes may be heard in chronological order or by topic which is introduced in the first minute or so of the episode.
  • CIVIC AUDITORIUM HISTORY VIDEO (1957-1986) www.modernabq.org. Go to the Resources Tab, then the drop down to the three Civic Auditorium videos. They tell the story of the structure: why it was built, how it was used and why it was ultimately demolished.
  • HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and GELLERT EDUCATION CENTER NM, 616 Central SW. Go to the website nmholocaustmuseum.org. Questions call 247-0606.

ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVED VIDEO PROGRAMS

The Albuquerque Historical Society provides videos of scheduled program presentations. The videos are linked from the appropriate AHS Program pages. Presentations captured on videos to date include: