About Us
Our Team


Estevan Rael-Galvez, Ph.D
State Historian of New Mexico

Estevan Rael-Gálvez was born into this landscape and is the heir of the long stories of its people. Raised herding sheep and moving waters in northern New Mexico, his imagination was nourished somewhere in between the delicacy of what was spoken by his elders and the strength of the written word. It was this ability to see through the mountain while never losing site of it that sustained him when he decided to break tradition and leave home. Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned his B.A. in Literature and Ethnic Studies. He went on to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in American Cultures at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. His doctoral dissertation, "Identifying Captivity and Capturing Identity: Narratives of American Indian Slavery" focused on the meanings of American Indian slavery and a unique legacy and identity in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. He is currently working on the manuscript for this project. He is the recipient of numerous fellowships for his academic studies, including the Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship and a Residential Fellowship at the School of American Research. In 2001, Dr. Rael-Gálvez became the seventh State Historian for New Mexico. He is also the Chairman of the Cultural Properties Review Committee, the State's policy-making/advisory board for historical preservation.


Dennis Peter Trujillo, Ph.D.
Assistant State Historian

Dr. Dennis Peter Trujillo was born in Montrose, Colorado, at the foot of the San Juan Mountains where he learned to fish, hike, and climb. His parents were both born in New Mexico, his mother in Bueyeros and his father in Chamita. Dennis received his B.A. in anthropology at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, his M.A. in museum studies/anthropology from the University of Denver, and his PhD. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. Dennis has been awarded several fellowships and honors including the College Art Association (CAA) Professional Development Fellowship; Center for Regional Studies, University of New Mexico Research Fellowship; Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico, Clinton P. Anderson Fellowship; and American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. Dennis has a keen academic interest in Southwest history and cultures, tourism, and ethno-aesthetics. His dissertation was entitled The Commodification of Hispano Culture in New Mexico: Tourism, Mary Austin, and the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. He is an avid reader, music lover, hiker/camper, and traveler. Dennis lives in the Albuquerque Nob Hill area with his wife/partner/archivist Beth Silbergleit and dog Pocho. Dr. Trujillo is presently Assistant State Historian and serves as a Board of Trustee member for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and as a member of the Rocky Mountain Online Archive Advisory Board. He is a past board member and Vice Chair of the New Humanities Council and volunteers for several local music and art organizations.


Karen Lanier
Administrative Assistant

Karen Lanier interned for the Office of the State Historian during spring 2007 and is the current Administrative Assistant for OSH. She has a BA in French with a minor in humanities from Texas Tech University, an AA in photography, and is currently attending the College of Santa Fe where she is majoring in Environmental Documentation. She studied in Brazil during the Fall 2007 semester, and is looking forward to screening her documentary senior project in May 2008. Karen has also worked in interpretation in several National Parks, where she has enjoyed learning in living classrooms. Multimedia development has been her focus on the New Mexico history website, as she has managed uploading photos, audio, and video for use on the site.