One of his key findings was that, as this medieval pilgrimage route regained its popularity in recent decades, "we can see any number of new municipalities (along the route) that are designing new flags … and recalling some of the ancient medieval iconography,” he said.

Chacón sees these new flags as part of a larger trend. “Flags are gaining more currency. … Visual information is explosive, and it moves very, very quickly, and it's shared quite easily through the internet, so that's what we're witnessing. We're witnessing kind of a paradigmatic shift in the use of imagery.”

And Montana, he thinks, could seize the moment by designing a new state flag.

“Montana is a very recognizable state,” he said. “We should have a flag that's recognizable.” The state seal and word “MONTANA” on the current colors fall short, he ventured.

“Many of the state flags share the same formula,” he said, “It is just simply a field with the state seal on it.” This design originated with Montana troops who needed a banner to carry in the Spanish-American War. Vexillologists call this layout an SOB, or “seal on a bedsheet,” and have long thought the Treasure State could do better.