Photo: Margaret.Wiktor/Shutterstock

36 Giveaways Locals Know You're Not From New Mexico

New Mexico
by Zoe Baillargeon Feb 26, 2018

With its art festivals, accessible nature, and culture, New Mexico is a tourist magnet, so we can tell from a mile away if you’re an out-of-towner and out of your depth. Sometimes you’re less obvious, but these are 36 giveaways us locals know right off the bat that you’re an outsider.

1. “Hey, let’s go to the Georgia O’Keeffe museum!”

2. “Wow, Las Vegas is that close to Santa Fe?”

3. “I’ll have the mild chile.”

4. “No chile for me, thanks.”

5. “I’ll have the chile on the side.”

6. “How bad can the DMV be?”

7. “Whew, Santa Fe is SO high!”

8. “So it’s gonna rain all day, right?” — Like, give it 5 minutes, then it’ll be sunny again, dude.

9. “I’ll have a prickly pear margarita.”

10. “I’m here for the Santa Fe Margarita Trail.”

11. “Yeah, I’ll have the en-CHILL-adas, with a queso-DILLA and tor-TILLAS on the side.”

12. “How do you pronounce Pojoaque?”

13. “I just bought cowboy boots!”

14. “Look at how much cheap turquoise I bought!”

15. “I’m here for Indian Market.”

16. “What does Christmas mean?”

17. “Red or green what?”

18. “So Tex Mex and New Mexican food are basically the same thing, right?”

19. “Should I fly into Santa Fe or ABQ?”

20. “Wow, it really IS the Land of Enchantment!”

21. “So how do I get to the Breaking Bad house?”

22. “I can’t WAIT to see a flying saucer!”

23. “I’ve heard the weather in spring here is so nice.”

24. “Since New Mexico is a desert, that means there’s no snow, right?”

25. “Wow, you guys actually have rivers and water?!”

26. “What’s so bad about juniper season?”

27. “So it’ll be ready tomorrow?” — Try in two weeks, hombre.

28. “God, I just love the CULTURE here. It’s so EXOTIC.” — For us, it’s just where we live, hombre.

29. “Why is everyone hating on the Rail Runner?”

30. “So this morning, I saw a wild animal IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN!” — Yeah, and your point is?

31. “I’m sure the road work will be over soon.”

32. “And now I’ll just indicate my turn…”

33. “Which way to Museum Hill?”

34. “Can you eat the chile ristras?”

35. “What are sopapillas?”

36. “I heard that Colorado has good green chile too.”

Discover Matador