The best books about New Mexico history begin with Marc Simmons's New Mexico: An Interpretive History for the overview, Paul Horgan's Pulitzer-winning Great River for the sweep of the Rio Grande, and David Roberts's The Pueblo Revolt for the pivotal events of 1680. Few American states have a documented history as long or as layered — a thousand years of Pueblo civilization, four centuries of written record since Spanish contact, and three cultures continuously in contact. This reading list moves from the best starting point to the landmark deep dives. For the collector's view of these fields, see the New Mexico history collecting guide; for the full canon, Best Books Set in New Mexico.
Published June 2026 · Curated by Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
New Mexico: An Interpretive History — Marc Simmons
The best place to start. Simmons — widely called the dean of New Mexico historians — distills the whole arc of the state's past into a single readable volume. If you want one book that gives you the shape of New Mexico history before you go deeper anywhere else, this is it.
Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History — Paul Horgan
The classic sweeping narrative, organized around the river that made the region. Across two volumes Horgan moves from the Pueblo world through the Spanish, Mexican, and American eras, winning the first of his two Pulitzer Prizes for History. Novelistic, ambitious, and still unmatched in scope.
Blood and Thunder — Hampton Sides
The story of Kit Carson, the U.S. conquest of the Southwest, and the tragedy of the Navajo Long Walk, told as propulsive narrative history. The best modern popular account of how New Mexico became American — and what that cost the people already here.
The Pueblo Revolt — David Roberts
The readable narrative of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt — the coordinated uprising, led by Popé, that drove the Spanish out of New Mexico for twelve years and remains the most successful Native rebellion in North American history. Essential for understanding the Pueblo world's resilience.
When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away — Ramón Gutiérrez
A landmark, much-debated scholarly history of marriage, sexuality, and power in colonial New Mexico from 1500 to 1846. Denser than the others here and not without controversy among Pueblo scholars, but a foundational academic work that reshaped the field. For readers ready to go deep.
Going deeper by subject
New Mexico history fans out into dozens of specialist fields — the Native and Pueblo record, the Spanish colonial period, the Santa Fe Trail and the territorial era, and more. The deep-subject guides on this site cover each in turn; this list is the doorway in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best one-volume history of New Mexico?
Marc Simmons's New Mexico: An Interpretive History is the standard accessible one-volume history.
What is the best book about the Pueblo Revolt?
David Roberts's The Pueblo Revolt is the most readable narrative of the 1680 uprising.
What book covers the Rio Grande and New Mexico history?
Paul Horgan's Pulitzer-winning Great River, the classic two-volume narrative history.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Best Books About New Mexico History. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/best-books-about-new-mexico-history
Original curation by Josh Eldred. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.