Every February 24, Mexico celebrates National Flag Day. The Mexican national flag is a symbol of freedom, justice, and citizenship. Its shield and colors represent the origins, principles, courage, and struggles of the Mexican nation.
Various flags have represented Mexico over the years, but the current flag, which was used with some modifications in the Declaration of Independence, represents Mexico today.
On February 24, 1935, Benito Ramirez, an employee of the Bank of Mexico, organized a guard of honor in tribute to the Mexican flag. This tradition continued until 1940, when President Lázaro Cárdenas officially declared February 24 Flag Day.
Since then, every year, Mexicans honor the flag with ceremonies that commemorate the heroes who sacrificed their lives for Mexico’s freedom and independence.
The flag of Mexico was born in 1821 when Agustín de Iturbide was inspired to design it to represent the guarantees that all Mexicans would have when Mexico’s independence was declared.
During the Plan of Iguala declaration, Iturbide wore a flag with three colors, white, green and red, arranged in diagonal stripes and a gold star on each color.
The rights or guarantees that Iturbide declared were reflected in the flag: white represented the Catholic religion, the only religion accepted, green stood for the Independence of Mexico from Spain, and red equality and unity of Mexicans with Spaniards.
When the Trigarante Army reached Mexico, Agustín de Iturbide carried the flag and proclaimed the independence of Mexico.
During Iturbide‘s rule as Emperor of Mexico, the flag underwent some modifications, the stripes became vertical and had a crowned eagle in the white colored center.
After the fall of Agustín de Iturbide in 1823, the Constituent Congress declared the tricolor flag as the official flag but with modifications.
The eagle was stripped of the imperial crown and it is represented with open wings; at the foot of it, placed branches of laurel and oak were placed.
The meaning of the colors also changed, white represents purity, hope is the green color and red represents the blood lost by our heroes of the Independence struggle.
Over the years and during the presidency of Porfirio Diaz, other elements of the shield were modified.
It was during the presidency of Gustavo Diaz Ordaz with the declaration of the Law on the Characteristics and Uses of the Coat of Arms, the Flag and the National Anthem” that the current flag was made official, through article 3 of this law.
The Flag of Mexico is divided into three segments, green, white and red respectively and in the center is the national emblem, which consists of an eagle on a cactus in the middle of a lagoon, devouring a snake.
The shield has its origins in the ancient Aztec legend about the founding of Tenochtitlan.
3rd article states:
Article 3.- The National Flag consists of a rectangle divided into three vertical stripes of identical dimensions, with the colors in the following order from the flagpole to the right: green, white and red.
On the center of the white strip, is the national shield, with a diameter of three-quarters of the width of this strip. The ratio between width and length of the flag is four to seven. A bow of the same colors may be placed at the top of the pole.
An official copy of the National Flag, authenticated by the three branches of government, shall remain in the General Archives of the Nation and another one in the National History Museum.
http://www.sre.gob.mx/index.php/simbolos-patrios?showall=1
