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Flagpole Guides
Mexico

Types of flagpoles in Mexico: outdoor, monumental and colour-guard

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This page is an English translation of the Spanish original. Where the two versions differ, the Spanish text is the original.

In Mexico, the word asta or astabandera covers both the 25 metre tube in front of a factory and the 2.20 metre staff of a colour-guard flag. Mexican makers distinguish their flagpoles by use, material and the system used to raise the flag. This guide presents the most common types.

Outdoor aluminium flagpoles

These are the most common in front of schools, offices, industrial parks, housing developments and shopping centres. They are fixed in the ground with a foundation and carry the flag at the top. Grupo Symac makes them from 4.50 to 24.40 metres, in seamless 6063 aluminium alloy tube, and Astabanderas de México offers seamless 6063-T6 aluminium poles that it considers suitable up to about 25 metres, with fast delivery in heights of 20 to 35 feet, about 6 to 10.7 metres. Their advantage is resistance to corrosion, which makes painting unnecessary; the guide to flagpole materials explains it.

Outdoor steel flagpoles

Steel is used for the tallest flagpoles. According to Grupo Symac, its steel poles are made from cold-rolled steel plate welded into a tube, covered with filler and exterior paint, need periodic maintenance and can reach up to 120 metres. Banderas Universal makes flagpoles of 3 to 100 metres in carbon steel, aluminium and stainless steel, and Banderas México offers tapered or telescopic poles in iron or aluminium tube, from 4 to 40 metres.

Monumental flagpoles

Under the 1999 decree, monumental flagpoles are at least 50 metres high. They are built and guarded by the Ministry of National Defence, which is the only body authorised to raise and lower their flags. Grupo Symac built the one in Dolores Hidalgo, 105 metres high, and according to BHC México the tallest in the country are in Durango (125 metres), Piedras Negras (120 metres) and Iguala (110 metres). The guide to flagpole heights covers these dimensions.

Hoisting systems

Outdoor flagpoles also differ in how the flag is raised:

  • External halyard: the rope runs outside the pole, passes over a pulley at the top and is tied off on a cleat. It is the simplest system and allows the flag to be flown at half-mast.
  • Internal halyard: the rope runs inside the tube, with access through a locked door or a crank. According to Astabanderas de México, it is installed in poles with an internal diameter of more than 6 inches for greater security and to prevent vandalism.
  • Monumental flagpoles: under the 1999 decree, only the Ministry of National Defence raises and lowers their flags, which can weigh about 230 kilos, like the one at the San Jerónimo roundabout in Mexico City.

The guide to flagpole mechanics explains each system.

Colour-guard staffs

The colour-guard flag, with which schools and institutions render honours, is carried on a hand-held staff topped by a finial. BHC México lists five usual lengths: mini (25 cm), desk (40 and 45 cm), pre-school (1.40 m), regulation (2.30 m) and extra long (3 m), in plastic, iron, aluminium or brass. Banderas México offers the regulation staff in 2.20 metres and the pre-school one in 1.20 metres, as well as standard holders, pedestals, tripods and wooden and glass display cases to keep the flag in. The Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem describes how the staff is carried on the march, with its butt in the cup of the flag sling (articles 27 and 28).

Desk and vehicle staffs

Desk flags sit on short staffs on bases of brass, onyx or wood. For vehicles there are small staffs with a clip for the window and diplomatic staffs for the bonnet. Under article 31 of the law, the vehicle used by the President of the Republic may carry the national flag, and abroad, heads of diplomatic missions may carry it on a staff on their vehicle; article 32 also allows anyone to use the flag on their vehicle.

The flagpole and its use

An outdoor flagpole with an external halyard allows the flag to be raised, lowered and flown at half-mast; one with an internal halyard protects the flag in public places; a colour-guard staff accompanies honours and parades. The guide to the price of a flagpole explains how each type affects the price, and the guide to flagpole accessories describes the parts.

Frequently asked questions

What types of flagpoles are there?

Outdoors, fixed aluminium poles, usually of about 4.5 to 25 metres, and steel poles, which exceed 100 metres in monumental installations. Indoors and at ceremonies, colour-guard staffs of about 2.20 to 3 metres, desk staffs and vehicle staffs. Mexican makers produce them in aluminium, steel, iron, brass and plastic.

What is a regulation staff?

The name makers give to the staff of the colour-guard flag, with which schools and institutions render honours and parade. BHC México offers it in 2.30 metres and Banderas México in 2.20 metres, in aluminium, brass or brass-plated iron, with a finial at the tip.

What is an internal halyard flagpole?

A flagpole in which the rope and the hoisting mechanism run inside the tube. According to Astabanderas de México, an internal lifting system can be installed in poles with an internal diameter of more than 6 inches, with access through a locked door or a crank, for greater security and to prevent vandalism.

Who installs the monumental flagpoles?

Under the 1999 decree, the Ministry of National Defence is responsible for building, operating, maintaining and guarding the country’s monumental flagpoles and flags, and is the only body authorised to raise and lower those flags. Private companies such as Grupo Symac build steel flagpoles of more than 100 metres.

Sources

This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Spanish:

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