Flag of Yucatán

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.

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. The flag was raised by the state authorities for the first time in 182 years on August 21, 2023 in the state capital Mérida.

Design and symbolism
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."

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. The flag was never officially used again by the authorities of Yucatan.

Modern usage
Although never formally recognized, 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.

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. 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.

The flag became the official state symbol on September 11, 2023, replacing the unofficial flag consisting of a coat of arms on a white background. The executive of the government of the state of Yucatán waved the historical flag of the Republic of Yucatán again, after 182 years.