The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque

November 11, 2026 marks the centennial of Route 66, a road often celebrated as a symbol of freedom and the American dream. Stretching across seven states and over 2,400 miles, Route 66 carried millions of travelers, hosted countless small businesses, and became a site of encounter, displacement, and settlement. Yet the story of this iconic highway is far from uniform, and each path it crosses has its own story to tell. The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque invites visitors to explore these layered narratives. This exhibition centers the lives of those who traveled, worked, and lived alongside the road, including stories often left out of mainstream accounts: migrants seeking opportunity, communities shaped by segregation and commerce, and the individuals whose identities were forged at this intersection of movement and place. This exhibition is supported by the Mellon Foundation.

Sunday, August 23, 2 pm

• Conversation: Join Dr. Alicia Romero, Head Curator & Curator of History, as she talks to photojournalists and documentary photographers about photographing Route 66 in New Mexico. Panel participants include Roberto Rosales, visual journalist for Albuquerque Journal and adjunct faculty of photojournalism and photography at the University of New Mexico, and Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli, documentary photographer whose work has appeared in New Mexico Magazine and who recently published Seventh and Central: Lowriders with University of New Mexico Press.
• Book signing with Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli at Museum Store to follow.

Sunday, September 27, 2 pm

Talk: "History of the Indian Detours," by Kathleen Dull, Librarian and Archivist, Fray Angélico Chávez History Library at New Mexico History Museum.

Sunday, October 25, 2 pm

Talk: "Headlights on the Mother Road: A History of the Fireballs," by George Tomsco, founder of The Fireballs.

Sunday, November 8, 2 pm

Talk: "Neon along Route 66," by John Meier, owner of the Classical Gas Museum, Embudo, New Mexico.

Thursday, November 19, 5 to 8:30 pm

Free event: Third Thursday, Route 66 Dance Party.

Sunday, December 13, 2 pm

Talk: "Route 66 Travelers and Tribes 100 years," by Shawn Price, Tradition Keeper and Director of the Dine'Tah Navajo Cultural Program.