Flag of New Mexico

What the flag looks like

A yellow field with a red Zia sun symbol in the center: a circle with four groups of four rays pointing in the four directions.

What it means

Red and yellow are the colors of Spain, and the Zia sun, taken from the Zia Pueblo, groups everything in fours: directions, seasons, times of day and stages of life.

How to remember it

New Mexico is a red sun on yellow with its rays in four tidy bundles; North Macedonia flips the colors to a yellow sun on red.

Fun facts

• A 2001 North American Vexillological Association survey rated New Mexico's flag the best design among US state, territory and Canadian provincial flags.
• The Zia sun symbol comes from the Zia Pueblo, whose people regard the number four as sacred.

New Mexico at a glance

Nickname

Land of Enchantment

Statehood

1912

Capital

Santa Fe

Region

Mountain

Population

2.1 million

Area

314,917 km²

Flag adopted

1925

Flags often confused with New Mexico

• North Macedonia: New Mexico and North Macedonia both show a sun in red and yellow. New Mexico has a red Zia sun with rays in four bundles on yellow; North Macedonia has a yellow sun with eight rays reaching the edges on red.