The basic design of the flag of
Mexicois taken from the
FrenchTricolor flag. The red, white and green are the colors of the national liberation army of Mexico. The coat of arms (centered) in the white band is the badge of Mexico City, the country's capital. Its main feature is an eagle, and it is said that an Aztec legend told them to build their new city on the exact spot where they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus, eating a snake.
The coat of arms, also used in the Seal of the United Mexican States, depicts a Mexican Golden Eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus eating a snake. This symbolism had strong religious connotations to the Tenochtitlan people. To the Europeans, it symbolized the triumph of good over evil.
Adopted in 1943, the lyrics were written by poet Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra and the music by National Band conductor, Jaime Nuno Roca.