deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Bandera de Me’xico. The flag of Mexico. It is vertical tricolor of green; white and red. Charged in the middle white section is the national coat of arms. The overall design has been consistent since 1821.

The coat of arms is based on the Aztec symbol for Tenochtitlan [Mexico City]. The story is that the gods told the Aztecs to build a city where they find an eagle gripping a snake in it’s talon while sitting on a prickly pear cactus on a rock.

There have been earlier flags used for the nation. Prior to the war of independence against Spain, 1810, for a short time there was a hastily designed flag to unify the people. The Banderas gemelas de Allende (The Twin Flags from Allendas) featuring the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Flying the Mexican Flag on the Fifth of May, a quick word about Cinco de Mayo. It is not Mexican Independence Day. It is not widely celebrated in Mexico.

It is the commemoration of the Battle of Puebla where the ill equipped Mexican Army defeated the French Army. Napoleon III sent his army to Mexico to collect a debt owed the French Government. Mexico could not make the loan payment so a battle ensued. Napoleon also wanted to establish a base to help the Confederacy in the American Civil War. But outnumbered 2 to 1, the Mexican Army defeated the French forces.

It has been celebrated in California since 1863, but didn’t really ‘catch on’ until the 1980s when American Beer companies used it to promote their products.

I fly the Mexican Flag in admiration and appreciation for the rich and beautiful Mexican Heritage and Culture, and for all of our loved ones and close friends back in Denver.