1. To explain how and why Spanish settlement in New Mexico expanded into the valleys east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains; 2. To describe how traditional Hispano culture in the valleys responded to new influences after New Mexico became a territory of the United States; 3. To identify the ways in which surviving ranchos reflect those responses; 4. To investigate the culture of early settlers in their own communities and identify how it changed over time.
Recommended level: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
1. Spanish Settlement East of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
2. Hispano Culture Under U.S. Territorial Rule
3. Connecting Rancho History to Your Own Community