Half-mast in Mexico: the days and who decides

A flag at half-mast is a sign of mourning. In Mexico, unlike many countries, the law does not leave that gesture to occasional decisions alone: fraction II of article 18 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem lists 32 fixed days on which the national flag flies at half-mast every year. To these come the yearly mourning for the earthquakes and the national mourning periods the President of the Republic declares. This guide explains who decides and how it applies.

The 32 days in the law

Fraction II mainly recalls the deaths of figures from Mexican history: Cuauhtémoc (28 February), Francisco I. Madero (22 February), Emiliano Zapata (10 April), Venustiano Carranza (21 May), Benito Juárez (18 July), Miguel Hidalgo (30 July), Leona Vicario and Carmen Serdán (21 August) and José María Morelos (22 December). It also recalls collective events:

• 21 April: the defence of the port of Veracruz in 1914.
• 2 May: the fallen pilots of Squadron 201 of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force, in 1945.
• 13 September: the sacrifice of the Boy Heroes of Chapultepec, in 1847.
• 19 September: the earthquakes of 1985 and 2017.
• 2 October: those killed at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco, in 1968.
• 25 November: the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The complete list, with the days of the week for 2026 and 2027, is in the guide to flag days. The amendment of July 2025, on the recognition of women who have transformed the nation, extended both lists with more days dedicated to women.

The mourning of 19 to 21 September

On 20 September 1985, the day after the earthquake, a decree of three days of national mourning was published. The decree published on 19 September 2017, the day of the second major earthquake, amended it to declare national mourning on 19, 20 and 21 September every year: the flag flies at half-mast on those days and any official festive event is suspended.

National mourning by decree

Under article 19, for events of exceptional importance the President of the Republic may order the flag raised on days other than those in article 18. On that basis, together with article 15 of the law and article 27 of the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration, national mourning decrees are published in the Official Journal of the Federation. Each decree sets the half-mast days and sometimes how they combine with the full-mast days. The guide to national mourning gives recent examples.

The states

The same article 19 gives governors the power to order the flag raised in similar cases within their state. Some states also regulate their own flag: in Jalisco, the Law on the Official Symbols provides that the state flag flies at full or half-mast, depending on whether the occasion is a celebration or mourning, at the seats of the state powers, main squares and schools, on the state’s solemn days.

How the flag is lowered to half-mast

The law does not describe the procedure or the exact height of half-mast, and the use of the flag by the Armed Forces follows their own regulations (article 50). A flagpole with an external or internal halyard allows the flag to be lowered to that height; the guide to flagpole mechanics explains the systems. Monumental flags are raised and lowered only by the Ministry of National Defence, under the 1999 decree.

Private persons, businesses and schools

The decrees and the law are addressed to the buildings and places in article 15, including public and private schools and hospitals. A business or a private person with a flagpole is not on that list, but nothing prevents them from joining the mourning with their flag at half-mast. The guide to flag rules covers private use of the flag.