The coat of arms of Mexico (
Spanish: Escudo Nacional de México, lit. "national shield of Mexico") is a
national symbol of Mexico and depicts a
Mexican (golden) eagle perched on a
prickly pear cactus devouring a
rattlesnake.[1] The design is rooted in the legend that the
Aztec people would know where to build
their city once they saw an eagle eating a snake on top of a lake.[1] The image has been an important symbol of
Mexican politics and
culture for centuries. To the people of
Tenochtitlan, this symbol had strong religious connotations, and to the Europeans, it came to symbolize the triumph of good over evil (with the snake sometimes representative of the serpent in the
Garden of Eden).
The
Mexican law on the National Arms, Flag, and Anthem regulates the name, the design and use of the arms. There they are officially called "
coat of arms" (
Spanish: escudo, literally "shield"), even if there is no
heraldic shield and therefore, according to the rules of
heraldry, it is not a traditional "coat of arms" and more precisely a "
national emblem" instead (National Emblem of Mexico). It is in the centre of the
flag of Mexico, is engraved on the obverse of
Mexican peso coins, and is the basis of the Seal of the United Mexican States, the
seal used on any official documents issued by the
federal,
state or
municipal governmental authorities. The seal differs from the arms by the addition of the words Estados Unidos Mexicanos ("United Mexican States", the full official name of the country) in a semicircle around the upper half.
Legend of Tenochtitlan
The coat of arms recalls the founding of
Mexico City, then
Tenochtitlan. The legend of Tenochtitlan, as shown in the original
Aztec codices, paintings, and post-
Cortesian codices, does not include a snake. While the
Codex Fejérváry-Mayer depicts an eagle attacking a snake, other Mexica illustrations, such as the
Codex Mendoza, show only an eagle; in the text of the
Ramírez Codex, however,
Huitzilopochtli asked the Tenochtitlan people to look for an eagle devouring a snake, perched on a
prickly pear cactus. In the text by
Chimalpahin Cuauhtlehuanitzin, the eagle is devouring something, but it is not mentioned what it is. Other versions (such as the backside of the
Teocalli of the Sacred War) show the eagle clutching the Aztec symbol of war, the atl-tlachinolli glyph, or "burning water".
Moreover, the original meanings of the symbols were different in numerous ways. The eagle was a representation of the sun god
Huitzilopochtli, who was very important, as the
Mexicas referred to themselves as the "People of the Sun". The
cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica), full of its fruits, called nōchtli in Nahuatl, represents the island of Tenochtitlan. To the Mexicans, the snake represented wisdom, and it had strong connotations with the god
Quetzalcoatl. The story of the snake was derived from an incorrect translation of the Crónica Mexicáyotl by
Fernando Alvarado Tezozómoc.[2] In the story, the
Nahuatl text ihuan cohuatl izomocayan "the snake hisses" was mistranslated as "the snake is torn". Based on this, Father
Diego Durán reinterpreted the legend so that the eagle represents all that is good and right, while the snake represents evil and sin. Despite its inaccuracy, the new legend was adopted because it conformed with
European heraldic tradition. To the Europeans, it would represent the struggle between good and evil. Although this interpretation does not conform to
pre-Columbian traditions, it was an element that could be used by the first missionaries for the purposes of
evangelism and the conversion of the
native peoples.[3]
Symbolism
Creatures
In 1960, the Mexican
ornithologist Rafael Martín del Campo identified the eagle in the pre-Hispanic codex as the
crested caracara or "quebrantahuesos" (bonebreaker), a species common in Mexico (although the name "eagle" is taxonomically incorrect, as the caracara is in the
falcon family). The golden eagle is considered the official bird of Mexico.[4] When Father Durán introduced the snake, it was originally an aquatic serpent. But in 1917, the serpent was changed to be a
rattlesnake, because it was more common than the aquatic varieties in pre-Hispanic illustrations. As a result of this, the design and color of the snake on the modern coat of arms do not correspond with those of any species of snake, and were inspired by the representations of
Quetzalcoatl, a rattlesnake with
quetzal feathers.
Elements
The eagle, in a combative stance
The snake, held by a talon and the beak of the eagle
The
nopal on which the eagle stands; The nopal bears some of its fruits (
tunas)
The pedestal, on which the nopal grows, immersed in the Aztec symbol for water
Oak and
laurel leaves encircling the eagle cluster; tied together with a ribbon with the Mexican flag's colors
Pictography
The emblem can be interpreted on at least two levels of abstraction. First, the pictographic/logographic depiction of the name of the Aztec's capital city,
Tenochtitlan, as tenoch refers to the cactus fruit while -ti-tlan is a ligatured
locative suffix meaning "below/among/at the base of." On another level, it represents one of the most important cosmological beliefs of the
Aztec culture.
The emblem shows an eagle devouring a serpent, which actually is in conflict with Mesoamerican belief. The eagle is a symbol of the sun and a representation of the victorious god
Huitzilopochtli, in which form, according to legend, bowed to the arriving Aztecs. The snake is a symbol of the earth and, in certain pre-Hispanic traditions, a representation of
Quetzalcoatl; more specifically, in Aztec (Mexica) tradition, the snake is the representation of
Coatlicue, the personification of earth and mother of Huitzilopochtli. In some codices, the eagle holds the glyph for war to represent the victorious Huitzilopochtli. This glyph, the Atl tlachinolli, which means "water and flame", has a certain resemblance with a snake, and may plausibly be the origin of this confusion.
With the element, the attributed element of the moon, it recalls the mythology of the god and hero of the Aztecs.
The fruit of the nopal cactus, called tuna, represents the heart of
Copil, the nephew of the god Huitzilopochtli. The god ordered the people to "build the city in the place of Copil's heart" (
Ramírez Codex), where the cactus grew on his land. It also alludes to the human sacrifice customs of the Aztecs.
The Aztecs, who probably adopted the custom from the
Toltecs, used flags to organize and coordinate their warriors in battle. The flags or pantli were made out of different colored feathers and displayed the personal coat of arms of the officer carrying them. During the battle the flags were carried on the back to allow mobility and to display prominently the prestige of the warrior.
Bernal Díaz del Castillo states that
Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztecs in Otumba by knocking the flag off of the Aztec general. The Aztec warriors thought that the general was taken prisoner and thus fled the battleground. Aztec rivals, especially the kingdoms of
Tlaxcala and
Michoacán, had their own coat of arms. For a few months, after the deposition of
Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor, Cortés governed Mexico as virtual sovereign. Therefore, it could be said that his coat of arms was the official one in Mexico. His personal insignia bore the image of the Virgin Mary. It is known that he carried his insignia throughout the conquest of Mexico.
In 1581, Father Durán drew his version of the foundation of Mexico on his book about Mexico; the snake was included for the first time. It would become a common icon, but it would still not be used as a coat of arms.
In 1810, Father
Miguel Hidalgo, leader of the first stage of the Independence war, used the
Virgin of Guadalupe as a flag or estandarte. It was seized from the parish of
Atotonilco. The flag is displayed in the National Museum of History alongside, and with the same rank as, later Mexican flags. In that sense, this religious image could be officially regarded as the first Mexican coat of arms.
In 1812, the second stage of the Independence war,
José María Morelos y Pavón used a crowned eagle standing atop of three arches and a cactus. In small print inside the arches was the acronym "VVM", which stands for "Viva la Virgen María" (or, Long Live the Virgin Mary). In large print and surrounding the eagle, there are golden letters with the legend "OCVLIS ET VNGVIBUS AEQVE VICTRIX", meaning "BY HER EYES AND GRIP EQUALLY VICTORIOUS".
In 1821,
Agustín de Iturbide, the first
Emperor of Mexico, introduced a royal crown on the eagle as a symbol of his empire. The elements were drawn in a European style; the eagle was drawn in front view.
In 1823, with a design by José Mariano Torreblanca, the crown was removed, and new elements from European tradition were introduced to celebrate the victory of the Republic. The coat of arms was now official and began to be used in coins, stamps, seals and official papers. Many variants of this design can be found as it would not be defined by law until 1917.
In 1863,
Maximilian I of Mexico, the second emperor of Mexico, reintroduced the royal crown, and the coat of arms was surrounded by the imperial mantle with the motto Religión, Independencia ("Religion, Independence").
In 1865, a second version was made for Maximilian, in which the imperial crown disappeared and two glyphs were introduced with the motto Equidad en la Justicia ("Equity in Justice").
In 1867, after the fall of the
Second Mexican Empire, the Republic restored most of the elements of the 1823 version.
In 1887, President
Porfirio Díaz made changes to the eagle so that its overall appearance reflected the French style.
In 1916, President
Venustiano Carranza reversed the changes made by Díaz, and restored some of the original Aztec symbols: the water snake was replaced with a rattlesnake, and the eagle was now seen in a side view instead of a front view. This design was created by the artists Antonio Gómez and Jorge Enciso. However, due to the political problems of the time, it was not made official until 1932, under President
Abelardo L. Rodríguez.[6]
In 1968, President
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ordered a small change, so the eagle would look more aggressive. This design, by the painter
Francisco Eppens Helguera, is still used today. Also, a law was made to define and control the use of the national symbols.
In 1984, President
Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado enacted the current law governing the official design and usage of the national symbols, among them the coat of arms. (The coat of arms also forms the center of the
Mexican flag.)
In the official documents of the Mexican government secretariates during
Vicente Fox's presidency (2000–2006), the images of the head of the eagle and the snake appear coming up from a stripe. The detractors of the Fox administration called this image El Águila Mocha – literally "the slashed eagle" but colloquially also "the prudish eagle", referring to Fox's government links with the religious right (mocho can mean both "mutilated" and "reactionary").
In 2006, President
Felipe Calderón adopted the complete coat of arms for official documents and rejected the "slashed eagle".
National
Non-National
Coat of arms of Mexico
Sovereign Mexico-Tenochtitlan
Prehispanic Mesoamerica - Valley of Mexico - Aztec Triple Alliance (from 13 March 1428)1325 — 1521
20 June 132513 August 1521
Colonial Mexico
Northern America - New Spain - Mexican America1521 — 1821
^González Block, Miguel A. (2004).
"El Iztaccuhtli y el Águila Mexicana: ¿Cuauhti o Águila Real?". Arqueología Mexicana. Archived from
the original on 2009-02-16. Retrieved 2009-01-18. (Iztaccuhtli should be iztaccuahtli and cuauhti should be cuauhtli.) This page shows the beginning of an article in Arqueología MexicanaXII: 70, pp. 60–65 (2004).