SANTA FE, N.M., July 14 (Our New Mexico Times) — A New Mexico tourism campaign is putting a snack-brand spin on the state’s Route 66 centennial push.
The New Mexico Tourism Department, New Mexico Magazine and Chex Mix have announced a collaboration that pairs limited-edition Chex Mix BOLD packaging with a New Mexico Route 66 road-trip sweepstakes. The promotion is aimed at drawing attention to New Mexico’s share of Route 66 as the highway approaches its 100th anniversary.
What is being promoted?
According to the Tourism Department and New Mexico Magazine, special Chex Mix BOLD packaging will roll out in convenience stores across the United States. The release says the display will include Route 66-inspired point-of-sale signage.
At the same time, the state is tying the promotion to a sweepstakes called “Chex Mix™ Hits the Road in New Mexico.” New Mexico Magazine, which the release describes as a division of the New Mexico Tourism Department, is the sponsor.
Why Route 66?
Route 66 has long been part of New Mexico’s tourism identity, and the state is building toward the highway’s centennial. The Tourism Department says the 100th anniversary will be officially recognized on Nov. 11, 2026.
The department has also been using Route 66 as a broader marketing theme. Its Route 66 centennial pages describe festivals, public art, restored neon signs, new visitor experiences and cultural programming planned around the anniversary. New Mexico MainStreet has also launched a Route 66 Centennial Passport program for 2026, and the department has opened a grant program to help communities and organizations support Route 66-related marketing, events and infrastructure.
What does the sweepstakes include?
The grand prize package described in the release includes five nights of hotel accommodations across Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Tucumcari. It also includes a VIP experience at Acoma Pueblo Sky City, passes from the Museum Foundation of New Mexico, a $1,000 airline gift card and a mid-size rental car for the trip.
The release names Hotel El Rancho, El Vado Motel, La Fonda on the Plaza, Roadrunner Lodge and Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum as participating hospitality and cultural partners.
Who can enter?
The sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., who are 21 or older and have a valid U.S. driver’s license. The Tourism Department says no purchase or payment is necessary.
The entry period runs from June 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2026, according to the release.
What is the bigger picture?
For New Mexico, the campaign is part tourism promotion and part branding exercise. Route 66 already functions as a statewide travel story, and the state is using several different tools to keep that story in front of visitors: official web pages, passport-style challenges, grants and now a consumer product tie-in.
That makes the Chex Mix promotion less about the snack itself than about what it is being used to sell: a road trip through New Mexico’s Route 66 communities, landmarks and historic lodging.
The sponsor named in the release is New Mexico Magazine, located at 495 Old Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe. The Tourism Department’s listing for the New Mexico Route 66 Association also places that group in Santa Fe, underscoring how much of the state’s Route 66 planning is being coordinated from the capital.
For readers, the main takeaway is simple: this is a marketing partnership, not a new food product launch. The limited-edition packaging is the hook, but the actual destination is New Mexico, where the state is trying to turn Route 66’s centennial into a year-long tourism draw.
