About New Mexico

The Squash Blossom Necklace was officially adopted in 2011 by the State Legislature as our state’s Official Necklace. The Squash Blossom Necklace is a creation by Southwestern Native American tribes that combines the use of the Naja or crescent moon symbol and multiple flower-like silver beads which are similar looking to flowering plants like the pomegranate, sunflower, squash or other flower blossoms that spread out at their ends. The Navajo tribe was the first to create this combination into a necklace, and it is traditionally worn by both male and female—sometimes considered a symbol of wealth. In their language the flower like bead is called “Chil Bitan” and the crescent ornament is called a “Nazhahi.”

Those original creations were not created until after the arrival of the Europeans, possibly around 1880’s, and the Spanish crescent moon symbol was commonly included as a silver ornament on the horse’s bridle hanging in the center of the animal’s forehead. Combining this frequently seen symbol with their own moon images may have been the source of this “naja” image. The earliest Navajo necklaces were traditionally done in silver but later the Zuni began adding the turquoise inlay patterns in the 19th century