This image shows the moment before one Herman Maestas from Las Vegas, New Mexico, was hanged. In the background, you can see several men who had claimed a fence to get a better look at the event. And this was in 1894, decades after an 1835 law had been passed, which actually limited the viewers of executions to dignitaries and law enforcement personnel — in fact, in the early 19th century hangings had been public entertainment.
In the 1800s in New Mexico, death by hanging was the most typical style of execution. And this was done by the state government, but also by mob justice with lynchings — frequently of African Americans and indigenous people.
The event of a hanging was so interesting for locals that businesses would close for the day, and families would wear their dressiest clothes and take picnics to watch. Vendors would come by, selling pictures of the condemned or bits of rope from the scaffolding after the execution was over. Crowding was common as folks climbed up whatever surfaces they could use to get the best views.
Obviously, the 1935 law regulating who could attend a hanging in New Mexico was taken with a grain of salt by many, including the men you see here in this image.
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