Arizona’s state motto, “Ditat Deus,” has remained consistent since 1863. It is believed to be taken from the Latin translation of Genesis Vulgate 2:23 pm. The state seal has evolved over the years, but the current one depicts mountains, the sun, a reservoir, a dam, orchards, grazing cattle, and a miner. Arizona was admitted to the United States in 1912 as the 48th state.
Arizona’s state motto is “Ditat Deus,” which is Latin for “God enriches.” The motto is incorporated into the Arizona state seal. While the seal and other state emblems have evolved dramatically over the years, the state motto has remained consistent since 1863. Richard Cunningham McCormick, a publisher and statesman who served as first secretary of the Arizona Territory and second governor of the Arizona, created the original motto and seal.
George Shankle, Ph.D., in his work “State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols” postulated that Arizona’s “Ditat Deus” is probably taken from the Latin translation of the Genesis Vulgate 2:23 pm. In this passage, the patriarch Abraham denies assistance from the wealthy king of Sodom and reclaims his confidence in God’s blessings. The actual phrase Ditat Deus appears nowhere in the Bible, but a quick history of Arizona from a one-state desert reveals progress and enrichment.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed New York native Richard McCormick to oversee the newly founded Arizona Territory. One of McCormick’s first efforts was to create an official seal, a necessity for authenticating legal land documents. The seal was decorated with two mountains towering behind a miner with a wheelbarrow, pickaxe and spade. “Ditat Deus,” which would later become the official state motto of Arizona, hung on a banner above the scene. Critics derided McCormick’s seal for its cartoon-like, comic-strip graphics, and strong resemblance to the emblem on Pioneer Baking Soda labels.
Over the years, the state seal has been changed several times. The miner disappeared and reappeared; a five-pointed deer, cacti and pines were added and then removed; shadows for objects appeared on the wrong side of objects, and overuse of shadows and colors spoiled vision. Then, in 1911, Arizona Territory adopted the official seal, state symbols, and state motto as detailed in the Arizona Constitution, Article 22, Section 20.
According to the Arizona Constitution, the seal should include mountains, the sun, a reservoir, and a dam in the background, and in the center and foreground, orchards and grazing cattle in a field. It also depicts a miner at center left, standing in front of a quartz mill. The state motto should be at the top of the seal, which is surrounded by a band with the year the state was admitted to the United States and the words “Great Seal of the State of Arizona.”
Arizona was admitted to the United States of America in 1912 as the 48th state. “Ditat Deus” remained as the unofficial motto for the Arizona Territory and was later incorporated as the state motto of Arizona. Since admission, the state of Arizona has flourished with improved irrigation, increased population, and representation as one of the largest states in America. Although Arizona and its seal have undergone many changes since 1863, the essential state motto of Arizona and its meaning remain clear: “Ditat Deus” &emdash; “God enriches”.
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