Republican Senator Joseph J. Carraro attempted to change New Mexico’s state motto, Crescit Eundo, to “Respect the past and embrace the future,” but the measure failed. The current motto, meaning “It grows as it goes,” comes from a poem by Lucretius. The state flag features a red sun with many rays, representing New Mexico’s Spanish heritage and the Zia symbol used by ancient Native Americans. The Roundhouse, New Mexico’s Capitol Building, is the only roundhouse capital created by one of the 50 states.
A Republican Senator disliked the New Mexico state motto so much that he introduced legislation to change it to something more meaningful. The measure failed, leaving Crescit Eundo to remain as the official motto. In English the phrase means “It grows as it goes”. Senator Joseph J. Carraro, who represented Sandoval and Bernalillo counties when he introduced the change in 2005, preferred “Respect the past and embrace the future,” or Antiqua Suspice, Crastina Accipe in Latin.
Senator Carraro wanted to change the New Mexico state motto because he didn’t think it made much sense. He told an interviewer that he didn’t understand the meaning behind the phrase, and when he questioned the state’s schoolchildren, they didn’t get the meaning either. New Mexico’s state motto derives its meaning from a poem written in the first century by Lucretius, and refers to a bolt of lightning that streaks across the sky, growing bolder and more powerful the longer its magnificent journey continues.
Lawmakers failed to pass the law that would have made Antiqua Suspice, Crastina Accipe the state motto, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t had fun with the idea. Some senators have proposed another motto, an ironic one: Gracias a Dios por Mississippi, or “Thank God for Mississippi.” Mississippi is often the only state that scores lower than New Mexico in statistical reports regarding the economy and some social issues.
The New Mexico state motto is engraved on the official state seal. The motto was an addition in 1882 to the original seal of the New Mexico Territory, designed in 1851. A large eagle sits in the center of the seal, with the state motto displayed below the eagle on a fluttering banner.
The official flag does not include the New Mexico state motto, although many states incorporate their motto into their flag designs. The state flag has a gold or yellow background on which a red sun with many rays sits. The colors of red and yellow represent New Mexico’s Spanish heritage. Ancient Native Americans, known as Zia, used this sun symbol with four sides of rays to represent the celestial body.
New Mexico gave Zia another nod when it designed its Capitol Building, also known as the Roundhouse. Located in the city of Santa Fe, the Roundhouse is unique in that it is the only roundhouse capital created by one of the 50 states. If a person were able to see the Roundhouse from the sky, it would resemble the Zia symbol for the sun that is used on the state flag.
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