LMGI COMPASS
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Spring 2026
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55
Set in May 2020, at the height of the COVID shutdowns, Eddington
required a town that could feel completely still—no traffic, no
parked cars, no movement. Truth or Consequences delivered.
We diverted highway traffic and gained control of 10 consecutive
empty blocks, creating a striking sense of absence.
The town also resonated thematically. Founded around 1916,
it remains largely unchanged—an isolated pocket of life in the
Chihuahuan Desert. Its historic core grew around a cluster of
hot springs, followed by a wave of resort development. Much of
the existing infrastructure dates to 1930's WPA projects under
Roosevelt's New Deal. The historic nature of the downtown has
been preserved largely because time and the economic forces that
drive change and development have passed it by.
Sierra County has one of the lowest population densities in the
country. Treeless desert mountains ring the town, offering long,
unobstructed views. It feels exposed, vulnerable—a place where
a group of saboteurs could invade and disruption could take hold
quickly. There's no suburban sprawl; the grid dissolves just a few
blocks from the main drag, giving way to 50 miles of open desert.
Opportunity is scarce. Many leave after high school graduation.
It's the kind of place where an unremarkable figure like Joe Cross
After a multiday tour, we returned to
Truth or Consequences, NM—a small
desert town known for its hot springs
district and quirky storefronts. I had first
visited it a decade earlier and immediately
recognized its cinematic potential.
