List of New Mexico state symbols

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Location of the state of New Mexico in the United States

This is a list of the officially designated state symbols of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Most such designations are found in Chapter 12, Article 3 of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated.[1] The majority of the items in the list are officially recognized after a law is passed by the state legislature. New Mexico is the first state to adopt a state question: "Red or green?," referring to chile peppers. The state also has a prescribed answer: "Red and green or Christmas," encouraging the use of both colors of chile.

Insignia

[edit]
Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia
Type Symbol Description Adopted Image Ref.
Motto Crescit eundo "It grows as it goes." 1887 — [2]
Seal Great Seal of the State of New Mexico

The coat of arms of the state shall be the Mexican eagle grasping a serpent in its beak, the cactus in its talons, shielded by the American eagle with outspread wings, and grasping arrows in its talons; the date 1912 under the eagles and, on a scroll, the motto: "Crescit Eundo". The great seal of the state shall be a disc bearing the coat of arms and having around the edge the words "Great Seal of the State of New Mexico."

— Section 12-3-1 NMSA 1978

 1913 Great Seal of the State of New Mexico [2]
Flag Flag of New Mexico

That a flag be and the same is hereby adopted to be used on all occasions when the state is officially and publicly represented, with the privilege of use by all citizens upon such occasions as they may deem fitting and appropriate. Said flag shall be the ancient Zia sun symbol of red in the center of a field of yellow. The colors shall be the red and yellow of old Spain. The proportion of the flag shall be a width of two-thirds its length. The sun symbol shall be one-third of the length of the flag. Said symbol shall have four groups of rays set at right angles; each group shall consist of four rays, the two inner rays of the group shall be one-fifth longer than the outer rays of the group. The diameter of the circle in the center of the symbol shall be one-third of the width of the symbol. Said flag shall conform in color and design described herein.

— Section 12-3-2 NMSA 1978

 1925 New Mexico flag [3]
Salute (English) Salute to state flag "I salute the flag of the state of New Mexico, the Zia symbol of perfect friendship among united cultures." 1963 — [4]
Salute (Spanish) Spanish language salute to state flag "Saludo la bandera del estado de Nuevo Mejico, el simbolo zia de amistad perfecta, entre culturas unidas." 1963 — [5]

Flora

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Type Symbol Adopted Image Ref.
Flower Yucca flower 1927 [6] [Notes 1]
Tree The nut pine or pinon tree

(Pinus edulis)

1949 [6]
Grass Blue grama

(Bouteloua gracilis)

1973 [6]

Fauna

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Type Symbol Adopted Image Ref.
Bird Greater roadrunner

(Geococcyx californianus)

1949 [6] [Notes 2]
Fish Rio Grande cutthroat trout

(Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis)

1955 [6] [Notes 3]
Animal New Mexico Black Bear

(Ursus americanus amblyceps)

1963 [6]
Insect Tarantula hawk wasp

(Pepsis formosa)

1989 [6]
Amphibian New Mexico spadefoot toad

(Spea multiplicata)

2003 [6]
Butterfly Sandia hairstreak

(Callophrys mcfarlandi)

2003 [6]
Reptile New Mexico whiptail lizard

(Cnemidophorus neomexicanus)

2003 [6]

Geology

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Type Symbol Adopted Image Ref.
Gem Turquoise 1967 [6]
Fossil Coelophysis

(Coelophysis bauri)

1981 [6]
[edit]
Further information: List of U.S. state foods
Type Symbol Adopted Image Ref.
Vegetable New Mexico chile 1965 [6] [Notes 4]
Vegetable Pinto bean 1965 [6]
Cookie Bizcochito 1989 [6]
Question "Red or green?" 2003 [6]
Answer "Red and green or Christmas" 2007 [6]
Aroma "The aroma of green chile roasting" 2023 [6]

Music and Poetry

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Further information: List of U.S. state songs and List of U.S. state poems
Type Title Author Adopted Ref.
State Song O Fair New Mexico Elizabeth Garrett 1917 [10]
Spanish Language State Song Así Es Nuevo México Amadeo Lucero 1971 [11]
Ballad Land Of Enchantment Michael Martin Murphey 1989 [12]
Poem A Nuevo México Luis Tafoya 1991 [13]
Bilingual Song New Mexico - Mi Lindo Nuevo México Pablo Mares 1995 [14]
Cowboy Song Under the New Mexico Skies Syd Masters 2009 [15]

Other

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Type Symbol Adopted Image Ref.
Slogan "Everybody is somebody in New Mexico." 1975 [16]
Balloon Museum Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum 1999 [17]
Nickname "The Land of Enchantment" 2003 [6]
Aircraft Hot air balloon 2005 [6]
Historic Railroad Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 2005 [6]
Tie Bolo tie 2007 [6]
Guitar New Mexico sunrise guitar 2009 [18]
Necklace Native American squash blossom necklace 2011 [6]

National Statuary Hall Collection

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Further information: National Statuary Hall Collection
Subject Artist Medium Year Location Image Ref.
Dennis Chavez Felix W. de Weldon Bronze 1966 Senate Wing, 2nd Floor
U.S. Capitol Building 		[19][20]
Po'pay Cliff Fragua Marble 2005 U.S. Capitol Visitor Center [21]
[edit]
Further information: List of United States Navy ships named after U.S. states
Name Description Commissioned Image Ref.
USS New Mexico (BB-40) New Mexico-class battleship 1918 - 1946 [22]
USS New Mexico (SSN-779) Virginia-class submarine 2010 [23]

Notes

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  1. ^

    The yucca flower is adopted as the official flower of New Mexico.

    — Section 12-3-4 NMSA 1978

    Although no specific species of yucca is given in the statute, the 2015 New Mexico Blue Book references the soaptree yucca (Yucca elata) as one of the more widespread species in New Mexico.[7]

  2. ^

    The chaparral bird, commonly called roadrunner, is adopted as the official bird of New Mexico.

    — Section 12-3-4 NMSA 1978

    The species name is not given, but the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is native to New Mexico and is also referred to as the chaparral cock.[8]

  3. ^

    The native New Mexico cutthroat trout is adopted as the official fish of New Mexico.

    — Section 12-3-4 NMSA 1978

    The state statute lists "the native New Mexico cutthroat trout". However, it is generally accepted that the Rio Grande cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) is the intended fish.[7] [9]

  4. ^

    The chile, the Spanish adaptation of the chilli, and the pinto bean, commonly known as the frijol, are adopted as the official vegetables of New Mexico.

    — Section 12-3-4 NMSA 1978

    Chile peppers grow on five species of Capsicum. Community sentiment has it that the New Mexico chile (Capsicum annuum 'New Mexico Group') is the official chile, including having this chile appear on one of New Mexico's alternative license plates beginning in 2017.

Further reading

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  • "State Symbols". New Mexico Office of the Secretary of State.
  • State Songs. New Mexico Office of the Secretary of State.
  • New Mexico Blue Book. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Office of the NM Secretary of State. July 2015. Archived from the original on 2025-10-06. Retrieved 2025-10-06.

References

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  1. ^ Ch. 12, art. 3 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#a3>, retrieved on 08/25/2025.
  2. ^ a b Section 12-3-1 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-1>, retrieved on 08/26/2025.
  3. ^ Section 12-3-2 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-2>, retrieved on 08/26/2025.
  4. ^ Section 12-3-3 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-3>, retrieved on 11/21/2025.
  5. ^ Section 12-3-7 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-7>, retrieved on 11/21/2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Section 12-3-4 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-4>, retrieved on 11/21/2025.
  7. ^ a b New Mexico Blue Book. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Office of the NM Secretary of State. July 2015. Archived from the original on 2025-10-06. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  8. ^ Hughes, Janice (2020-03-04). Poole, A. (ed.). "Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) Version 1.0". Birds of the World Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.greroa.01. S2CID 216494954.
  9. ^ "New Mexico State Fish". eReferenceDesk. New Smyrna Beach, FL: Joseph L. Ferguson. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  10. ^ Section 12-3-5 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-5>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  11. ^ Section 12-3-6 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-6>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  12. ^ Section 12-3-10 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-10>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  13. ^ Section 12-3-11 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-11>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  14. ^ Section 12-3-12 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-12>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  15. ^ Section 12-3-19 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-19>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  16. ^ Section 12-3-9 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-9>, retrieved on 10/07/2025.
  17. ^ Section 12-3-17 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-17>, retrieved on 10/07/2025.
  18. ^ Section 12-3-18 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-18>, retrieved on 10/06/2025.
  19. ^ Section 12-3-13 NMSA 1978, <https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4374/index.do#12-3-13>, retrieved on 11/21/2025.
  20. ^ "Dennis Chavez Statue". Architect of the Capital. Washington DC: AOC.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  21. ^ "Po'pay Statue". Architect of the Capital. Washington DC: AOC.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  22. ^ "USS New Mexico (BB 40)". Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  23. ^ "USS New Mexico (SSN 779)". U.S. Carriers - United States Ships (USS) history and deployments. Retrieved 2025-10-06.