Uncovering the Legacy of a Transborder Family

With generous financial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, New Mexico State University (NMSU) Library is now digitizing and increasing scholarly access to 15,000 pages of original correspondence from the Amador family, a Mexican-American family of prominence in the border region of southern New Mexico and northern Chihuahua, Mexico, during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The letters illuminate the Amadors’ struggles and triumphs as they navigate life on the U.S.-Mexico border during an important period of transition for both nations.

Like many Mexicans who accepted U.S. citizenship when the land where they lived passed from Mexico to the United States as a result of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Amadors were challenged to find a way to retain important aspects of their cultural heritage and identity while simultaneously adapting to new social, political, and economic circumstances. During their rise to prominence in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the Amadors kept up a prodigious correspondence with family, friends, business associates, clergy, and educators, among others, on both sides of the border.

These letters, housed in the Archives and Special Collections of the NMSU Library, have served researchers from a variety of humanities and social science disciplines for more than 50 years. The materials have been freely available on-site since the 1970s and the collection steadily has gained a dedicated following of academic and public users who appreciate its unique perspective and massive scope.

In 2022, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the NMSU Library $345,763 to digitize and provide online access to the complete Amador family correspondence. The three-year project will make these primary-source borderlands archives available worldwide.

New Mexico State Library logo
National Endowment for the Humanities Official Seal Logo
More than 750 letters available online. View the collection now.