The flag of Mexico is a reminder of the price of freedom and a symbol of patriotism. It was first hoisted on September 15, 1915, to signify the end of Spanish rule. It is celebrated every 24th February on the Dia De La Bandera (flag day). To Mexicans, the national flag is not just a symbol of sovereignty, but also a symbol of justice and citizenship.
Before modern Mexico, the Aztec Empire existed. It flourished between c.1325 to 1521. By the time the first Spanish arrived in Mexico in 1518, the empire still existed. On January 1, 1519, Hernan Cortes sought to conquer the Empire with 500 men – the start of Spanish rule.
Mexico under colonial rule was known as New Spain (Nueva Spania). The Aztecs were defeated by the Spanish in 1521, and for the next 300 years, the region was under Spanish rule. The flag of New Spain consisted of a yellow stripe between two red lines. An emblem representing the Spanish Empire was located on the yellow line. The cross of Burgundy, a red cross on a white background, was also used to represent New Spain.
There were many attempts towards freedom from Spain, but significant uprisings began in 1810. Insurgent forces consisting mostly of peasants, renegade military forces, and creoles adopted a white and blue banner that symbolized the Virgin of Guadalupe. They also had an emblem of an Eagle holding a snake on a prickly branch with rock and water within the symbol. The Eagle insignia is still used in the national flag. When the then military commander Augustín de Iturbide joined the revolutionaries known as the Army of the Three Guarantees, a new flag was adopted. This flag consisted of tricolors white, green, red. The stripes appeared diagonally with each band consisting of a seven-pointed yellow star.
In 1821, the country finally achieved independence. The Iguana Plan independence movement (Plan de Iguala), had led the country to victory. Plan De Iguala chose a flag that consisted of the same colors as the flag of the Three Guarantees and had some similarity to the French tricolor blue-white-red. However, the Mexicans identified with those colors as similar versions of the flag had existed before. The color green symbolized independence, white symbolized the Roman Catholic, whereas red symbolized the unity between the native Americans and the ethnic Spaniards. Freedom was attained as a result of a political compromise. Roman Catholic was to remain supreme as well as the social system that privileged the Creoles. After the abdication of the emperor in 1823, Newfound Mexico modified the flag. The eagle at the center of the flag was now perched on a garland of leaves bound together with a bow and a captured snake on its talons.
Although the country had attained independence, they still struggled with foreign invasion. The state had failed to pay outstanding loans owed to France, Britain, and Spain. Consequently, French Emperor Napoleon III invaded the country in a bid to introduce the French monarchical system. A new emperor, Maximillian, commissioned the design of a new flag. This flag retained the original tricolors, red-white-green. However, the eagle and snake emblem was modified with symbols of royalty. The colors of the flag adopted a different meaning. White symbolized purity, red represented religion, whereas green symbolizes hope. A griffin that was placed within the insignia bore the phrase, “Equidad en la Justicia,” meaning “Equity with Justice.”
As the American Civil war drew to an end, the United States demanded the withdrawal of France from Mexico. Without French influence, the original flag was reinstated. Since then, there have been several changes to the flag, with the most recent amendment being in 1968. The central emblem consisted of unique markings of a diamond-backed rattlesnake. During the administrative rule of Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, the flag was made official with the declaration of the Law on the Characteristics and Uses of the Flag, the Coat of Arms, and the National Anthem.
Colors
The flag of Mexico has profound symbolism.
Although there is no official meaning of the colors in the flag of Mexico, they were initially adopted to represent:
However, as the years passed, the meanings of the colors changed. Presently, there is a general acceptance that green represents hope, red represents the blood of the independence fighters, and white represents unity.
Emblem
The emblem on the flag has a detailed cartoon-like design of an eagle alighted on a pear cactus. The eagle is depicted devouring a rattlesnake. This emblem dates back to the Aztec tradition. According to legend, the Aztecs were told by the god of war to establish a city at a place where they saw an eagle with a rattlesnake in its mouth, resting on a prickly pear tree. When the Aztec saw this sign, they set up the Aztec’s capital, Tenochtitlan. Presently, Mexicans saw the same symbol on a marshy lake. This is where the Main Plaza is located in Mexico City. The Laurel branch within the emblem symbolizes victory and honor.
Shape
The length to width proportion of the flag is 4:7. The horizontal stripes green, white, red are all equal. At the center of the flag is the national emblem. The diameter of the national seal is three-quarters of the width of the strip.
Do you know any other interesting facts about the flag of Mexico? Share your thoughts below.
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