The Secret History Behind Mexico's Flag

Mexico's flag carries a legend older than the nation itself.

At its center is an eagle, perched on a cactus, devouring a serpent. It looks like a simple emblem — but it's the founding myth of the Aztec people. According to legend, the Aztecs wandered for generations searching for a sign from their gods: an eagle, standing on a cactus, eating a snake. They found it on a small island in a lake, and there they built their capital, Tenochtitlan — centuries before Mexico existed as a nation, and on the very ground where Mexico City stands today.

The colors around that emblem carry their own meaning: green for hope, white for the unity of the Mexican people, red for the blood of the nation's heroes.

The flag's story doesn't end with the Aztecs, though. On September 16, 1810, a parish priest named Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell of his small church before dawn and called the people to rise up — the Grito de Dolores, the cry that began Mexico's fight for independence from Spain. That date, September 16, is the one printed on every Mexico design in our catalog.

Two stories, one flag: an ancient founding myth, and a modern fight for freedom, both still flying today.

Shop the Mexico collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.