 Very
hot
 Hottest temperature was in 1934 at 116
degrees
 Dry climate
 Few streams
 Rain Shadow effect

Air travels east over the Pacific Ocean gathers
moisture and then when it reaches the Sierra
Nevada Mountains suck most of the moisture out
of the air. The air that gets to New Mexico holds
very little moisture which causes our hot dry
climate
 Growing
season can last for more than 200
days.
 Desert grasslands and scattered mountains
which have mesquite-tarbush desert scrub,
creosote bush, and large patches of Palo
Verde cactus shrub and saguaro cactus.
 Animals: pronghorn antelope, coyotes, jack
rabbits, cattle, elk, mountain lion, quail,
deer, and roadrunners
 The
two largest cities in New Mexico are in
the Basin and Range Province: Las Cruces and
Albuquerque
 Both are in the Rio Grande Rift and began as
farming communities

Because of fertile soil and access to water
 Both
were colonized around the same time
as Santa Fe
 Melzer,
R., & Reyes, C. K. (2012). The New
Mexico Journey. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith
Education.