New Mexico State Flag

U.S. state

New Mexico State Flag uses yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol. Ratio 2:3, current adoption March 19, 1925 and design credited to Harry Mera.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	New Mexico State Flag
Entity Type	U.S. state
Official Name	State of New Mexico
Identifier	US-NM
Region	United States

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	March 19, 1925
Proportion	2:3
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Yellow, Red
Designer	Harry Mera
Construction	Yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol

Documented Colour Values

Colour	Appearance	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Yellow		#FFD100	255, 209, 0	0, 18, 100, 0
Red		#C8102E	200, 16, 46	0, 92, 77, 22

Design and Symbolism

Yellow	the Spanish heritage and the colours of Isabella of Castile.
Red	the Zia symbol and the Spanish heritage.
Zia sun symbol	A sacred emblem of the Zia Pueblo — four groups of four rays for the four directions, four seasons, four times of day and four stages of life.
Design	Widely rated the best-designed US state flag for its simplicity.

Proportions

Ratio	2:3
Hoist	2 units
Fly	3 units

About the New Mexico State Flag

Yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol The recorded proportion is 2:3. Within this library it is grouped with plain field with a central emblem designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for New Mexico is Yellow (#FFD100) and Red (#C8102E). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Zia sun symbol: A sacred emblem of the Zia Pueblo — four groups of four rays for the four directions, four seasons, four times of day and four stages of life; Design: Widely rated the best-designed US state flag for its simplicity.

History and adoption record

The adoption field for the present record is March 19, 1925. The designer is recorded as Harry Mera.

Entity status

New Mexico is classified here as u.s. state. That label describes the entity represented by the flag and prevents a territory, state or constituent area from being presented as a sovereign country.

Additional flag context

The Zia sun symbol on gold is regularly ranked the best state flag in the country in design surveys, largely because it has no lettering, no seal and only two colours.

The red and gold are the colours of the Spanish crown under which the territory was first claimed.

The symbol is sacred to the Zia Pueblo, whose position on its use by the state has been raised repeatedly since the flag was adopted in 1925.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol, a 2:3 proportion and the visible zia sun symbol. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — U.S. state flag reference — Specialist vexillological reference
USA.gov — state government directory — Government directory

Other plain field with a central emblem flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of New Mexico

New Mexico is recorded as yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol.
The reference proportion for the flag of New Mexico is 2:3.
The stored palette for New Mexico contains Yellow and Red.
The adoption field for this u.s. state flag record is March 19, 1925.
Harry Mera is credited in the dataset as the designer of the flag.
Its construction is grouped with the plain field with a central emblem design family in this library.
Zia sun symbol: A sacred emblem of the Zia Pueblo — four groups of four rays for the four directions, four seasons, four times of day and four stages of life.
Design: Widely rated the best-designed US state flag for its simplicity.
The Zia sun symbol on gold is regularly ranked the best state flag in the country in design surveys, largely because it has no lettering, no seal and only two colours.
The red and gold are the colours of the Spanish crown under which the territory was first claimed.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of New Mexico

What does the flag of New Mexico look like?

Yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of New Mexico?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of New Mexico?

The reference palette lists Yellow #FFD100 and Red #C8102E.

What do the symbols on the flag of New Mexico represent?

Zia sun symbol — A sacred emblem of the Zia Pueblo — four groups of four rays for the four directions, four seasons, four times of day and four stages of life. Design — Widely rated the best-designed US state flag for its simplicity.

When was the present flag record for New Mexico adopted?

The adoption field in this record is March 19, 1925.

Who designed the flag of New Mexico?

The designer is recorded as Harry Mera.

Which design family does the flag of New Mexico belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with plain field with a central emblem designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.