Introduction
The flag of Guadalajara, capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, is a horizontal triband of blue, gold and blue with the arms of the city on the central gold band.
The arms are the grant of 1539: two lions rampant facing a pine tree, above them a helmet, and behind it a red banner. The design has been in use since the early nineteenth century, but it only became the official municipal flag in 2021.
Meaning & Symbolism
The two lions and the pine come straight from the sixteenth century grant of arms, and the city has carried them ever since. The gold band gives the arms a field of their own rather than floating them on a plain cloth, and the blue bands frame it.
Guadalajara distinguishes between its symbols with some care. The arms are the working emblem of the city government, while the flag is described in the municipal record as the historic flag of the city, a separate object with its own history.
History of the Guadalajara Flag
The flag is old in use and new in law. The design is documented from the early 1800s, but Guadalajara had no officially adopted municipal flag until 4 May 2021, when it became the first municipality in Jalisco to adopt one.
That gap is the normal state of affairs for Mexican municipal flags. The arms are granted and regulated, often centuries earlier, while the cloth that carries them circulates on custom until a council decides to write it down.
Curiosities
- The design had been in use since the early nineteenth century but was not officially adopted until 4 May 2021.
- Guadalajara was the first municipality in the state of Jalisco to adopt an official municipal flag.
- The arms date from a grant of 1539 and show two lions rampant facing a pine tree.
- The city record distinguishes the coat of arms, used by the council, from the historic flag, treated as a separate symbol.
- People from Guadalajara are called tapatíos, a term far more used than the formal guadalajareño.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Guadalajara in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.
Construction Sheet
The flag has a 4:7 proportion, meaning its width is 4 units to its length's 7 units. The field is entirely white. The complex golden-yellow emblem is centered on the field. Official specifications dictate its size and placement to ensure consistency, with the emblem's height typically occupying approximately two-thirds of the flag's hoist (width).
Flags Similar to Guadalajara Flag
Common Misidentifications
Rarely misidentified due to its unique, modern emblem; however, from a distance, the white field with a central gold symbol can be vaguely reminiscent of papal or organizational flags.