Tijeras NM next in ACLU Scorched-Earth Separation of Church and State

The Village of Tijeras designed a town seal in 1973 when the town incorporated. The seal depicts a conquistador's helmet and sword, the Native American Zia symbol, and a small rosary. All this to accurately reflect the history of the village, and not to further any religion. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has threatened a lawsuit to have a tiny cross removed from the village seal, ignoring a much larger Native American religious symbol, the Zia.

Gary McCaleb, Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Senior Counsel, noted, "The ACLU is once more specifically targeting a cross while it ignores Native American religious symbols. It reveals their desire to target all things Christian, regardless of the fact that the cross in the Tijeras seal is clearly an historic symbol and not an attempt to endorse any particular faith"

Estefanie Muller, the Tijeras Village Clerk, explained, "We are an old Spanish settlement that was founded by the conquistadors, who often carried a rosary. The rosary is part of the old Hispanic culture that settled here, but we are not promoting any particular religion."

ADF Attorneys to Represent Village of Tijeras Against ACLU Attack on Town Seal

Tijeras Logo Is Targeted