Seeing how I’m from New Mexico, I was interested in what the state quarter was going to look like (which is to be issued in 2008). I was sure they were going to use something typical like a roadrunner, piñon tree, or a nice desert scene with a yucca plant and some mountains in the distance. However, when I saw the winning design I was disappointed, but I know the reason why it sucks. Too many people in the rest of the nation don’t know it’s part of the US (even living in Texas, I’ve come across others that think this). But not only that, too often people don’t hear the “New” before “Mexico”. This is the reason why the New Mexico license plates were redone several years ago to include USA on them. And so the new quarter is yet another attempt to drive home the point that it is one of the 50 states.
As a native son, I too was waiting to see what they would do for the quarter. I was hoping that they wouldn’t come up with a dismal design but expected that they would. Unfortunately, I was right. It is very boring and hard to see clearly on the quarter. Why couldn’t they have selected a roadrunner, a yucca or even a simple yet classy full size zia. Heck – I was secretly pulling for a mushroom cloud! After all, one of New Mexico’s most notable and historic events was being the site of the first nuclear weapon test – and it certainly would have been an attention-getter!