Flag of Mexico

What the flag means

Mexican law gives the colours no official meaning. Under Agustín de Iturbide in 1821, white stood for the Catholic religion, green for independence and red for union between Mexicans and Spaniards. From Benito Juárez's time they were read as hope, unity and the blood of national heroes. The eagle recalls the Aztec sign for where to found Tenochtitlan.

History

The green, white and red go back to Iturbide's Trigarante flag of 1821. Venustiano Carranza's 1916 decree turned the eagle to side profile, and the current version of the arms, by Francisco Eppens Helguera, came into use in 1968, the year Mexico City hosted the Olympic Games. The Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem, in force since 24 February 1984, sets the design and the 4:7 proportion.

Without the coat of arms the flag would look almost the same as Italy's, so Mexico dropped its plain tricolour merchant ensign. The proportions also differ: 4:7 for Mexico, 2:3 for Italy.

Earlier flags of Mexico

1. 1821–1823Vertical tricolour with a crowned eagle, flag of the First Mexican Empire
2. 1823–1864Vertical tricolour with an uncrowned eagle holding a snake
3. 1916–1968Vertical tricolour with the side-profile eagle of Carranza's 1916 decree

Flags that look like this one

MexicoItaly

Green, white and red vertical stripes. Mexico adds its eagle-and-snake coat of arms, and its flag is longer.

Flags of Mexico's neighbours

• Belize
• Guatemala
• United States