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NM State Flag

Salutation to the NM State Flag:

In English: “I salute the flag of the State of New Mexico and the Zia Symbol of perfect friendship among United Cultures.”
In Spanish: "Saludo la bandera del estado de Nuevo Mejico, el simbolo zia de amistad perfecta, entre culturas unidas."

The Colors:

The colors of the NM State flag represent our Spanish heritage. Red and yellow honor the royal colors of the flag and house of Isabella I of Castile (Wise, Flags of the Napoleonic Wars (3)). Queen Isabella financed Christopher Columbus, who is generally believed to be the first European to find America.

The Zia Symbol Meaning (information from NM Enchanment)

Zia Indians highly regard the sun: they see it as sacred. They have decorated pottery and ceremonial vases with the sun.
Zia Indians regard the number four as sacred as shown in the four sets of four lines.
The Zia symbol represents:
- the four for the points in the compass (north, south, east, and west)
- the four seasons (summer, autumn, winter, and spring)
- the four periods in a day (morning, noon, evening, and night)
- the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle adulthood, and
late adulthood)

NM State Icons

NM State Seal

For details about the seal and its symbols, go to: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org

NM State Flower: Yucca

Yucca facts (from: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org)

Selected as the state flower in 1927 by NM schoolchildren and recommended by the NM Federation of Women's Clubs.
No specific yucca plant is the stte flower. There are 40-50 species of the plant.
Early settlers called them “our Lord’s candles.”by the schoolchildren of NM.
Roots of yucca glauca (or soapweed yucca) are used for soap and shampoo.

Pollinated by the yucca moth, which transfers pollen from the stamens of one plant to the stigma of another, and at the same time the moth lays an egg in the flower.
Many yuccas have edible parts, including fruits, seeds, flowers, stems, and sometimes the roots.
Dried yucca wood has the lowest ignition temperature of any wood, which makes it desirable for starting fires.

NM State Bird: Roadrunner

The roadrunner was designated the official state bird of New Mexico in 1949. The Hopi and Pueblo Indian tribes believed that the roadrunner provided protection against evil spirits. (from: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org)

Other NM State Symbols

To learn more about NM's 30+ other symbols, visit http://www.statesymbolsusa.org

Before you fo to the site, make a batch of NM's state cookies, biscochitos! Here are a couple of recipes:

Traditional, including lard and brandy from allrecipes.com
Non-traditional, no lard and a couple of brandy substitutes from Sugar Baking Blog (the photo is also from Sugar Baking Blog)