THE 3 NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF MEXICO: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The national symbols of Mexico are the shield, the national anthem and the flag. These are established in the Law on the National Shield, Flag and Anthem of the United Mexican States, promulgated in 1984.

National symbols are those elements that arise from the construction of the concept of nation, which is based on relationships that identify all the people with the territory, the language and the Mexican national culture.

Flag of Mexico with the shield, two of the national symbols of Mexico

Within this definition, national symbols constitute a way of unifying the national meaning of the people. Each state has its own national symbols.

The 3 symbols of the homeland of Mexico

- The National emblem

It is the oldest of the Mexican national symbols. It originated in pre-Hispanic times, and despite the fact that in colonial times the viceregal authorities tried to incorporate Christian elements, it re-emerged in independence as an emblem of unity with its original idea (Carrera, Alejandro. SF).

The current national coat of arms was established in 1968 and its history is linked to legends, traditions and political events alike.

The Mexican National Shield consists of the image of an eagle standing on a cactus, surrounded by two branches, one of oak and the other of laurel. In the Law on the National Shield, the flag and the National Anthem, the official description of the shield is established:

Law on the National Shield, Flag and Anthem of the United Mexican States (1984)

The current model of the National Shield was designated in 1916, based on the decree of April 14, 1823. The fauna and flora represented on the shield symbolize different parts of Mexican history.

According to Aguilar (2004), the eagle standing on the nopal is "the essential part of the Mexican national symbol and is taken from the legend in which the Mexica, following the order of their god Huitzilopochtli, would found their city where they found this sign."

Legend

The god Huitzilopochtli gave Cuaucóhuatl and Axolohua the mission of finding the site where their kingdom would grow. They would discover it when they found a lake where an eagle was on a cactus with a snake in its claws.

When they found land, according to their description, they built their empire, which would become one of the great Mesoamerican cultures.

For the Mexica, the eagle symbolized the divine duality between heaven and earth. In 1821, the eagle was established for the first time as a national shield.

History

In the Three Years War between liberals and conservatives, both parties used the image of the eagle as a banner. The former wore the eagle looking to the left and the latter in the opposite direction, looking to the right.

During the French intervention the eagle was adorned with a crown. With Republicans, it shouldn't wear that badge. Maximiliano and Porfirio Díaz chose to represent her head-on.

In 1916, Venustiano Carranza, by the aforementioned decree, resolved that the shield should remain as dictated by the indigenous codices, showing its left side.

Meaning

In the shield, the eagle symbolizes a free nation, as it represents the sun, strength, audacity and cunning.

The rock is the islet of Texcoco where the Mexicans settled for the first time, its stripes represent the relief of the land and the snails of the lake symbolize the origin of life.

The nopal is a species that grows in those areas and its fruits (red tunas) represent the hearts of defeated warriors. For its part, the oak symbolizes strength and laurel victory.

It was initially devised by Francisco Eppens Helguera and Pedro Moctezuma Díaz Infante.

- The national flag

It was established in 1968 and is celebrated throughout the Mexican territory on February 24 of each year. The Law on the National Shield, Flag and Anthem of the United Mexican States (1984) establishes in the third article:

History

González (2004) maintains that “what is distinctive about the Mexican flag is that it is the product of the mixture of allegories from three civilizations, different both in time and space:

• The pre-Hispanic indigenous, derived from Olmec, Mayan and Aztec mythology.
• The Spanish, religious and colonial.
• The English franc of enlightened liberalism.

It was in the times of Mexican independence, when a decree was issued where it was established that the colors of the flag would be green, white and red.

The first official flag of Mexico was used in 1821, and it was called the Trigarante flag or flag of the Three Guarantees. Its author was the same one who proclaimed Mexican independence, Agustín de Iturbide. Originally, it was composed of three diagonal stripes of white, green and red, and in the center it had a white oval with an imperial crown.

At the end of 1821 another flag was drawn up with the previous one as a reference standard. The stripes ran from left to right in green, white, and red, and had the national emblem in the center.

In 1864 another flag was established for the Second Mexican Empire, it kept the tricolor with the national shield, but it had 4 crowned eagles in the corners. This flag stopped being used in 1867, when Maximilian I fell and the 1823 flag was reestablished.

In subsequent years there were minimal changes to the shield. The current flag of Mexico was adopted on September 16, 1968 by President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz and its official use was ratified in 1984.

Meaning

The green represents the hope of the ideals of the independence movement, the white symbolizes the purity of the Catholic religion, and the red represents the Spanish group adhering to the liberation impulse. In the white strip, there is the national shield.

- The National anthem

History

For more than 30 years, Mexico did not have its own anthem. Marches were used in official ceremonies, but they had no roots within the town.

For this reason, on November 12, 1853, the government promoted a contest to find an anthem that represented Mexico. The lyrical poet Francisco González Bocanegra competed as author, not believing that he could achieve victory.

However, on February 3, 1954, his name as the winner was published in the Official Gazette. On August 2, the Spanish Jaime Nunó Roca was proclaimed the winner of the musical score.

On September 15, 1854, as a result of the celebration of the cry of Independence, the Mexican National Anthem was premiered at the Santa Anna theater.

It has been known and used as an anthem since 1854, although it was only made official in 1943 through a presidential decree, which became permanent with the enactment of the Law on the National Shield, Flag and Anthem of the United Mexican States in 1984.

The stanzas of the hymn were composed by the poet Francisco González Bocanegra (native of Potosí) and set to music by the Catalan composer Jaime Nunó Roca.

When the first notes of the national anthem are sounded, those present must show an attitude of reverence and respect, as well as uncover their heads and assume the “firm” military position.

To include the indigenous populations that also live in the national territory, the anthem has been translated into Chinantec, Otomí, Mixtec, Mayan, Nahuatl and Huasteco.

Article 57 says that the hymn consists of a chorus and four stanzas:

Chorus

Mexican to the war cry

Make ready the steel and the bridle;

And let the earth tremble in its centers

To the loud roar of the cannon.

And let the earth tremble in its centers

To the loud roar of the cannon.

Stanzas

I

Girdle Oh, Country! your olive temples

of peace the divine archangel,

that in heaven your eternal destiny

by the finger of God it was written.

But if I dare a strange enemy

desecrate your soil with its plant,

think Oh, dear country! that heaven

With each son he gave you a soldier.

II

War, war without truce to whoever tries

of the country stain the blazons! , War, war! the patrios banners

soak in the waves of blood.

War, war! in the mountains, in the valley, the horrid cannons thunder

and the sonic echoes resonate

with the voices of Union! Freedom!

III

Before, Fatherland, may your children be defenseless

under the yoke your neck bend , your bloody fields are watered,

his foot is stamped on blood.

And your temples, palaces and towers

they collapse with horrid roar,

and its ruins exist saying:

Of a thousand heroes the homeland was here.

IV

Homeland! Homeland! Your children swear to you

exhale in your sakes his breath,

if the bugle with its bellicose accent

Calls them to struggle with bravery. Olive garlands for you!

A memory for them of glory!

A laurel for you of victory!

A grave for them of honor!

Related topics

National symbols of Chile.

National symbols of Venezuela.

National symbols of Ecuador.

References

1. Bonfil Batalla, Guillermo (1989). "The theory of cultural control in the study of ethnic processes". Arinsana, 10: 5-36.
2. Carrera, Alejandro (2014): Origin and meaning of the Mexican national shield. School of Nurses, University of the Mexican Army and Air Force.
3. Law on the National Shield, Flag and Anthem of the United Mexican States (1984) Consulted at web.archive.org. and diputados.gob.mx.
4. Aguilar, Maria., Perez, Carmen and Perez, Socorro (2004). "The flora of the Mexican national shield". Polybotany, (18), 53-73.
5. Gonzalez, Jose (2004). "Symbolism of the national flag of Mexico." Law and Culture, (13), 129-143.
6. State Institute of Public Education of Oaxaca (s / f). Mexican national anthem. Consulted at web.archive.org and ieepo.gob.mx.
7. National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (s. F). Mexican National Anthem in Indigenous Languages. Consulted in gob.mx.