New Mexico removes controversial Confederate memorials

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico officials say the last remaining memorials to Confederate President Jefferson Davis have been removed from rest areas along Interstate 10, the main east-west route across the state.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the state Department of Transportation announced last week all memorials to the U.S. Civil War-era Confederacy were removed after people posted messages about them on social media.

Department spokeswoman Emilee Cantrell says officials want people to alert them about more Confederate monuments if they see them.

The move comes amid a national U.S. debate over removing the names of Confederate leaders from public roads and buildings.

New Mexico was the site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass, when Hispanic Union soldiers beat back the Confederate Army.

It is often called the “Gettysburg of the West.”