Last modified: 2007-07-28 by rick wyatt
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The original Bernalillo county flag is white with the county seal in the
centre.
Jens Pattke, 11 February 2007
The county web page at
http://www.co.valencia.nm.us/about_the_seal.htm describes the coat of arms
and alludes to the existence of a flag:
The Valencia County Coat of Arms
In 1990 the Valencia County Board of Commissioners adopted the current Coat
of Arms after the Valencia County Arts Council chose a unique design created by
David Cordova, a 1990, Belen High School Graduate. Cordova wanted to join
Valencia, Spain and Valencia County in a harmonious way. He looked for what
Valencia in Spain had in common with Valencia County in New Mexico. He started
with the red and gold colors of the New Mexico flag whose colors are traced back
to the Royal Court of Spain.
Cordova wanted his design to symbolize identity and unity for Valencia County.
He felt that the Coat of Arms should provide a sense of pride in our county’s
heritage.
The crimson and gold colors are believed to be the royal colors of Queen
Isabella of Castile who commissioned Christopher Columbus on his voyage leading
to the discovery of the New World. The Zia is the ancient Zia Indian’s symbol
for the sun. Above the horizontal arms of the Zia rest two “L’s” topped by
flames, which stands for “Liberty” and “Loyalty”. At the base of the Zia,
curving out to the left is a bay branch. The bay branch or leaf is used in the
Valencian Coat of Arms and is traditionally offered as a prize for victory,
excellence and honor. Curving to the right is a ristra of red chili, a living
symbol of New Mexican culture.
Today the Coat of Arms appears on the official county flag, stationary, official
documents, county vehicles, facilities and the top of this and every web page of
the Rio Abajo web site. In the photo at right David Cordova and his wife Gladys
stand in front of the Valencia County Courthouse where his design is prominently
displayed on the front of the building. Cordova designed the "The Great Seal of
Valencia County" in 1990.
As part of the recent courthouse renovation project, the Valencia County Coat of
Arms was made part of the permanent structure of the building. At left workers
maneuver the 1500lb. 8ft. diameter seal into position. Using Cordova's design,
HydroCut, of Belen, cut the seal from 1/4" mild steel using water jet cutting
technology. It took over 150 hours to complete the project.
located by Dov Gutterman, 26 November 2002
The flags of the Counties of New Mexico are shown on their pages of New
Mexico Association of Counties website at
http://www.nmcounties.org/counties.html. Click on county name to see
small, blurry images of each county. Most images are showing just the central
part of the flag which contains the county seal or logo.
Valentin Poposki, 11 February 2007