Exam topic 6 of 10
The national symbols, for the naturalization exam.
Three symbols, defined by law, and the details the exam asks about: colours, order, the eagle, and who wrote the anthem.
What this topic gets asked about
The most reliably answerable topic on the syllabus, because the facts are fixed by law and do not change. Learn these and you have banked your easy questions.
Mexico has three national symbols: the bandera (flag), the escudo (coat of arms) and the himno (anthem). They are defined in the Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno Nacionales.
The flag has three vertical stripes of equal width: green, white and red, in that order from the pole, with the coat of arms at the centre of the white stripe.
The colours come from the three guarantees of the Plan de Iguala of 1821: independence, religion and union. The meanings usually taught today are hope, unity and the blood of the nation’s heroes.
The coat of arms is a golden eagle, seen in profile, standing on a nopal that grows from a rock in a lake, devouring a serpent, with its left claw on the cactus.
Beneath it is a half-garland of oak and laurel, tied with a ribbon in the national colours. Oak stands for strength, laurel for victory.
The image comes from the Mexica founding legend of Tenochtitlan in 1325.
Día de la Bandera is 24 February.
The Himno Nacional Mexicano has lyrics by Francisco González Bocanegra and music by Jaime Nunó.
It was adopted in 1854. The official version sung today has a chorus and four stanzas.
It begins "Mexicanos, al grito de guerra".
The flag is flown at half-mast on days of mourning set out in the law, and its use, dimensions and treatment are regulated.
Mexico’s currency is the peso mexicano, issued by the Banco de México.
The national flower is the dalia and the national tree is the ahuehuete.
The golden eagle — águila real — is the national bird.
The Zócalo, formally the Plaza de la Constitución in Mexico City, is where the large national flag is raised and where the Grito is given each 15 September.
A practice question from this topic
In Spanish, like the real exam. Open the answer to read the Contexto, or pick an option first.
Question 1 of 1 · Symbols & General Facts
¿Cuál es la capital de México?
Show the answer
Answer
Ciudad de México
Contexto
Además de ser la capital nacional, la Ciudad de México es una entidad federativa propia y sede de los poderes federales.
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Questions people ask
What order are the flag’s colours in?
Green, white and red, in three vertical stripes of equal width, green nearest the pole.
Who wrote the national anthem?
The lyrics are by Francisco González Bocanegra and the music by Jaime Nunó. The exam asks for either or both.
What is the difference between the eagle on the flag and the coat of arms?
The eagle is part of the coat of arms, and the coat of arms sits in the centre of the flag’s white stripe. The coat of arms also has the oak and laurel garland, which the exam sometimes asks about on its own.