New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the country which means that accessing art, history, and culture at museums or historic sites requires time and transportation that not everyone has access to. For this reason, the Wonder on Wheels mobile museum traverses the state to bring art and history to small towns, villages, and Pueblos so that everyone can participate in the rich cultural conversations so central to New Mexican identity.
The exhibition inside the thirty-eight-foot RV changes annually and this year, the eight New Mexico State Historic Sites tell the state’s story across centuries, from 1150 to the early twentieth century. The Wonders on Wheels staff pack a lot of history into a small space and supplement the exhibition displays with oral narratives and dialogue.
“People come on the RV with someone else and we want them to engage in conversation with each other as well as with me or whoever happens to be on the RV,” says Program Supervisor Jennifer Hasty. “Cultural learning is conversational, and people like to have stimulating questions as part of the text in order to kind of think about what they’re seeing. … I’ve learned about what a social experience it can be.”
Plan your visit:
Wonders on Wheels
Wonders on Wheels Facebook Group
New Mexico Historic Sites
Hear more on Encounter Culture:
Listen, and Speak the Truth: Collaborating Through Conversation on the Bosque Redondo Memorial with Manuelito Wheeler and Aaron Roth, Encounter Culture, Season 2
Listen to the Land: Art at Bosque Redondo with Dakota Mace, Daisy Trudell-Mills, and Kéyah Keenan Henry, Encounter Culture, Season 6
Everything Past is Present at Los Luceros Historic Site with Rebecca Ward and Carly Stewart, Encounter Culture, Season 3
The Land is Everything: Voting Rights vs Tribal Sovereignty with Dr. Maurice Crandall, Encounter Culture, Season 4
Read more in El Palacio:
”The Man in the Sala,” El Palacio Summer 2023
“Cathay Williams: In Search of Liberation with the Buffalo Soldiers,” El Palacio Summer 2025
Don’t miss the upcoming issues of El Palacio – SUBSCRIBE NOW!
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We’d love to hear from you! Let us know what you loved about the episode, share a personal story it made you think of, or ask us a question at elpalacio@dca.nm.gov.
OR leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
Visit newmexicoculture.org for info about our museums, historic sites, virtual tours, and more.
Our favorite way to fully experience everything they have to offer is with the New Mexico CulturePass. Reserve yours online!
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Encounter Culture is a production of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios.
Hosted by Emily Withnall, editor at El Palacio Magazine
Executive Producer: Daniel Zillmann
Technical Director & Post-Production Audio: Edwin R. Ruiz
Recording Engineers: Collin Ungerleider & Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios
Editor & Production Manager: Alex Riegler
Associate Producer & Editor: Monica Braine (Assiniboine/Lakota)
Theme Music: D’Santi Nava
Instagram: @newmexicanculture and @elpalaciomagazine