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The New Mexico state seal, adopted in 1913, features a bald eagle and a Mexican brown eagle, symbolizing the state’s former status as part of Mexico. The Latin motto “Crescit Eundo” is displayed on a ribbon. The design dates back to around 1860 and was modified over time.
The basic design of the New Mexico state seal is believed to date from 1860, although the final seal design was not officially adopted until 1913. It depicts a bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, with the its wings wrapped around a Mexican brown eagle. This image on the New Mexico state seal symbolizes New Mexico’s former status as part of the nation of Mexico. The Mexican brown eagle on the New Mexico state seal is depicted holding a cactus in its talons and a snake in its beak. Below the birds, a ribbon displays the Latin motto of the New Mexico state, “Crescit Eundo,” which is usually translated to mean “It grows as it goes,” and the seal is bordered by the words “Great Seal of the State of New Mexico” and the year New Mexico officially became a state, 1912.
The territory that makes up the modern US state of New Mexico was formerly considered part of the nation of Mexico, until about 1846. At that time, New Mexico became a territory of the United States. The New Mexico Territory adopted its first territorial seal in 1851. The New Mexico state seal now in use differs in its design, in that it depicts both the bald eagle and the Mexican brown eagle, instead of just the bald eagle . This design, believed to have come into use around 1860, was probably created by a minor government official whose identity is now lost.
Territorial Secretary W.G. Ritch is generally credited with adding New Mexico’s Latin motto to the seal in 1882. The New Mexico territorial legislature officially approved this modified design in 1887. When New Mexico was granted statehood in 1912, the legislature of the state formed a special committee to choose a design for the state seal. This committee is believed to have included the governor, the secretary of state, the chief justice and the attorney general.
In 1913, the committee elected to keep the territorial seal design for the New Mexico state seal. The final design changed the words around the edge of the seal to “Great Seal of the State of New Mexico,” rather than “Territory of New Mexico.” The date on the final draft was also changed, from 1850 when New Mexico first became a territory to 1912 when it became a state.
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