What is the meaning behind the Arizona flag?

The 13 rays stand for the original 13 colonies and the setting sun. The red and gold recall Spanish colonial colors, the blue matches the U.S. flag, and the copper star honors the state's copper industry.

Why does the Arizona flag have 13 rays?

The 13 red and gold rays represent the original thirteen colonies of the United States. They are rays, not stripes, and they also suggest sunlight.

What does the blue on the Arizona flag mean?

The blue lower half is the same shade of blue used on the American flag, sometimes called liberty blue.

Why is there a copper star on the Arizona flag?

The star is copper-colored because Arizona has long been the largest copper-producing state in the nation.

When was the Arizona state flag adopted?

The design dates to 1910, when it was made for the state's rifle team, and the legislature adopted it officially in 1917.

Arizona Flag: Meaning, Colors & History of the State Flag

The Arizona flag is split into two halves: 13 red and gold rays above a blue lower field, with a large copper-colored star in the center. It is one of the most distinctive U.S. state flags.

What the Arizona state flag looks like

The upper half of the flag shows 13 rays that fan out from the center, alternating between red and gold (yellow). The lower half is a plain field of blue. Where the two halves meet, in the middle of the flag, sits a large copper-colored five-pointed star.

The flag has the usual 2:3 proportions. It has no words or seal, so the colors and the star carry the whole design. The red and gold rays reach the top edge like a sunburst, while the blue below mirrors the blue of the U.S. flag.

Arizona flag meaning and symbolism

Each element has a commonly given meaning:

13 rays stand for the 13 original colonies. They are also said to evoke the rays of the setting sun over the Arizona desert.
Red and gold are the colors that the Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado is said to have carried when he led his expedition into the region in 1540.
Blue is the shade used in the U.S. flag, often called liberty blue.
The copper star honors Arizona's leading role in copper mining, which has been central to the state's economy for more than a century.

The 13 stripes question comes up often, but the rays are not stripes. They are narrow rays of color, and their number comes from the original colonies.

History of the Arizona flag

Arizona became the 48th state in 1912, but the flag was older than statehood. Its design is credited to Colonel Charles W. Harris, who created it in 1910 for the Arizona rifle team competing at the national matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. The team wanted a banner to represent the territory, and the design made enough of an impression to stay in use afterward.

The state legislature officially adopted it in 1917, and it has not been redesigned since. Arizona does not have a well-known "old flag" or "new flag" in the way some other states do, so most searches for a different version return the same design.

Interesting facts

The state motto, Ditat Deus, is Latin for "God enriches." It appears on the state seal and not on the flag.
Unlike many state flags, it carries no seal, so it stays clear and recognizable even from far away.
New Mexico's flag also uses a sun symbol with red and yellow, but it is a different design.

For more, see all U.S. state flags, including New Mexico, or the flag of the United States.