People of Darkness (1980)

New Mexico has a long and storied history due to the rich presence of living indigenous traditions that stretch back before European contact; its history of settler colonialism, specifically Spanish, French, and Anglo; and its itinerant border with Mexico. In 1680, the cultural and religious differences between the tribes and the Spanish settlers resulted in the Great Pueblo Revolt of 1680, in which the usually peaceful Native Americans banded together and succeeded in pushing all the Spaniards out of their land. A decade later, the Spanish settlers regained control of the Pueblo peoples and their territory. The territory changed hands several times over the next three centuries as more people of Anglo-European descent moved out west to New Mexico due to the opening of the Santa Fe Trail and later the railroad. To this day, the white inhabitants of the area incorporate various Native and Hispanic and Mexican traditions and cultural elements into their every day lives and special customs, from architectural styles, seasonal and spiritual holidays, and cuisine.

A small community on the Navajo Nation Reservation in central New Mexico, located about 30 miles northeast of Thoreau (pronounced "through"). In Navajo, the place is called Tʼiistsʼóóz Ńdeeshgizh, meaning "Slender Cottonwood Gap." The town was founded in 1909 as a government settlement around the Pueblo Bonito Indian School. In 1935, the Navajo Central Agency at Window Rock assumed jurisdiction over the community and in the late 1950s it became known as the Crownpoint Agency. The Navajo Institute of Technology, an Indian health service medical center, a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, a Navajo police substation, and the monthly Navajo weavers’ rug auction are all located in the town.

The second largest city in California after Los Angeles, San Diego is located at the southernmost tip of the state, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and adjacent to the US-Mexico border. Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century, the region that is now Southern California was inhabited by a variety of indigenous peoples including the Kumeyaay, the Cahuilla, and the Cupeño. The area was first named San Miguel in 1542, but in 1602 was renamed after the Spanish monk San Diego de Alcalá de Henares. A military post and California missions were founded in San Diego in 1769, and the town grew slowly around them through the brief Mexican take-over in 1834, and the U.S. acquisition of the territory in 1846.

The city saw rapid growth in the early 1900s, when its agriculture-based economy took a significant industrial and commercial turn with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and the building of aircraft plants and military complexes in the surrounding area. After World War II, the city's industry expanded further to include electronics and high tech, and both its population and land area nearly quadrupled. San Diego is known for its year-round mild climate, scenic beaches, and diverse culture. It is home to a few major universities and medical facilities, as well as famous tourist attractions such as the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, and the historic Old Town district.

A main street that runs east-west through some of Albuquerque's oldest neighborhoods including Old Town, Downtown, the University District, and Nob Hill. Central Avenue functioned for many decades as the city's major thoroughfare, as well as its commercial and cultural heart, although in recent years it has declined with the construction of the I-40 freeway.

Central Avenue was built along a prehistoric route used by the area's indigenous communities to connect the Rio Grande in the west to Tijeras Canyon in the east for trade and spiritual purposes. With the arrival of the Spaniards in the late 1600s, the route was used to connect the Camino Real (the north-south axis along which Spain developed its colonies) with small Spanish villages in the eastern foothills, and when New Mexico became a U.S. territory in 1848, the east-west expansion brought about the development of a road that would connect the East Coast with the new western states. In 1937, with the redirection of Route 66, Central Avenue became part of this historic cross-country highway, bringing travelers and an emerging tourist industry to Albuquerque. In the 1960s, with the opening of Interstate 40, which replaced Route 66, Central Avenue began to see a significant and steady decline. These days, although some historical preservation and revival attempts are ongoing in the city, and the Downtown area as well as Nob Hill do boast new businesses and a thriving night life, many sections of Central Avenue reveal the effects of economic recessions.

A component of natural gas, butane is usually combined with propane to make liquid propane gas, which is sold in metal containers of various sizes and is used in camping stoves, portable burners, or outdoor grills. Butane is a unique product in that it is easily compressed into liquid form that can be contained, yet when it is released into the air it turns into a highly flammable gas. It is often used as a performance-booster additive in gasoline, and as fuel for personal cigarette lighters.

Located in southeastern Nevada, the city of Las Vegas is a major American tourist destination famous for its flashy casinos, themed hotels, shopping, and large entertainment venues. Nomadic Anasazi and Paiute Native peoples roamed the area until the arrival of Spaniards in the early 1800s. In 1909, the American town was founded as a small railroad service station built on marshland surrounded with grassy meadows, which are the source of its name (in Spanish: "the meadows"). The water that was once abundant in the valley has now mostly dried up due to extensive pumping, the city is known for its hot desert climate and long spells of drought. Las Vegas grew significantly in the 1930s with the construction of the nearby Hoover Dam but it wasn't until after World War II that major entrepreneurs started investing in the city's developing gambling industry. "The Strip" is a long central stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that underwent rapid growth in the 1960s and over the past few decades has become the main attraction of the city. The Strip boasts immense, architecturally extravagant hotels and casinos that form a postmodern pastiche of old and new styles, imitations of world-famous sites (such as Venice, Paris, New York, or the Egyptian pyramids), and gaudy restaurants and shopping centers.

The third largest city in California (after Los Angeles and San Diego), San Jose is located about 50 miles southeast of San Francisco. Its inland location and semi-arid climate make for mild, sunny weather year-round. The area of the Santa Clara valley, in which San Jose is located, along the Guadalupe River, was inhabited by the Costanoan Native peoples until the arrival of European settlers in the mid-1800s. In 1877, Spanish farmers established the first permanent settlement in California at the site of what is today the city of San Jose, and named it Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe. When the Americans took over the state in 1846, the town functioned briefly as California's capital, which was moved to Vallejo in 1852, and then permanently to Sacramento in 1854. Farming and agriculture continued to be the basis of San Jose's slowly-growing economy until World War II when aircraft, motor vehicle, and electrical machinery firms built large plants in the city, generating a rapid growth in both population and land area. In the 1990s, with the rise of the high-tech computer industry, the city became known as the hub of Silicon Valley, which resulted in increasing population diversity, rising cost of living, and many of its neighborhoods turning into affluent suburbs.

The 36th state to join the union, Nevada sent their entire constitution to the U.S. capitol via telegram to speed up the admission process. The state is the seventh largest in the U.S. and one of the least populated. Although most of the state is desert, Nevada sits between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas, and is home to the largest number of mountain ranges in any state. Because of the difficult terrain, the area was one of the last in the western part of the U.S. to be explored. A gold rush in the mid-nineteenth century, however, brought many new explorers to the area.

The capital, Carson City, is smaller and less famous than Las Vegas, which is a popular tourist destination known for its casinos and entertainment venues. Gambling and prostitution are both legal in Nevada, and the state hosts the annual Burning Man event. The state is home to Hoover Dam, the largest public works project in U.S. history; Lake Mead, the resulting reservoir that is also the nation's largest; as well as Area 51, the CIA's secret development and military testing headquarters.

In general, transient can be used to indicate anything that is passing or temporary. When used to describe people, it usually means someone who is hired for a certain job on a temporary basis (such as seasonal farm workers), or a short-term boarder who stays in a place of residency for only a limited time. The term is also often used in a derogatory way to refer to poor, migrant laborers or homeless people.

A wealthy Los Angeles suburb, located in the San Fernando Valley, in the northwestern part of the city. Encino was home to the Grabielino Native peoples and was colonized by the Spanish in 1769 and given its name, which is Spanish for “oak tree.” During the 1840s, Vincent De La Ossa acquired ownership of much of the land in the area, establishing a large adobe ranch. Encino is now a major center of business and high-end shopping; many celebrities from the entertainment industry live in the area.