Who designed the Mexican flag and why?

Francisco Eppens Helguera, a young military cadet from Mexico City, won a contest in 1821 to design the first official Mexican flag. On September 13, 1821, the Mexican flag was first raised during the war for independence from Spain.

Eppens intended the flag to display traditional Mexican colors associated with the independence movement. According to one interpretation of the flag's original significance, white represents purity, religion, and peace, while green denotes hope and victory, and red denotes the blood of the heroes of Mexico's War for Independence. The coat of arms in the center shows a majestic Mexican Golden Eagle standing on a prickly pear cactus, with a snake in its beak. It depicts an old Aztec legend about the founding of Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City).