The Law on the National Coat of Arms, Flag and Anthem is a set of rules and guidelines passed by the Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 government on the display and use of the flag

Flag of Mexico

The flag of Mexico is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War...

 (bandera), coat of arms

Coat of arms of Mexico

The current coat of arms of Mexico has been an important symbol of Mexican politics and culture for centuries. The coat of arms depicts a Mexican Golden Eagle perched upon a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. To the people of Tenochtitlan this would have strong religious connotations, but to...

 (escudo) and the anthem (himno). The original law was passed in 1984 and it contains 7 chapters, a preamble and a section that contains the lyrics of the national anthem. The law itself was changed several times, most recently in 2005.

Chapter One

It consists of two sentences, simply stating that the flag, arms and anthem are the symbols of the country and that this law was established to render honor and respect to the symbols.

Chapter Two

Consisting of three articles, this chapter contains brief descriptions of each national symbol. Article two describes the coat of arms, article 3 describes the flag and explains that the national anthem will be established according to other laws. Each article states that a copy of each symbol will be kept at the General National Archive

General National Archive

General National Archive is the name of several national archives in Latin America.*General Archive of the Nation *General Archive of the Nation *General National Archive *General National Archive...

 (Archivo General de la Nación) and the National History Museum (Museo Nacional de Historia

Castillo de Chapultepec

Chapultepec Castle is located on top of Chapultepec Hill. The name Chapultepec stems from the Náhuatl word chapoltepēc which means "at the grasshopper's hill". It is located in the middle of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City at a height of 2,325 meters above sea level...

).

Chapter Three

Consisting of two articles, this chapter describes how the coat of arms can be made or used. Article 4 states that the coat of arms will be made according to what was stated in Chapter 2 of this law and Article 5 states that certain officials, documents, seals and laws can be affixed with a special coat of arms. The difference with this coat of arms is that the entire arms is black and white, and the words "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (United Mexican States) appear in a semicircle at the top of the arms, between the olive branch and the oak wreath. Article 5 also states that the coat of arms can be affixed to vehicles operated by the government, such as vehicles that transport the President of Mexico

President of Mexico

The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...

.

Chapter Four

This chapter, which describes about the national flag in detail, is the longest of the three chapters on each symbol. Consisting of thirty articles, this chapter lists dates on when the Mexican flag is flown and how it is flown, about the various honors that is presented to the flag and the various flag devices that can be used, such as the corbata.

This chapter also sets the guidelines for the use of the Mexican Presidential Sash.