The Zia symbol represents the number four for the points in the compass, which are north, south, east, and west. The four seasons of summer, autumn, winter, and spring are also represented. The number four also corresponds to the periods within a day, which are the morning, noon, evening, and night. The simple, elegant center design is the ancient Zia sun symbol, representing the unique character of New Mexico. The Zia sun symbol is one of the most recognizable symbols in New Mexico. It is a symbol of the Zia Pueblo, an indigenous tribe from the state. The symbol features a circle with four rays pointing in each of the cardinal directions. The four rays represent the four seasons, the four directions, the four times of day, and the four stages of life. The Zia symbol has four groups of four rays extending from the top, bottom, left, and right of a circle, with the four rays within each group representing the following: The circle in the middle of the rays ties the rays together to represent love and life. The Zia sun Symbol is featured on the New Mexico flag. The Zia regard the Sun as sacred. Their solar symbol , a red circle with groups of rays pointing in four directions, is painted on ceremonial vases, drawn on the ground around campfires, and used to introduce newborns to the Sun. Pino says the 16 rays of the zia sun — four in every direction — symbolize various aspects of life: those pointing to the north represent the four directions; the rays to the west represent the four seasons; the rays to the south represent "mountains we as individuals must climb" — infancy, adolescence, adulthood, elderhood; the rays to the east 0QoZ87.

what does the zia symbol mean