New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. It is usually considered one of the Mountain States. Inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Americas for many centuries before European exploration, New Mexico was subsequently part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyaltyof New Spain, then part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory before attaining statehood. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics, including descendants of Spanish colonists and recent immigrants from Latin America.
