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New Mexico held a contest to create a new state flag, resulting in the adoption of a yellow flag with a red symbol of the Zia people. The previous flag had the state name on a blue background with the state seal. The winning design by Harry Mera included the sun symbol, which represents the number four and is sacred to the Zia people. The number four represents the four obligations that come with the gift of life.
The New Mexico state flag design was submitted for a contest to create a new state flag. When New Mexico joined the Union, a flag was designed that was used for several years. A competition was held to choose a new design that better reflected the state’s characteristics and history. The contest resulted in the adoption of a very different flag that included a red symbol of the Zia people of New Mexico on a yellow background.
New Mexico was admitted to the Union in 1912 and then the first design of the New Mexico state flag was adopted. The flag had the state name written diagonally on a blue background. In the lower right corner was the state seal, with the flag of the United States in the upper left. This flag was used as the state flag of New Mexico for approximately eight years.
In 1920, New Mexico was encouraged by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to create a new flag that reflected the spirit and character of the state. They held a contest, as had been done in many other states, and citizens were able to submit their ideas. Harry Mera of Santa Fe won, presenting a yellow flag with the red symbol of the sun in the center. His wife, Reba, had built the new flag.
Dr. Mera’s design gave the New Mexico state flag a unique look and made use of some important ideas from the natives of the state. The sun symbol in the center of the flag was first seen on a water vessel used by the Zia Pueblo. She is an “Zia” and represents the sun and the number four, which was sacred to the Zia people. The symbol of the sun is a circle from which four sets of four rays each issue.
For the Aunt, the gifts of life were given in sets of four. This included the four seasons, the four directions on a compass, the four times of day, and the four stages of a person’s life. The number also represented the four obligations that came with the gift of life. These included maintaining “a strong body, clear mind, pure spirit, and devotion to the well-being of individuals and families.”
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