Great Seal of the State of New Mexico - Capitol Building - Santa Fe, New Mexico

The great seal of New Mexico has changed little since the Territorial seal of 1851. The American bald eagle shielding the smaller Mexican eagle within its wings symbolizes New Mexico’s change of sovereignty in 1846. The bald eagle, which represents bravery, skill and strength, clasps three arrows in its talons. The smaller Mexican brown (or harpy) eagle grasps a snake in its beak and cactus in its talons. This portion of the seal is still the official symbol of Mexico; it illustrates the ancient myth in which the gods ordered the Aztecs to settle where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a serpent.

The scroll below the American and Mexican eagles contains the motto Crescit Eundo or, translated from Latin, “It Grows As It Goes.” The date 1912 was added to the seal when New Mexico was admitted as the forty-seventh state. The word “territory” was replaced by “state” in that year.

-from brochure provided by the New Mexico State Legislature