New Mexico invited lungers to cure in the southwest as a way of promoting this state during its struggle for statehood.
From 1880 to 1940, thousands of people moved to New Mexico seeking a cure for tuberculosis, the leading cause of death in America; these people were called "Lungers". The medically approved regime consisted in nutritious food, fresh air and rest, preferably in a high, dry and sunny place. This conditions made New Mexico the ideal destination for people to heal.
For this, in 1880 the bureau of immigration of New Mexico advertised the state's healing climate as a way to invite people to settle here.