"The Round House"

Another State Capitol to visit...Santa Fe, N.M.

You notice right away the circular building, called the "Round House."

There is a reason for it being round.

It is fashioned after this design, the Zia sun symbol. It is also on the N.M. flag. The circle is the suns rays in four directions, four directions of the earth, the four seasons of the year, four times of the day, and life's four divisions of childhood, youth, adulthood and old age, all bound together in a circle of life without beginning, and without end.

The Zia believe man has four obligations:  He must develop a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the welfare of his people. I found this very profound.

The State Seal illustrates the ancient myth in which the gods ordered the Aztecs to settle where they saw an eagle perched in a cactus devouring a serpent.

The motto "Crescit Eundo"...it grows where it goes.

This is the very center of the building which has four levels.

The Rotunda measures 49 feet in diameter and is inlaid with a turquoise and brass mosaic of the great seal. The skylight 60 feet above represents an Indian basket weave, the blue for the sky and the pink for the earth.

The flags of New Mexico's 33 counties encircle the area on the fourth floor, and art from artist's who live in the area are on permanent display on the third floor.

Following is some of the art as well as handcrafted furniture.

You can click on the photos to enlarge. The text talks about the painting. "Hoshonzeh" translated from Navajo means "Harmonious Way."

I especially liked this. A quilt made by 5th graders.

They were each given a piece of material to create their art.

It is called their Peace Quilt.

There is not a lot to say about the house and senate chambers and they are both pretty much the same, pretty boring in fact.



New Mexico claims the oldest as well as the newest capitols in the United States. The one you are seeing here is the new one dedicated in 1966. The oldest one was built in 1609 which we did not see as it was raining after our tour here.

And that concludes our tour.

Until next time...