• Year First Flown: 1920
• Designed By: Dr. Harry Mera
• Design: A yellow flag with a red emblem in the middle.. The emblem is made up of multiple lines and somewhat resembles a cross with a circle of yellow in the middle.
• Meaning: Red and yellow are used in the flag because they are the colors of the flags used by Spanish Conquistadors who explored New Mexico in the mid-16th century. The red emblem on the flag is an ancient sun symbol of the Zia, which was a Native American population that lived in the region that is now called New Mexico. The number four was very sacred to the Zia People and groups of four can be seen in their sun symbol. There are four groups of rays that stem out from the center circle, and each group of rays has four individual sun rays. The Zia believed that their god gave them things in groups of four. This included the seasons, the cycle of the day, the cycle of life, etc.

New Mexico first joined the Union and became the 47th U.S. state on January 6th, 1912. For the next 8 years New Mexico did not adopt an official state flag. However, during the San Diego World's Fair in 1915 the state of New Mexico designed an unofficial state flag to display in an exhibit with all of the other U.S. state flags. This flag was light blue and incorporated an American Flag, the Great Seal of New Mexico, the number 47, and the name "NEW MEXICO". In 1920, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a women's group dedicated to historic preservation and education, took it upon themselves to campaign for an official New Mexico flag. The DAR desired a contemporary and unique flag, and announced a contest to find the best state flag design. Dr. Harry Mera, a citizen of Santa Fe, won the contest with his simple and beautiful design. Mera was a historian and archaeologist familiar with the Zia people and their sun symbol, which was the main component of his flag design. The DAR selected Mera's design not only because it was beautiful, but because it represented a friendship and unity among different cultures. Mera's flag design was officially adopted as the New Mexico state flag and has remained the state's official flag ever since.