Amerika Rougemont, Reporter
GRANTS, N.M. - The Cibola County Historical Society welcomed Alexander Marx, a historian originally from Germany, to share his insights on the rich contributions and history of Germany immigrants in New Mexico, even specifying in Cibola County.
Marx first arrived in New Mexico in 2015 as an exchange student. It was during his time studying American studies at the University of New Mexico (UNM) that he “fell in love with New Mexico and the Southwest.” Following his undergraduate studies, he returned to UNM to pursue a graduate degree in geography, completing it in 2019. He has since transitioned to studying history, focusing on the German presence in the U.S. West and Southwest.
In his talk, Marx outlined the narratives surging the German immigrant experience, explaining the progression from early pioneers to community builders. “It’s impossible within an hour to cover the entire history of Germans in New Mexico, but I will provide an overview,” he said. His presentation focused on the evolution of German settlers, from traders and soldiers to farmers and scientists, each contributing uniquely to the state’s development.
Marx noted, “The first chapter of German history in New Mexico stretched from the 1840s until around 1900. These early traders arrived during or shortly after the Mexican-American War.” He explained the diversity of German immigrants, mentioning that they came from various German- speaking regions long before the unification of Germany in 1871.
The discussion also touched on the later influences of German settlers, particularly during the homesteading era from the 1880s to the 1920s when many agricultural colonies flourished in New Mexico. “We can see how the railroad’s arrival in the 1880s changed the landscape of settlement and growth in the region,” he explained.
The discussion also delved into the significant cultural changes resulting from anti-German sentiment during World War I. As public opinion shifted against Germans, legislative actions like the Espionage Act of 1917, targeting German communities and contributing to a cultural erasure were a result. German language and customs were suppressed, schools banned the German language, and individuals faced violence and attacks on their businesses. This marked a drastic transformation, culminating in the loss of multiculturalism in the region.
Marx further noted that the impact of World War I marked a definitive end of an era for German speakers in the Southwest, as the U.S. turned against Germany. He discussed the lasting effects, including the fragmentation of communities and a generation of silence as German surnames were Americanized and the use of German language declined in public and private life.
The conversation also touched on similar challenges faced by German immigrants during World War II, including the existence of internment camps in New Mexico for German nationals, although the impact on German Americans during WWII was less severe than during WWI, given their existing integration into society.
Marx shared stories about notable figures, including the Spiegelberg brothers, Prussian Jewish immigrants who significantly influenced New Mexico’s mercantile system, and Solomon Bibo who advocated for the Pueblo and integrated into local community life, as well as the German-Jewish merchants the Gottliebs.
As Marx concluded his talk, he expressed an eagerness to continue exploring the deep-rooted history of Germans in New Mexico. He mentioned potential research areas, including the comparison of German interactions with different communities, examine German engineering methodologies in mining, and investigating the impact of World War II on German families and their legacy in the region. “There is much more to research, and I would be very happy to give this talk again with a more detailed focus on specific families of localities,” he said.