The is a vertical
Tricolor of
Green ,
White and
Red with the
Coat Of Arms Charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by
Mexico following independence from
Spain during the country's
War Of Independence . The current flag was adopted in 1968, but the overall design has been used since 1821. The current law of national symbols that governs the use of the national
Flag has been in place since 1984.
Throughout history, the flag has changed eight times, as the design of the coat of arms and the length-width ratios of the flag have been modified. However, , holding a
Serpent in its
Talon , is perched on top of a
Prickly Pear Cactus ; the cactus is situated on a
Rock that rises above a
Lake . The coat of arms is derived from an
Aztec legend that their gods told them to build a city where they spot an eagle and a serpent, which is now
Mexico City . The current national flag, the "Fourth National Flag", is also used as the Mexican
Naval Ensign by ships registered in Mexico.
The official design of the Mexican flag can be found in Article 3 of the (''Archivo General de la Nación'') and the National Museum of History (''
Museo Nacional De Historia '').
:Art. 3: "''The ''Bandera Nacional'' is a rectangle divided into three vertical stripes of identical measures, with the colors placed in the following order from hoist to fly: green, white, and red. Centered in the white stripe, the National Coat of Arms has a diameter of three-fourths the width of the white stripe. The proportion of the flag is four to seven (Ratio 4:7). It could carry a rope or tie of the same colors below the truck.''"
While the exact shades of the flag have not been defined by law, the Secretariat of the Interior (''Secretaría de Gobernación'') has suggested the following:
See Also: Coat of Arms of Mexico
The Coat of Arms is charged in the center of the flag, and was inspired by an Aztec legend regarding the founding of
Tenochtitlan . According to popular legend, the
Aztec People , then a nomadic tribe, were wandering throughout
Mexico in search of a sign that would indicate the precise spot upon which they were to build their capital. The god
Huitzilopochtli had commanded them to find an
Eagle devouring a snake, perched atop a
Prickly Pear Cactus (
Nopal in
Spanish ) growing on a rock submerged in a lake. After two hundred years of wandering, they found the promised sign on a small island in the swampy
Lake Texcoco . Here they founded their new capital, Tenochtitlan, which later became known as
Mexico City , the current capital of Mexico. The current coat of arms, which was redesigned in 1968, was designed by
Francisco Eppens Helguera and approved by
President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz .
The colors of the flag originated from the banner of the ; page 200
However, the meaning of the colors changed because of the
Secularization Of The Country , which was spearheaded by President
Benito Juárez .
Benito Juárez's biography on the website of former President Ernesto Zedilo The new color meanings are as follows:
- Green: Hope
- White: Unity
- Red: Heroes' blood
''The World Encyclopedia of Flags'', a book written by Alfred Znamierowski, also gives the following meaning to the colors of the flag:Znamierowski, Alfred. ''The World Book of Flags'' 2002, Hermes House;
London ; page 200
- Green: Hope
- White: Purity
- Red: Religion
Since Article 3 of the Flag Law does not give an official symbolism to the colors, other meanings may be given to them. Other groups have used the national colors as part of their own , such as
Querétaro and
Hidalgo have incorporated either elements of the national flag, or even the entire flag, into their coat of arms.
Before the adoption of the first national flag, various flags used during the (pictured above) after independence from Spain was won.Juán López de Escalera ''Diccionario Biográfico y de Historia de México'', Editorial del Magisterio, México, 1964.,
Nuevo León .]]
The first official national flag was established in 1821, the first year of Mexican sovereignty. The
Imperial government that was set up chose a tricolor flag of green, white and red and charged with the national coat of arms. The official decree stated that
"Sole article:(...) the national flag and flags of the army shall be tricolor, adopting forever the colors green, white and "encarnado" red arranged vertically, with the crowned eagle in the center of the white stripe, according the following design..."
While similar to the national flag that is used today, the eagle in these arms is not holding a serpent in his talons and a crown has been affixed to the head of the eagle to signify the Empire. Variants of this flag that appeared in this period also included a naval flag that had the tricolor pattern, but only contained the eagle with the crown above its head. The military also used a similar, square, flag, but the eagle was larger than on the national flag. The national flag was officially decreed by
Agustín De Iturbide in November 1821 and first officially used in July 1822. This flag was no longer used upon the abolishment of the empire.http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/mx_emp.html
The second national flag that was adopted came around the same time of the establishment of the first federal republic in 1823. The new flag chosen for the republic in April of that year, with the only difference is the appearance of the central emblem. The crown was removed from the eagle's head and a serpent was placed in the eagle's right talon. Another addition to the flag is a branch of
Oak and
Laurel branches, a tradition that was carried over to the current flag. This flag was discontinued in 1864 upon the dissolution of the federal republic.http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/mx_1823.html
The third official national flag was that of the , designed the arms to look similar to the
French Imperial arms, but decided to add a bit of "Mexican flavor" to the flag. The coat of arms was described in a decree issued in November of 1865 as:
:'' "(...) oval in shape in blue; in the center is depicted the eagle of Anahuac, in profile and passant, supported by a cactus, supported, in turn, by a rock sunk on water, and ripping a snake. The border is gold charged by a garland of , 1865 Decree on the Imperial Arms
The flag was abandoned in 1867 when Maximilian was overthrown and executed by the Mexican people.http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/mx_1864.html The second national flag was adopted once again as the national flag, but it was not officially declared as such. The current national flag was adopted on
September 16 ,
1968 , and was confirmed by law on
February 24 ,
1984 . The current version is an adaptation of the design approved by presidential decree in 1916 by
Venustiano Carranza , where the eagle was changed from a front-facing to a side-facing position. Juán López de Escalera ''Diccionario Biográfico y de Historia de México'', Editorial del Magisterio, México, 1964.
Before the adoption of the current national flag, official flags have been used by the government. All of these flags used the tricolor pattern, with the only differences being the changes in the coat of arms, which was still charged in the center of the white stripe. One possible reason for the 1968 flag and arms change was that deputy proposed a change to the Law of the National Arms, Flag and Anthem that same year to allow for the eagle to face to the right when the reverse of the flag is displayed.Flags of the World page
"Mexico - Reverse side of the flag" In 1995, the law was changed to include the following:
''"When the National Arms is reproduced in the reverse side of the National Flag, the Mexican Eagle will appear standing in its right grasp, holding with the left one and the beack the curved serpent."'' Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF) of May 9, 1995
