During the Great Depression, photographers were sent out under the auspices of the Farm Security Administration, in order to take photographs that would drum up support for the program. One of the locations visited by photographers was rural New Mexico, and the photographs that were taken remain a unique snapshot of this era in New Mexican history.

New Mexico has a rich and distinctive architectural history. From the prehistoric great houses of the Ancestral Pueblo people, to the most progressive architects of today, New Mexican architecture has developed with a strong relationship to place and a strong appreciation for indigenous styles.

Protest, civil disobedience, war, and the right to a free press are all threads that are woven through the tapestry of United States history. This curriculum uses samples from the New Mexico Museum of Art’s photography collection to tug on those threads through documentary photography.

Route 66 was a highway spawned by the demands of a rapidly changing United States. This curriculum summarizes the origins of the fabled highway and traces its path through New Mexico's past and present.