New Mexico Statehood

This New Mexico Statehood stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of New Mexico’s admission into statehood. The territory obtained statehood in 1912. As a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which signaled the end of the Mexican-American War, the United States received portions of New Mexico. Additional territory was added as a result of the Gadsden Purchase in 1853; it was the last major territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States. The stamp features an image of Shiprock, a geological formation in northwestern New Mexico.