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New Mexico State Symbols

Welcome to the Land of Enchantment! Few states are represented by symbols that are more unique or exciting. (Continued below)

New Mexico state flag New Mexico state seal
Nicknames & Slogans
Nicknames Land of Enchantment 1999
Slogan Everybody is Somebody in New Mexico 1975
Symbols of State
Motto Crescit Eundo
Song O’ Fair New Mexico 1917
EcoSymbols
Flower yucca flower (Yucca) 1927
Tree pinyon (Pinus edulis) 1948
Grass blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) 1973
Vegetables chile & frijole (pinto bean) (Phaseolus vulgaris) 1965
Bird roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) 1949
Animal black bear (Ursus americanus) 1963
Reptile New Mexico whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus neomexicanus) 2003
Amphibian New Mexico spadefoot toad (Spea multiplicata) 2003
Fish New Mexico or Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) 1955
Insect tarantula hawk wasp (Pepsis formosa) 1989
Butterfly Sandia hairstreak (Callophrys mcfarlandi) 2003
Gem turquoise 1967
Fossil † Coelophysis 1981
Soil Penistaja (unofficial) Unofficial
Cultural Symbols
Colors red and yellow of Old Spain 1925
Question Red or green? 1999
Answer Red or green or Christmas 2007
Aroma roasting green chile 2023
Tie bolo 2007
Necklace Native American squash blossom necklace 2011
Cookie biscochito 1989
Aircraft hot air balloon 2005
Balloon Museum Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum 1999
Historic Railroad Cumbres and Toltec scenic railroad 2005
State Folklorist
Ballad Land of Enchantment — New Mexico 1989
Spanish Language Song Asi es Nuevo Mexico 1971
Bilingual Song New Mexico — Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico 1995
Cowboy Song “Under New Mexico Skies,” composed by Syd Masters 2009
Guitar New Mexico sunrise guitar 2009
Poem A Nuevo Mexico 1991
Flag Salute 1963

In one notable survey, New Mexico’s flag was ranked #1 among state flags. Only New Mexico calls the yucca, roadrunner, and tarantula hawk wasp its state flower, bird, and insect, respectively.

New Mexico is the home of the original Smokey Bear. It also boasts the oldest dinosaur adopted as a state fossil.

What better way to survey the Land of Enchantment than to take a ride in a hot air balloon, the official state aircraft? After your adventure, you can have a zesty meal of chiles and frijoles (pinto beans), the official state vegetables. Question: Do you think New Mexicans should change their official colors from red and yellow to red and green?

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If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.

You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)

After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.

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