Flag of Yucatán

Flag of Yucatán
UseCivil and state flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion1:2 or 3:5
AdoptedMarch 16, 1841 (originally)
August 13, 2024 (re-adopted)
DesignA green vertical bar on the left containing five stars (two on the top row, one on the middle, and two on the bottom), and in the remainder two red horizontal stripes on the top and bottom with a white stripe in the middle.

The flag of Yucatán is the flag used by the former Republic of Yucatán, when in the middle of 19th century it was proclaimed in the territory of the Yucatán Peninsula. The republic comprised the present Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo.[1][2]

The flag's official status derived from a reform to the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States made in late 2022 regarding allowing states to adopt their own symbols.[3] The flag was raised by the state authorities for the first time in 182 years on August 21, 2023 in the state capital Mérida,[4] and the flag was made the official symbol of the state effective August 13, 2024, the day after the Ley del Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno was published in the state gazette.[5][6]

Design and symbolism

The flag of Yucatán flying

Regarding the historical flag of the Republic of Yucatán, the historian Rodolfo Menéndez de la Peña describes the flag thus

The flag of Yucatán was divided into two parts: green on left, the right, with three divisions, red up and down and white in the middle. In the green field highlighted, five stars, symbolizing the five departments that Yucatan was divided by decree of November 30, 1840: Mérida, Izamal, Valladolid, Tekax and Campeche.[7]

The meaning of the colors of the state flag are as follows:

  • Green: land.
  • White: religion.
  • Red: blood.

History

The flag was first flown on March 16, 1841, when it was hoisted on the Ayuntamiento municipal building in the "Plaza Grande" of Mérida, the capital city of the state of Yucatán. This action was a protest against the centralism of Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna.[7][8]

Modern usage

Although not formally recognized at the time, the flag was used throughout the 20th century at ceremonies and festivals of various kinds. The flag's use increased after 2000, after tensions between then governor Víctor Cervera Pacheco and the federal government, and spread rapidly being carried in cars, shirts, posters, etc., as a manifestation of local feeling against the federal government.[9]

Currently, the people from Yucatán use it to express their yucataneidad (pride of being Yucatecan). In 2001, a commemoration for the 160th anniversary of its first and last official use was held in the city of Mérida.[10] In 2010, the flag reappeared at a sports event where then governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco explained to visiting boxing promoter Don King the meaning of the flag.[11]

The flag became the official state symbol on August 13, 2024, replacing the unofficial flag consisting of the state's coat of arms on a white background.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Simbolismo de la Bandera de Yucatán". Ayuntamiento de Mérida. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  2. ^ "Yucatán (Mexico)". www.crwflags.com.
  3. ^ "Yucatán raises its own giant flag; can that be done in Mexico? - The Yucatan Times". 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  4. ^ "Poder judicial del estado Yucatán".
  5. ^ a b Yucatán fortalece su identidad con la Ley del Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno. 20 June 2024. Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán.
  6. ^ a b https://www.congresoyucatan.gob.mx/storage/legislacion/leyes/90ef386dd2b0772576f493e4a3c854a6_2024-08-13.pdf
  7. ^ a b Casares G. Cantón, Raúl; Duch Collel, Juan; Zavala Vallado, Slvio; et al. (1998). Yucatán en el tiempo. Mérida,Yucatán.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ 160 aniversario de la Bandera de Yucatán (www.yucatan.com.mx)
  9. ^ Ramirez, Claudio W. (June 23, 2000). "La bandera yucateca: sentimiento xenofóbico o estrategia politíca". larevista.com.mx. La Revista Peninsular. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ Aniversario de la bandera de Yucatán
  11. ^ Diario de Yucatán. "Buenos Aires City, anfitrión de un evento al estilo de Las Vegas". Retrieved August 26, 2010.[permanent dead link]
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