Flag of Mexico: Its deep link with the Catholic faith

The flag of Mexico, with its iconic green, white and red colors, flies proudly during the month of September, when the country commemorates another anniversary of the beginning of the feat of independence. This national symbol has deeply Catholic roots and represents the history and values ​​of the nation.

The Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, on September 16, 1810, proclaimed the “Cry of Dolores” with a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe, beginning the fight for the independence of what was then known as the Viceroyalty of the New Spain. The process of independence of Mexico culminated on September 27, 1821, with the entry of the Trigarante Army to Mexico City.

This army, under the leadership of Agustín de Iturbide, united the insurgent and royalist forces, and according to the Iguala Plandefended three guarantees: the Catholic faith, the independence of Mexico and the union between Americans and Europeans.

According to him Government of Mexico website, The flag of the new empire adopted these principles in its colors: white symbolized the Catholic faith, green, independence, and red, union.

The article points out that after the fall of Iturbide in 1823, the Constituent Congress maintained the colors and their meaning, but made changes such as the elimination of the eagle crown and the inclusion of laurel and oak branches, “republican symbols.”

With the arrival of Benito Juárez to the presidency and the promulgation of the Reform Laws in 1860, “the meaning of its colors was changed.” The Mexican Government points out that green came to represent hope, white unity, and red the blood shed by national heroes.

Juárez, with these laws, consolidated the separation between Church and State, but tensions were sown that led to religious persecution and eventually the outbreak of the Cristero War in the 1920s.

The Government of Mexico website points out that, over the years, several presidents made modifications to the national symbol. In 1916, Venustiano Carranza established the current representation of the eagle, perched on a cactus and surrounded by oak and laurel branches, as a symbol of strength and unity.

The text points out that the flag, in addition to being a national symbol that represents “the spirit of unity”, of Mexicans is “a unifying element.” As indicated, it is an “authentic expression of our origins” and reflects the desire to strengthen the sense of national identity, as an independent and sovereign country.