The current state flag of New Mexico was probably first hoisted on 19th of March in 1925. However, the following dates can still be found in various sources: 15th of March in 1925 and even 18th of September in 1920, which could be the days on which the constitutional bodies passed the legal resolution. It was designed by Dr. Harry Mera and his wife Reba Mera and shows the sun symbol of the Zia Indians in red on a plain yellow background. It is a modern interpretation of an ancient sun symbol found on a Zia Pueblo water jug from the late 19th century. This sun symbol has rays spreading out in four directions, four rays in each direction. The Zia folk belief says that the "giver of all good" gave them gifts in groups of four. These gifts are: The four directions – north, east, south and west, the four seasons – spring, summer, fall and winter, the day – sunrise, noon, evening and night, life itself – childhood, youth, middle years and old age. The circle in the centre symbolises the connection between the four elements and the circle of life. The colours yellow and red represent Spain, the former colonial power. A flag had already been introduced on 15th of March in 1915 on the occasion of the Pan-American Exposition in San Diego, as all states of the USA were to present themselves there with their flags. As there was no flag, Ralph Emerson Twitchell, the mayor of the state capital Santa Fe, created an unofficial flag, which is said to have been used until 1925. It was a single-coloured blue and showed the flag of the USA (at that time) in the upper corner, the number 47 (New Mexico was the 47th state to join the USA) in the upper part of the waving end, and the state seal in the lower part of the waving end, surrounded by the words "The Sunshine State". The name of the country appeared in large white letters in the centre of the flag. The state seal of New Mexico shows two eagles, the bald eagle of the USA, perched on three spears, and the Mexican eagle, perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. Below this, the country's motto in white lettering: "Crescit Eundo" → "It grows as it goes".
about 7000 B.C. · Settlement by Indians (Pueblo and Hopi and Zuni Indians)
1536 · the Spaniard Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca reaches the country
1540 · the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado crosses the country
21st of September 1595 · creation of the Spanish colony of Nuevo México as part of the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain
17th/18th century · missionary and colonization of the whole country by Spain
1680–1692 · Pueblo Indian uprising
1696 · Nuevo México becomes a province province of New Spain
1821 · the north of New Spain (Nuevo México is a part of it) becomes as "México" independent from Spain
1846–1848 · war of the USA against Mexico, annexation of Mexican territory (the today's states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico)
9th of September 1850 · formation of the New Mexico Territory (today's New Mexico, Arizona and Southern Nevada)
1853 · the U.S. acquire Tucson in today's southern Arizona from Mexico (Gadsen Purchase), annexation to the New Mexico Territory
The Name "Mexico" has its roots in the epithet "Mexitli" of the Aztec God Huitzilopochtli. It was adoped in 1522 for the on the ruins of the City of Tenochtitlán build town and was used since the beginning of the 19th century as name for the independent New Spain.
