The flag of Yucatán, composed of five white stars and the colors green, white, and red, with a history linked to the former oligarchic power groups in the state and later politically represented by the National Action Party (PAN), was raised again today at the Mérida City Hall, where it first flew 185 years ago.
The Law of the Coat of Arms, Flag, and Anthem of the State of Yucatán, in effect since mid-2024, establishes March 16 as Yucatán Flag Day and mandates that it be flown on public buildings and used in civic events, whenever the authorities deem it appropriate.
The banner consists of a green field with five white stars representing the former departments of Mérida, Izamal, Tekax, Valladolid, and Campeche, along with three stripes (green, white, and red) alluding to the national colors.
However, for local experts on historical matters, the flag of Yucatán also represents the symbol of the oligarchic forces in the state who, in the 19th century, kept thousands of indigenous Maya people enslaved for the production of henequen, considered the world’s “green gold.”
Many years later, in 2024, the candidate for governor of Yucatán, the former PAN mayor of Mérida, Renán Barrera Concha, went to register with the electoral authorities, wrapped himself in the flag of Yucatán, and in his speech said it “symbolizes the defense of the security, peace, and way of life of Yucatecans, as well as mutual cooperation to work for a safe, prosperous, and dignified future for the state.”
At that moment, the candidate representing the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and the New Alliance Party stated: “The Yucatecan flag unites us because it symbolizes love for our land, our culture, our people, and our precious roots. The Yucatecan flag unites us because it symbolizes hope, especially for ensuring a future with new opportunities, a more prosperous and secure future for new generations.”
Although Renán Barrera lost the election to the Morena party candidate, Joaquín Díaz Mena, the PAN candidate, Cecilia Patrón Laviada, won, continuing the party’s hold on the Mérida mayoralty.
According to historical studies, the Yucatecan flag was first raised on March 16, 1841, on the roof of the Mérida City Hall, after a group of protesters against the centralist policies of Antonio López de Santa Anna’s government demanded that the authorities petition the state Congress for the state’s independence.
This sociopolitical conflict was led by the governor at the time, Miguel de Barbachano, a renowned oligarch and leader of the conservative political forces, and lasted until 1848. However, during the revolutionary period in Mexico, General Salvador Alvarado triumphantly entered Mérida on March 19, 1915, at the head of the Constitutionalist Army. After defeating the conservative rebel troops, he ended the control of the “Divine Caste” (which used the Yucatecan flag as a symbol of supposed independence) and initiated a social and economic transformation.
Source: jornada
