It is one of four U.S. state flags not to contain the color blue (the other three being Alabama, California, and Maryland). The flag of the District of Columbia also has no blue.
The Daughters of the American Revolution pushed New Mexico to design a contemporary and unique flag in 1920. A contest to design the new state flag was won by Harry Mera of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mera was an archaeologist who was familiar with the Zia Sun symbol found at Zia Pueblo on a 19th-century pot. The symbol has sacred meaning to the Zia. Four is a sacred number which symbolizes the Circle of Life: the four directions, the four times of day, the four stages of life, and the four seasons. The circle binds the four elements of four together. His winning design is the flag that the state uses today.
During the first 14 years of statehood, New Mexico did not have an official flag. During the San Diego World’s Fair of 1915, the fair featured an exhibit hall in which all the state flags were displayed. Since New Mexico did not have an official flag, an unofficial flag was displayed, consisting of a blue field with the United States flag in the upper left corner, the words “New Mexico” and “47” (because New Mexico is the 47th state) in silver lettering in the center of the flag, and the state seal in the bottom right corner. Some historical references (including Cram’s Unrivaled Atlas of the World) also show the words “The Sunshine State” wrapped around the seal in the lower right corner.
That early flag was designed by Ralph Emerson Twitchell. This design was known as the “Twitchell flag”. As of 2005, the only known Twitchell flag in existence was displayed at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe.
State Nickname:
The nickname for New Mexico is “The Land of Enchantment” (“Tierra del Encanto” in Spanish) because of New Mexico’s scenic beauty and rich history. The nickname was officially adopted in 1999.
“Land of Enchantment” first appeared on New Mexico license plates in 1941. The State Tourist Bureau and New Mexico magazine first used the phrase “The Land of Enchantment” in 1935 to encourage tourism to the state.