New Mexico
At The People’s March in New Mexico, rally goers brace for second Trump presidency • Source New Mexico
On the eve of President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration, speakers at a rally in New Mexico’s largest city called for a new social movement to defy Trump and confront fascism.
Hosted by the New Mexico Women’s March, The People’s March was timed in conjunction with similar protests in Washington D.C. and around the country.
New Mexico Women’s March Chair Samia Assed told the hundreds gathered at Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza the political moment demands practicing democracy and protecting the right to protest.
“A big responsibility lies on our shoulders, and we have to be up for it,” Assed said. “Come Tuesday, President Trump will have his 100 executive orders ready for us. Project 2025 will unfold. Are we going to fight back?”
Assed introduced outgoing U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the event’s keynote speaker. Haaland noted the record 60 women headed to the state Legislature this week and said there’s much more to do to support parents and working people.
Haaland said Trump is “surrounding himself with super-rich people who look down on us and our communities.”
“Our fight is not over. We will need to do the hard work of getting important things done and pushing back against an administration who couldn’t care less about regular people, about people like us,” Haaland said. “We will need to unapologetically stand up to make change to ensure that your voices are heard. We need more people with real lived experiences elected to office and serving our communities as doctors, scientists, CEOs, so that solutions reflect who we are.”
Other speakers at the rally included state Sens. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and Harold Pope, Rep. Eleanor Chavez, Pueblo Action Alliance Executive Director Julia Bernal, Faith Roots Reproductive Action Development Director Karinna Solares and El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos Community Organizer Fabiola Landeros.
“We’re going to fight to remind people in power that they answer to us,” Haaland said.
The Chaparral High School football program in Southern New Mexico is making a name for itself these days.
And for the first time, the state of New Mexico is taking notice of the Lobos program. Chaparral High School is located less than 30 miles from Northeast El Paso.
The Lobos are 8-3 overall and seeded No. 3 in the Class 4A playoffs. The eight wins are the most in school history and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs is the highest seed the Lobos have ever had in the playoffs.
The Lobos defeated No. 6 seed Moriarty, 42-41, in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 14 when Lobos quarterback Israel Nieto scored with a rushing touchdown and it was followed by a successful extra point to advance the Lobos. Twelve teams made the state playoffs.
There are multiple classifications in New Mexico, ranging from Class 2A to Class 6A, as well as six-man and eight-man football divisions.
Chaparral football history
The Lobos played their first varsity game in 2007 and went 1-9 that season. The Lobos have had seven seasons with no wins,
The Lobos had winning seasons in 2015 and 2017, both times going 6-4.
Chaparral breaks through in 2024
Chaparral made the postseason in 2024 and defeated Portales in the first round on the road, securing the program’s first-ever playoff win.
Fast forward to 2025
The Lobos have won 8 of their last 10 games after losing their season opener to Gadsden. They went 4-2 in District 2-4A, which placed them second behind Albuquerque St. Pius.
The Lobos defeated strong teams from Albuquerque (Academy and Manzano), the state’s largest city, and another team from Los Lunas (Valencia HS), which is near Albuquerque.
Chaparral players to watch
- Israel Nieto, QB. He has 1,786 yards passing, 634 yards rushing, 19 touchdown passes and 15 rushing touchdown runs.
- Raul Lopez, RB. Lopez has rushed for 1,092 yards and has 470 yards rushing.
- Aaron Eliserio, WR. He has caught eight touchdown passes.
Chaparral’s coaching staff
Joseph Frias, who played quarterback at El Paso’s Franklin High School and graduated in 2003, is the second-year head coach.
His staff includes defensive coordinator Stephen White, offensive coordinator Esai Ontiveros and defensive backs and wide receiver coach David Butler.
What’s next for Chaparral
The Lobos will play No. 2 St. Pius at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Nusenda Community Stadium in Albuquerque in the state semifinals. The winner will play either No. 1 Bloomfield or No. 4 Taos in the state finals.
What Chaparral head coach Joseph Frias said
“The kids have worked hard and bought into what we want to do,” Frias said. “Making the playoffs last year and winning a playoff game meant so much to the program. It gave us momentum.”
What Chaparral player Israel Nieto said
“We’ve had great support from the community, we’ve played with confidence and determination,” Nieto said.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
Joshua Wheeler was raised in Alamogordo, New Mexico and his work has been described as “lyrical and funny” as well as “poetic and highly entertaining.” One of the two books he will read excerpts from next month is about southern New Mexico.
As part of the Nelson-Boswell Reading Series, La Sociedad para Las Artes will host a public reading by Wheeler, a Louisiana State University professor, from his publications “Acid West: Essays” and “High Heaven: A Novel.”
The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 in New Mexico State University’s CMI Theater in Milton Hall, Room 171. A free reception will follow, where copies of Wheeler’s books will be available for purchase.
Wheeler is now based in New Orleans where he teaches creative writing at LSU. His debut novel “High Heaven” explores the evolution of faith and technology through the U.S.’s space age. His collection of essays “Acid West” follows the history of innovation and identity as seen from southern New Mexico – from cowboys and UFOs to nuclear testing and spaceports.
The Nelson-Boswell Reading Series invites visiting writers to NMSU to share their work with the community. La Sociedad para Las Artes is seeking to establish a permanent endowed fund through the NMSU Foundation whose earnings will support creative writing programs, including visiting writers and reading series as well as creative writing workshops for children in Las Cruces Public Schools.
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CUTLINE: Louisiana State University assistant professor of creative writing Joshua Wheeler will read from “Acid West: Essays” and “High Heaven: A Novel” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 in New Mexico State University’s CMI Theater in Milton Hall, Room 171 as part of NMSU’s Nelson-Boswell Reading Series hosted by La Sociedad para Las Artes. (Courtesy photo)
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