- 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 Duran 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.
- From 1521 to 1821, the coat of arms of New Spain as Mexico was known, was the Cross of Saint Andrew. It was always displayed alongside the coat of arms of Spain.
- 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. But until 1917 it would not be defined by law, so many variants could be found.
- 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, in a second version for Maximiliano, the royal 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.
- 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".
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Mexico Non-Independent
Northern America - New Spain - Mexican America
1535 — 1821
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| 17 April 1535 Read more about this topic: Seal Of The United Mexican States, Chronology
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