New Mexico is famously known as the “Land of Enchantment,” writes Latinx studies scholar Alhelí Harvey, and the name evokes a sense of remoteness, isolation, and emptiness. However, Harvey argues, it’s a tourist myth. Still from Oppenheimer. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.
by Alhelí Harvey |
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Los Alamos, New Mexico’s tourism website quickly clues visitors into what the city considers its two principal assets. There’s the national laboratory, represented by an illustrated atom, and there are three national parks, represented in an illustrated leaf. Underneath these symbols is the slogan “where discoveries are made.”
In 2021, New Mexico attracted 7.2 billion in tourist dollars. Many visitors come for the leaf: Outdoor recreation added $2.3 billion to the state’s economy that year. Meanwhile, the atom—the state’s nuclear past and present—attracts a subset of tourists who come to visit Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Trinity test site, and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque. The most hardcore might also check out the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad.
New Mexico is famously the “Land of Enchantment.” “Enchantment” is an abstract noun that evokes remoteness, isolation, and emptiness. It’s easy to see how environmental tourism seeks this out: It’s about sunset-chasing and finding peace in vast expanses of open desert. Nuclear tourism, meanwhile, is an extension of the military’s expansion into civilian life—the cultural arm of a national mission to continue making bombs. It consists of attractions that erase the deathly realities of nuclear events in favor of mythologies of noble actors doing difficult things for the sake of the U.S.’s democracy. But while these two types of tourism might seem opposed, in seeking enchantment, New Mexico’s visitors are oddly alike. In New Mexico, ogling nuclear weapons and enjoying nature are two sides of the same coin: Both activities conjure the state as a blank slate.
New Mexico began calling itself the “Land of Enchantment” in 1999, lifting its moniker from a 1906 travelogue about the Southwest. Author Lilian Whiting wrote that New Mexico was “a territory…whose ethnological interest” in the “remains of Cliff dwellers and of a people far antedating any authentic records, enchains the scientist,” and that its future “promises almost infinitely varied riches.”
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Whiting saw New Mexico as the one of most “uncivilized localities” of the Southwest, replicating 20th-century attitudes that assumed Indigenous people were on the brink of vanishing. She described the region as unpopulated, but what she meant was that it hadn’t been settled by Anglo-Americans.
The contemporary earthy tourists that come to see White Sands, the Gila National Forest, or Shiprock caption their Instagram posts with similar language to Whiting’s. They’re exposed to the language and imagery of enchantment and emptiness by the state’s tourism campaign. Today, the slogan is “NM True,” but the vision it’s peddling is the same: star-studded vistas, mountains, forest, and sand dunes all empty and isolated. Vacancy—as an assumption that erases racialized communities—is central to enchantment.
There is no such thing as the frontier freedom that Oppenheimer thought New Mexico’s landscape promised.
The more complicated reality is that these seemingly empty destinations are products of multiple, contradictory layers of history: resource extraction, the seizure of land for national parks, and military land uses. Nowhere is this most apparent than at the seemingly empty sites visited by nuclear tourists.
In the 70 years since the Trinity site—where the Atomic Age’s first blast melted the sand in an explosion 1.5 times hotter than the surface of the sun on July 16, 1945—first held an open house, New Mexico has become ground zero for nuclear tourism. Army officials installed the obelisk of igneous rock marking Ground Zero in 1965. Today, it is a favorite spot for tourists to snap pictures. Officials designated the site and its grounds a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
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In 1969, Congress established Albuquerque’s National Museum of Nuclear Science and History “as an intriguing place to learn the story of the Atomic Age, from early research of nuclear development through today’s peaceful uses of nuclear technology.” Initially staffed by Air Force personnel, the institution is a testament to Cold War efforts to sustain curiosity and enthusiasm around nuclear science.
In Los Alamos, the operational laboratories are closed to the public, there are lots of visitor opportunities—including, since Christopher Nolan’s film, downloadable maps of filming locations and local “Project Oppenheimer” themed experiences that involve drinks, shopping, and sightseeing. Soon, the Los Alamos location of the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park—comprised of three sites across the U.S. that played a significant part in developing the bomb—will open to the public. The weekend of Oppenheimer’s premiere, local news reported a “swell” of calls to the Museum of Nuclear History in Albuquerque and tourists “flocking” to Los Alamos.
Seeing the state as a giant playground for recreation and experimentation is not so different from conceiving of it as an amenity for private enjoyment. In both the nuclear and outdoors tourist economies, it pays to be empty. You can see this in Oppenheimer, much of whose plot turns on the title character’s lifelong yearning: “If only I could combine physics and New Mexico, then I’d truly be happy.”
What is he yearning for? Emptiness, it seems. Emptiness offers Oppenheimer freedom from harm, guilt, and accountability. At times, the film feels like an ad campaign for New Mexico’s nuclear tourism: the empty landscape is both a source for finding the secrets of the natural world and a key to a scientific revelation that functions as spiritual enlightenment. But there is no such thing as the frontier freedom that Oppenheimer thought New Mexico’s landscape promised.
Even attempts to dissuade viewers from romanticizing the events of the film reinforce emptiness. In New Mexico, a somber 15-second public service announcement from the Union of Concerned Scientists preceded screenings of Oppenheimer, reminding viewers that nuclear tests contributed to high rates of infant mortality, cancers, and the poisoning of soil and water. The PSA showed a landscape viewed from a passenger train. It evoked Oppenheimer’s ride to the town of Lamy in Nolan’s film, but also could have been Alamogordo, near the test site. The lack of specificity established the scenery as abandoned: modest discolored buildings, absence of people, the toll of a single bell in ambient natural sound.
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The concerned scientists likely didn’t intend to glance over the people of New Mexico, but the PSA nevertheless reaffirmed the idea that the state is empty. Is this a result of the bomb’s devastation, or was it always the case? Who used to inhabit this space? Who still does?
Indigenous and Hispano New Mexicans who were present in the region long before Oppenheimer have been the most impacted by the lab. Many New Mexicans know “Downwinders”— residents of the rural Tularosa Valley downwind of the blast who have borne the brunt of the ecological, economic, and negative health outcomes from nuclear testing, but who have yet to receive any formal recognition or reparation from the U.S. government.
Despite those who profit from silence and emptiness, New Mexico is a land of testimony. This state is full of life and full of people who have dedicated their lives to holding each other close. Organizations like Tewa Women United, an all-volunteer organization founded in 1989 that seeks to create and foster spaces that center Indigenous women’s knowledge and health practices, speak to the specific ways the bomb has affected Indigenous communities in the state. The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe held an entire exhibition devoted to the topic in 2022, orienting viewers toward the global connections and hazardous histories that arise from the first blast of the Atomic Age in New Mexico’s desert.
Telling stories like these is what makes New Mexico a real place—not the empty “Land of Enchantment” packaged for tourists. When you visit, work towards listening, and you’ll begin to see past the vistas.
Expect the offenses to shine when SDSU visits New Mexico in The Pit today, per our college basketball betting picks.
Feb 28, 2026 • 10:23 ET
• 4 min read
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Photo By – Reuters Connect. San Diego State Aztecs guard Reese Dixon-Waters.
The San Diego State Aztecs pulled into a tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference with a win over top-seeded Utah State. Now, they try to stay there when they visit a team just below them in the standings in the New Mexico Lobos.
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My San Diego State vs. New Mexico predictions and college basketball picks believe the high stakes will translate to a high-scoring affair on Saturday, February 28.
San Diego State vs New Mexico prediction
San Diego State vs New Mexico best bet: Over 148.5 (-116)
The New Mexico Lobos had a three-game win streak snapped with a 67-60 loss at Nevada, their second-lowest point total of the season.
They return home, where they are averaging 92.2 points per game in the last 10.
The San Diego State Aztecs have the fourth-ranked offense in the conference. They hung 89 on Utah State in a 17-point blowout win.
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They’ve won seven of 11, including an 89-73 triumph over UNM.
The Lobos have combined with their opponents to score better than 151 points in six straight at home.
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San Diego State vs New Mexico same-game parlay
The Aztecs are coming off their biggest win of the season, and if they can pick up this W at New Mexico, they will be in the drivers’ seat for the Mountain West regular season crown.
SDSU has held its own on the road this year, going 5-3 this season.
San Diego State vs New Mexico SGP
Over 148.5
San Diego State moneyline
San Diego State vs New Mexico odds
Spread: San Diego State +2.5 | New Mexico -2.5
Moneyline: San Diego State +125 | New Mexico -150
Over/Under: Over 149.5 | Under 149.5
San Diego State vs New Mexico betting trend to know
San Diego State has hit the 1H Moneyline in 18 of its last 25 games (+12.40 Units / 9% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for San Diego State vs. New Mexico.
How to watch San Diego State vs New Mexico
Location
The Pit, Albuquerque, NM
Date
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Tip-off
2:00 p.m. ET
TV
CBS
San Diego State vs New Mexico key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
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Eric has been involved in sports media in many different capacities since graduating from journalism school in 1999, back when getting your own column in a newspaper was still considered a thing. He doubled down and graduated from broadcast journalism school five years later, which led to a move to Toronto and a career with The Sports Network (TSN). From behind-the-scenes production work, he moved into the digital realm, where he had his own hoops column (At the Buzzer), while regularly live streaming and chatting with fans during broadcasts as the character known as LeBlog James. He was also a key contributor to TSN and CTV’s Olympic programming during the 2012 London Games.
Eric eventually found his way into the sports betting field in 2016 and has been a mainstay ever since. He was tagged on Twitter as a Top 10 NBA sharp during the 2021 season and has been interviewed about basketball and his handicapping process on shows from Vancouver to India. Eric is now a jack-of-all-sports at Covers, where his predictions span the alphabet soup: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, F1, WNBA, Euro, and Copa.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of Public Service Company of New Mexico, a subsidiary of TXNM Energy (NYSE: TXNM), declared the regular quarterly dividend of $1.145 per share on the 4.58 percent series of cumulative preferred stock. The preferred stock dividend is payable April 15, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business March 31, 2026.
Background: TXNM Energy (NYSE: TXNM), an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, delivers energy to more than 800,000 homes and businesses across Texas and New Mexico through its regulated utilities, TNMP and PNM. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.TXNMEnergy.com.
Santa Fe police received a report in September about a man’s visit to a massage business on Rosina Street, where workers offered more than he had bargained for.
He gave officers a list of sexual acts he alleged he had been offered for a price at Korea Spa, police wrote in a report.
The man told police “he has nothing against prostitution but believes it shouldn’t be near a school,” officers wrote, noting the business sits across the street from Salazar Elementary School, just a block from the busy intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Michael’s Drive.
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Police did not launch an investigation into Korea Spa because the man declined to press charges, but the business shut down earlier this month after the City Council Finance Committee issued a cease-and-desist order. The business is one of four massage parlors the city has shut down since July through such an order, due to failure to comply with business regulations. Some of the businesses were operating without a current license, or didn’t pass an inspection by city staff.
City and state officials say cracking down on illicit activity at massage businesses is more effective at the administrative level than tackling the problem through the criminal justice system.
It’s the “Al Capone approach,” Santa Fe Planning and Land Use Director Heather Lamboy said in an interview last year, referring to the famous mobster’s eventual conviction on income tax evasion charges.
Staff at the land use department believe 15 to 20 businesses in Santa Fe are currently operating as illicit massage parlors, she said this week. Her agency is preparing a proposed ordinance for the City Council to consider later this year to give more teeth to the administrative process aimed at shutting them down.
New Mexico lawmakers considered a measure during their 30-day session that was also intended to provide more stringent oversight of massage businesses, with a goal of weeding out those operating illegally or offering illicit services. But Senate Bill 246 failed to make it across the finish line.
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It passed the Senate and the House Health and Human Services Committee with just one day to get a vote on the House floor. That never happened.
Good Luck Body Massage, at 360 E. Palace Ave., is one of several massage businesses the city has shut down amid concerns about suspected illicit activities.
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Jim Weber/The New Mexican
‘Whack-a-mole’ situation
Lamboy previously worked for the city of Aurora, Colo., and said the proposed Santa Fe ordinance is modeled on legislation spearheaded by Aurora’s licensing department, which has proven successful.
The upcoming measure, which Lamboy said will be one of the first updates in the second phase of the city’s ongoing land use code rewrite, would require massage businesses to provide additional information to the city about their state licensing and to abide by specific standards, such as keeping their doors unlocked during business hours.
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Locked doors during advertised business hours — with people inside — caught the attention of land use staff during inspections at several of the massage businesses that later faced cease-and-desist orders from the Finance Committee. Inspectors also cited violations such as expired business licenses and employees on-site who did not have a valid license as a massage therapist.
The Finance Committee has the sole power at the city to revoke business licenses, according to city code — a power Lamboy said it has exercised very rarely before it began targeting out-of-compliance massage parlors: “I don’t know the last time it’s been used,” she said.
Yang Yang Massage/Pony Massage at 1225 S. St. Francis Drive, Unit E shut down after the Santa Fe City Council Finance Committee approved a cease-and-desist order.
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Jim Weber/The New Mexican
To date the city has issued cease-and-desist orders to the following businesses:
Good Luck Body Massage, 360 E. Palace Ave., July 28.
Chinese Massage LLC, 4985 Airport Road, Unit B, Oct. 27.
Yang Yang Massage/Pony Massage, 1225 S. St. Francis Drive, Unit E, Dec. 8.
Korea Spa, 2008 Rosina St., Unit B, Feb. 9.
The owner of Korea Spa is the only business owner who has come to a Finance Committee hearing to protest a decision. Lamboy said owners of other massage businesses appear to have closed their doors as soon as they were notified the city was preparing to issue a cease-and-desist order.
“It’s sort of like a whack-a-mole type of situation,” Lamboy acknowledged. “They’ll move on to other places, but, at least within our local jurisdiction, they won’t be permitted.”
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Reports to police rare
Santa Fe police Sgt. Dianna Conklin said building a criminal case against massage parlor operators based on suspicions of human trafficking is “really difficult,” partly because potential victims — frequently immigrant women — are uncooperative with an investigation.
Massage parlor workers often rely on the business for housing and money, Conklin noted.
Reports to police about suspected trafficking or illegal services could yield petty misdemeanor charges against women offering such services, but turning those cases into investigations against their supervisors — the people who run the parlors — is trickier.
“We can go in there, we can do a sting and we have, basically, the offender, who is probably a victim of human trafficking — and then what?” Conklin said. “Then, what we do from there — we’re going to wind up charging her and trying to leverage her to flip on somebody, and … they’re not going to.”
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Conklin has worked in the Santa Fe Police Department’s Special Victims Unit for several years, and in that time she has seen just two reports alleging prostitution at massage parlors. In both cases, a man alleged a masseuse had offered to perform sex acts during a massage.
One man told officers in June 2025 he had visited Pony Massage on St. Francis Drive, and the masseuse had offered oral sex and intercourse while she was massaging him, a police report states.
The man declined, he told police, but the woman continued to touch his genitals. When he told her he was planning to call police about the incident, the woman threatened to tell officers he had forced her to touch him inappropriately, he said, according to the report.
The man said he didn’t wish to press charges, but the incident made him feel “very uncomfortable,” and he wanted police to know what was going on at the parlor, police wrote.
The second report, made against Korea Spa on Rosina Street, came three months later.
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Conklin’s unit has a handful of officers, and several are planning to attend a conference this year to learn more about investigating massage parlors, she said, adding some other law enforcement agencies have had more success approaching suspected human trafficking organizations through racketeering or organized crime cases — focusing on tax evasion or other types of offenses that can lead to a business shutdown.
“We want to stop human trafficking at the top,” Conklin said. “We don’t want to go after the people who are having to prostitute themselves to survive; we want to actually get the people who are facilitating the services, and get the victims into a safe place where they can feel like they actually have a chance to live the American dream, instead of just being trafficked indefinitely.”
The failed state effort
New Mexico officials have aimed for years to try a regulatory approach to scrutinize massage businesses that could be offering illicit services.
The latest effort came through SB 246, which would have expanded the state’s authority to regulate massage businesses by creating a new license category for the business operations — not just the individual therapists who work in them.
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It also would have allowed state investigators to conduct in-person visits, a power they currently lack.
Melissa Salazar, director of the Boards and Commissions Division of the state Regulation and Licensing Department, said the bill would have put New Mexico alongside Florida, Texas, Delaware and Nebraska by having state authorities regulating both licensure and inspections of massage establishments.
The department, with Salazar helping to craft the bill, had introduced a nearly identical bill during the prior year’s regular legislative session, which died after only one committee hearing.
“The number one priority is to ensure that health, safety and ethical risks are being assessed,” she said.
A secondary goal, she added, was sharing information with law enforcement when inspectors suspect wrongdoing.
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“But … it would not be the RLD’s responsibility to go in and do something about that. They would work in conjunction with law enforcement if they noticed something that was odd or different,” she said.
She noted roadblocks for police when it comes to investigating such businesses: Police typically need search warrants and probable cause to enter an establishment and often rely on rare reports; most people who encounter illicit activity at a massage parlor never report their concerns to police, she said.
SB 246 would have granted the state Massage Therapy Board, a five-seat commission of governor appointees, expanded authority to vet massage establishments and set rules governing licensure and inspections. The board would have had the power to deny or revoke a license based on unprofessional or unethical conduct or prior convictions.
Sen. Pat Woods, a Broadview Republican who co-sponsored the bill, said his support for the measure came after a media report of allegations against a Clovis massage parlor in his district.
“I know good and dang well there’s places advertised out there,” Woods said. “Local police, they do their best to train people to watch. I’m sure that it’s a constant job for them to watch out for that kind of thing.”
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Woods said SB 246 was also intended to protect legitimate massage businesses and their clients.
“There’s legitimate people trying to make a legitimate living,” he said. “ The state should help them do that — so the people that need that treatment aren’t afraid they’re gonna walk into something more than what they think they’re walking into.”
The bill ran into opposition over language allowing inspections of massage establishments “at any time,” including outside business hours.
Because the proposal did not distinguish home-based businesses, critics argued it would have allowed inspectors to enter a residence at any hour.
Woods said it was too late in the session to amend the language. He may bring back another version in a future session.
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“It’s not that we’re gonna stop all prostitution by any means,” Woods said. “But, you know, we have a way to regulate this, so that’s what we should do.”
