New Mexico Flag

The New Mexico state flag is a very simple flag in its design but bears lots of history in the few lines and colors used. The current flag of New Mexico was adopted as the state flag in 1925 and was designed by Dr. Harry P. Mera. So what is New Mexico’s state Flag? The New Mexico flag design shows a red sun symbol of the Zia on a yellow background. The Zia area tribe of Indians indigenous to the area of New Mexico. New Mexico’s flag colors represent Isabella of Castile, and Habsburg heir and also the conquistadors that explored New Mexico in her name. The conquistadors used a red and yellow flag with the cross of Burgundy as their military flag in those years. As with so many states, the Daughters of American Revolution initiated the design of the state flag in 1920 by holding a design contest. The design competition for the new flag of New Mexico was won by Dr. Harry Mera of Santa Fee, New Mexico. His contemporary sleek design was unique and he found inspiration for his flag design through his work as an archaeologist working at the Zia Pueblo for a good amount of time. The sun symbol had a sacred meaning to the Zia.

Four rays on each side of the sun extending like a cross from an inner circle. The number four symbolizes the circle of life by representing four winds, four seasons, four directions and also the Zia’s four sacred obligations. Before this flag, New Mexico had an unofficial flag for the first fourteen years since its induction as the 47th state into the Union. The flag had a dark blue field, a small representation of the United States flag in the upper left corner, the number 47 in the upper right corner, the state seal of New Mexico in the lower right corner and the word New Mexico in silver letters in the center of the flag. This flag was not very often used in the years before the new design was officially adopted.

By a popular survey in 2001 the New Mexico state flag was determined to be the best designed flag of all United States state flags including the Canadian provinces. Online you can see images of New Mexico’s flag as well as in many better history books. New Mexico flag info can also be found in history books, with the New Mexico state government or with their official pages online, as well as on many other trivia pages.