There is no  question as to why the property today is not called the Swastika Bed & Brew. However, when the Swastika Saloon began operating on the property over 100 years ago (well before World War II), New Mexico was the land of swastikas. The word was as ubiquitous as Sandia is today. In fact, the official State Symbol of New Mexico is known as the “lost symbol," the swastika. The original meaning of this symbol is one of life, positivity, auspiciousness,  prosperity, and fertility. It goes back thousands of years and has been used as a symbol of good fortune in almost every culture in the world.

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Though the "lost symbol" was eventually replaced by the Zia sun symbol after World War II, the swastika once featured prominently in New Mexico iconography, appearing on all highway signs and state flags, as well as on the logo of New Mexico State University’s yearbook.

 

You will find swastikas on the exterior of downtown's KiMo Theatre and Federal Building (5th St and Gold Avenue).