Mexican Flag

The Flag of Mexico is tricolored green, white, and red in vertical bands with the national coat of arms placed at center of the white band.

The colors of the Mexican flag have significance: green = hope, white = purity, and red = union. The meaning of the flag colors have changed over time. These colors were adopted by the Mexican government after its independence from Spain during the War of Independence. The current Mexican flag was adopted in 1968, but the design has not changed since 1821 when the First National Flag was adopted.

In order to distinguish the flag from other flags of the world including the Italian flag , the Flag of Mexico has a coat of arms in the center of the white band. The emblem is the Aztec pictogram for Mexico City , which is the center of the country. It alludes to the legend that inspired the Aztecs to settle in Mexico. The coat of arms was last revised in 1968.

The Mexican flag has a rich history having changed four (4) times as the coat of arms emblem and flag dimensions have been modified. While the coat of arms has been modified over time, the core elements have always been included, an eagle holding a serpent in its talon perched on top of a cactus with the cactus on a rock rising above a lake. The current national flag, the Fourth National Flag , is also used as the Mexican naval ensign by ships registered in Mexico.

February 24th is Flag Day in Mexico.