Flag of New Mexico

Statute

thumb|Flag of the Neomexicano Tercios Morados Viejos division (old murrey or purpure) during [[New Spain]].

The 2024 New Mexico Statutes, Chapter 12, Article 3, § 12-3-2 defines the state flag as follows:

Symbolism

The Zia sun symbol has sacred meaning to the indigenous Zia people. Four is a sacred number symbolizing the Circle of Life: the four directions, the four times of day, the four stages of life, and the four seasons; the circle binds these four elements of four together. It has since become representative of the broader Puebloan, Hispano, and Native-led New Mexican culture.

History

The "''Twitchell flag''" (1915)

thumb|left|A version of the flag when it was legislatively adopted in 1915 thumb|The Twitchell flag as it appeared in National Geographic, 1917 thumb|Reconstruction of the Twitchell flag

During its first thirteen years as a state, New Mexico did not have an official flag.

The San Diego World's Fair of 1915, which occurred three years after New Mexico's admission to the union, featured an exhibit hall where all U.S. state flags were displayed. Lacking an official flag, Ralph Emerson Twitchell, the mayor of Santa Fe, was authorized to design the first state flag of New Mexico to be displayed. When the flag law was passed, the flag attached to the bill was ordered to be placed with the Secretary of State, to be properly preserved in the state archives.

Known as the "Twitchell flag", its design consisted of a turquoise or turqoiuse blue field, emblematic of the state's blue skies; the U.S. flag in the upper left corner, "designating the loyalty of the people of the state to the Union"; diagonally across the field, stretching from the lower left to the upper right, are the words "New Mexico" in white or silver lettering; the number "47" in the upper right corner, in reference to New Mexico being the 47th state to enter the union; and the state seal (sometimes in red) in the lower right corner, which in some historical references is wrapped with the words "The Sunshine State".

As of 2005, the only known Twitchell flag in existence was displayed at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe.

Current flag (1925–present)

thumb|U.S. and New Mexican flags flying near [[Deming, New Mexico|Deming]], February 2014. thumb|The New Mexico state flag as depicted in the 1976 bicentennial postage stamp series.

In 1920, the New Mexico chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) called for the creation of an official flag that would reflect the state's unique heritage and culture. A statewide contest was held in 1923 to solicit new designs. Eventually, a design made by Harry Mera of Santa Fe and sewn by his wife Reba Mera was selected. In 1925, Governor Arthur T. Hannett signed legislation proclaiming the Mera design the official state flag, which remains in use and unchanged to this day.

Mera was a physician and archaeologist who became familiar with the Zia sun symbol, which he encountered on a piece of pottery originating from Zia Pueblo. This pottery, believed to date from before 1890 and associated with the Zia Fire Society, had made its way into private collections during a period when early ethnographers were conducting intensive fieldwork in the region.

The symbol was used without consulting the Zia people, and they have fought to prevent it from being used without their permission, including via attempting to copyright it, during and after its adoption as a symbol of the state, and due to concerns over desecration of the symbol. A 2012 joint memorial by the state and the Zia people later acknowledged the state had appropriated the image without permission.

Although the Zia Pueblo does not hold a trademark on the symbol, the state of New Mexico supports respectful use by guiding individuals and organizations to Zia Pueblo and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, offering information encouraging honoring the symbol's origins and meaning.

The New Mexico flag was rated first in a 2001 survey of 72 U.S. and Canadian flags by the North American Vexillological Association. The flag has always been free for civil and state use, and it is completely in the public domain as of January 1, 2021.

The flag is worn on uniforms by sailors aboard the submarine .

Pledge{{anchor|Pledge to the flag of New Mexico}}

The pledge to the state flag is available in English and Spanish:

The salutation, "I salute the flag of the State of New Mexico and the Zia symbol of perfect friendship among united cultures", is commonly recited in New Mexico public schools after the United States pledge of allegiance.

Notes

References

References

1. "New Mexico Statutes § 12-3-2 (2024) – Adoption of flag for state of New Mexico".
2. (March 14, 2018). "Research Guides: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Library & Archives: Counter-Narrative Series".
3. "About New Mexico". New Mexico Secretary of State.
4. Nathanson, Rick. "New Mexico Flag Hasn't Always Had a Zia Symbol; Earliest Version Boasted Quartz Crystals".
5. (June 14, 2005). "Banner History". Albuquerque Journal.
6. (1917). "The National Geographic Magazine". National Geographic Society.
7. [https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn88084272/1915-03-25/ed-1/?sp=1&q=state+flag&r=0.175,0.241,0.857,0.36,0 El Paso herald, March 25, 1915]
8. "Early New Mexico Flag (U.S.)".
9. "State Flag {{!}} Maggie Toulouse Oliver - New Mexico Secretary of State".
10. "New Mexico (U.S.)".
11. (2012). "Zia's Symbol, New Mexico's Flag".
12. Harlow, Olivia. (2019-03-03). "How a sacred emblem became New Mexico's state symbol".
13. (2018-12-11). "Indigenous Knowledge Misappropriation: The Case Of The Zia Sun Symbol Explained At WIPO".
14. Montoya, Stephen. (2018-12-27). "Using the Zia symbol - with permission".
15. (June 16, 2020). "Revisiting Ours".
16. Edward B. Kaye. (10 June 2001). "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey". North American Vexillological Association.
17. Edward B. Kaye. (2001). "Good Flag, Bad Flag, and the Great NAVA Flag Survey of 2001". Raven: A Journal of Vexillology.
18. (November 8, 2020). "Fast-attack Submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) Virtual Tour".
19. "Section 12-3-3". State of New Mexico.
20. "Section 12-3-7". State of New Mexico.