FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2017
Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216
Balderas to speak at 1 PM
Santa Fe, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas, the New Mexico Land Grant Consejo, the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty Division of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, the New Mexico Land Grant Council, and the University of New Mexico Land Grant Studies Program announced they are sponsoring the 169th commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at noon on Thursday, February 2, 2017 at the New Mexico State Capitol. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848 and officially ended the Mexican-American War. The treaty explicitly recognized the personal and property rights of Nuevo Mexicanos and Pueblo Indians brought under U.S. sovereignty. The treaty was incorporated into New Mexico’s State Constitution in 1912 and is part of the state’s legal and cultural heritage.
“New Mexico’s rich culture, heritage and history make us a place like no other in the world, and I am proud to honor the 169th commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,” said Attorney General Balderas. Every year land grant heirs from across the State of New Mexico come together to commemorate the treaty, discuss state and federal policies affecting land grant communities, and to hear from state and federal elected officials.
The commemoration will be at the Rotunda in State Capitol building in Santa Fe. The keynote speaker for the commemoration is New Mexico’s former state historian Mr. Robert Tórrez. Entertainment this year will be provided by the Matachina de Cañón de Carnué and Baile Ilusion of Las Vegas, NM starting at 12:00 PM, with guest speakers starting at 1:00 PM including Attorney General Hector Balderas.
This year the New Mexico Land Grant Consejo will be presenting Life Time Achievement Awards to Mr. Charlie Chacón of the San Joaquín del Río de Chama Land Grant and Mr.Adelicio Herrera of the Cañón de Carnué Land Grant for their dedicated service to their communities and the land grant movement. Venessa Chavez-Gutierrez, president of the Tajique Land Grant, will be this year’s emcee.
# # #