Tartan of Aztec (New Mexico)

Even more memorable than these, however, is the patterned fabric which has come to symbolize Scottish culture itself: Tartan is the only textile design in the world of which a tiny scrap can evoke such feelings of pride, such identification with the historical struggles of Scots, and identification with those desirable traits associated with being Scottish - honesty, industriousness and bravery in battle.*

Although tartan-style fabrics have a very long history – a good portion of it not Scottish – today these textiles are most famous as badges of identification. Specific colors and their arrangements function as a symbolic language in their own right, representing individuals, families and clans, as well as professional groups, companies, and organizations. To the huge international family of Scots and their descendants - estimated at 40 to 60 million around the globe - tartan represents everything that is admirable and wholesome about the land of their fathers.*

A corporate tartan designed by Roger Moore, this pattern was the winner in a contest held at the 2015 Aztec Highland Games and Celtic Festival. The tartan represents various environmental aspects of the high desert in Aztec, New Mexico, with colours chosen to represent the environmental landscape of the area: Green for the mesas covered with pinion and juniper; blue for the clear blue sky; yellow for the sun; and red for the sunsets.**

*http://www.tartansauthority.com/tartan/

**https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=11516