![[Flag of Bernalillo County, New Mexico]](../images/u/us-nm-be.gif)
image by Rob Raeside, 27 June 2012
Last modified: 2023-11-11 by rick wyatt
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image by Rob Raeside, 27 June 2012
- indicates flag is known.
- indicates it is reported that there is no known flag.
Municipal flags in Bernalillo County:
See also:
The original Bernalillo county flag is white with the county seal in the centre.
Jens Pattke, 11 February 2007
This scan of a drawing I saw (likely in FlagsAm, a publication of the Canadian Vexillological Assn) will give an idea of the flag and the colors of the seal.
Albert S. Kirsch, 11 February 2007
![[Flag of Bernalillo County, New Mexico]](../images/u/us-nm)be.gif)
image provided by Amanda Colburn, 26 June 2012
The seal shows a stylized landscape with light blue sky over dark blue mountains and eight sheep in foreground, white on dark green background, in two rows (5+3). A dark green rim with "Bernalillo County" above and "State of New Mexico" below, set in copper capitals. All elements edged in copper. Sun shaped in Zia-style, like in the state flag.
Jens Pattke, 5 April 2007
The seal displays eight sheep, representing eight original Spanish/Mexican
land grants in Bernalillo County, which are: Pajarito, Alameda, San Pedro, Elena
Gallegos, Lo de Padilla, Antonio Sedillo, Atrisco, and Chilili. Sheep-raising
was the primary industry in colonial Bernalillo County. The four mountains in
the background represent the Sandias and the Manzanos. In the background is also
the Zia sun symbol.
Daniel Rentería, 18 October 2023
According to a digitized article by the Albuquerque Journal, the idea for a county flag was first proposed on July 1975 by County Clerk Emma Gonzales. She recommended that the county flag would be sold at the clerk's office as part of a bicentennial project. She had no ideas for what this flag would look like, but did see the possibility of it having the county seal on it. I am not entirely sure of an exact date, but likely before the end of the bicentennial year this first flag was adopted. The flag legally changed when, on January 31, 1986, the new seal had to be rolled out (though the actual process took probably another year).
I would like to note that I was informed that the County Clerk's office has a
county flag dated 1706 to 1976 (not too sure what kind of county flag this could
be though, since Bernalillo wasn't even organized until 1852).
Daniel
Rentería, 18 October 2023
![[Flag of Bernalillo County, New Mexico]](../images/u/us-nm)be-ex.gif)
image by Jean-Marc Merklin, 19 October 2023
The first seal seems to have been used since at least 1925 and featured a
Christian cross, symbolizing the Catholic traditions of the area. It is
described that this seal had the motto “con esta vencemos”, meaning “with this
we overcome” as well, going across the upper half of the seal. However, the
American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico threatened to sue to have both the
motto and cross removed in August 1980. They wanted the motto removed because
they believed the object of "with this we overcome" could only be the cross, not
anything else in the seal or the seal itself. As for the cross, it was because
they believed it to be an infringement of the "separation of church and state".
Al Friedman filed a lawsuit with assistance from the union. A district judge
ruled against him. However, on December 26, 1985, the 10th U.S. Circuit of
Appeals ruled against Bernalillo County’s commissioners in an appeal, the
Supreme Court refusing review. And so Bernalillo adopted its new seal shortly
after.
Daniel Rentería, 18 October 2023
