Every February 24th in Mexico, we celebrate Flag Day. The flag is our biggest national symbol which, together with the Coat of Arms and the National Anthem, represents us as a country. This date also allows us to remember our history and learn a little more about our nation.

This national symbol was not originally designed as we know it today. Over time, its design underwent changes as the Mexican government evolved, eventually becoming the flag that is still used today as one of the representative symbols of an entire country.

Changes in the Mexican Flag

Although the Mexican flag has undergone modifications throughout history, we can highlight some of the most relevant changes in the process of reaching the flag we know today.

What is known as the first flag was the banner used by Miguel Hidalgo during the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. It featured an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Miguel Hidalgo used this banner to call people to rise up in arms.

From 1811 to 1821, the Bandera Cruz de Borgoña, also known as San Andrés de las Tres Villas, was used by the Batallón del Ejército Realista de Tres Villas: Córdoba, Orizaba, and Xalapa. This flag represents the Cruz de San Andrés, which was a military and religious symbol used by the New Spain authorities to defend the colonial regime.

In 1821, the Ejército Trigarante entered Mexico City carrying a new flag, known as the Bandera del Ejército Trigarante or the Estandarte Trigarante. This flag was designed with three diagonal stripes: white, representing religion; green, representing the country’s independence; and red, representing unity. Each stripe featured a star.

In 1822, a new flag was designed to represent the government of the First Mexican Empire, led by Agustín de Iturbide. The design of this flag is more similar to the one we have today. It consisted of three vertical stripes (red, white, and green), with a crowned eagle in the center as the coat of arms.

After other historical events, in 1863 a new flag was designed to represent the Second Mexican Empire under the rule of Maximilian de Habsburgo. This flag maintained the eagle and the colors, adding coats of arms that created a framed effect.

Current Flag

The design of the Mexican flag we know today dates back to 1968. It is a rectangle with three vertical stripes: green, representing hope; white, representing unity; and red, representing the blood shed by fallen national heroes. In the center is a coat of arms depicting a golden eagle devouring a snake while perched on a cactus.

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Flag Day: A Symbol of History

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