Inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before European exploration, it was colonized by the Spanish in 1598 as part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1563, it was named Nuevo México after the Aztec Valley of Mexico by Spanish settlers, 223 years before the establishment and naming of the present - day country of Mexico; thus, the present - day state of New Mexico was not named after the country today known as Mexico. Its geographic characteristics made settlement and effective political control difficult which prompted Mexico 's invasion and control of the area from 1824 to 1846. New Mexico 's Spanish origins made cultural integration with Mexico unsuitable, which sparked the Revolt of 1837 and a growing economic association with the expanding United States. The 1848 Mexican -- American War indirectly capitalized on this tension and created the U.S. New Mexico Territory. It was admitted to the Union as the 47th state on January 6, 1912.
when did new mexico became a us state
January 6, 1912