The Lack of Patriotic Flags in Public in Latin America

Over a year ago, I remember moving from Roma Norte of Mexico City to Copilco area.

Along the way, I made small talk with the Uber driver and ended up taking some nice photos of the city from time to time.

As you drive around the city (and especially if you are arriving to the city by airplane), you'll occasionally get reminded by just how large Mexico City is.

It just goes on forever and ever.

During the trip to the south of the city, I made sure to capture this picture here.

Why was it important?

Well, for starters, it looked nice!

A giant flag waving around with the huge city in the distance.

But, on top of that, it's a rare sight in a certain sense.

That isn't to say that you can't find any Mexican flags waving around anywhere in Mexico.

They do exist!

You do got folks who might place a Mexican flag somewhere in the country.

Perhaps outside some important landmark with a local state flag of whatever Mexican state too.

But, in the eyes of someone from the US, it does feel that Mexico is "a bit lacking" in flags.

Of course, over the years traveling to numerous countries, it's not an odd thing to notice anymore.

And, truth be told, it wasn't much of an observation I had when I began traveling either.

In that moment though of taking that flag and looking back on it now as I go through my old photos in my phone, I was reminded of a very brief exchange with someone I know.

"Don't They Have Flags Everywhere in America?"

Before I did move to Copilco area, I remember sitting down having some lunch in the kitchen area of the building I was living in at Roma Norte.

While sitting there, a Mexican guy whose name I forgot right now entered the kitchen to cook some food.

He was from the north of Mexico closer to the border with the US and had spent some brief moments in the US to visit family up north or for "shopping trips" with the family.

Which, as a side point, is a good sign that someone in Latin America is rich or from a comfortable background at least: do they have "shopping trips" to the US?

Anyway, we were making small talk about whatever.

Why I like living in Mexico, if he knows the US, if he likes the US also, etc.

During the conversation, we got onto the topic of odd things we notice about each other's countries.

Nothing offensive or overly negative but just some cultural quirks that each one finds different.

One of his that he felt like mentioning was how the US has "flags everywhere."

"Don't they put up the flag everywhere in the US?" he asked me.

To which he went on then discussing how he felt it was odd seeing American flags waved even outside of Walmart.

Got to have that patriotic love for AMERICA even when buying a 5 dollar fan at Walmart, don't you know?

Which, as a side point, he did ask the question in reference to "America."

He did use the word "America" to mean the USA.

Just throwing that out there for all those Latin Americans and self-hating Americans who bitch and moan about the use of the word "America" to mean the USA.

Anyway, in the moment, I thought about what he said.

Looked outside the window for a brief moment that was to the side of me looking for any Mexican flags.

And, truth be told, I didn't see any!

It actually was never that much of an observation from myself personally but something that I was told about and then it made me reflect on life back home versus life down here in Mexico.

He's right!

Again, it's not to say that NOBODY waves the Mexican flag down here.

On Independence Day in September,  you are OBVIOUSLY going to see lots of Mexican flags.

But random Mexican flags waving outside of Walmart or Soriana?

To be fair, I haven't gone to EVERY single Walmart or Soriana in all of Mexico.

There probably is AT LEAST one supermarket with the Mexican flag waving outside.

But compared to life back home?

From what I remember, it wouldn't be as uncommon either to see random American flags outside the front lawns of people either.

Granted, in the neighborhood I lived in back home, I can't remember seeing THAT many American flags either.

I don't want to make it seem -- especially to the non-Americans reading -- that there's an American flag every 5 feet from each other.

On top of that, let's not pretend that there isn't a great deal of patriotism and nationalism in Latin America either.

Especially between Latin American countries over odd disputes here and there that I wrote about here.

And, believe me, you do got some VERY insecure Latin Americans who get real bitchy when a foreigner gives even THE SLIGHEST critique of his country and goes full "gO bAcK tO yOuR cOuNtRy!!!11!1!11!1!!!"

Latin America has its own ways of expressing its patriotism also.

Now, to be fair, one could ask who is more patriotic: the American or the Latin American of any random country down here?

Truth be told, I'd say that the American typically is more with all things considered.

But, like I said, you have no shortage of it down here also but that "putting your flag up everywhere" isn't as common down here than back home.

Which isn't again to say that there are no public flags of the country waving around anywhere nor is an American flag every 5 feet away from each other back home.

Just that we Americans do wave the flag around a little bit more than the Latin Americans based on my life experience alone and that it might be something you notice or don't notice depending on your own life experiences.

A minor detail anyhow to life in Latin America.

If you got anything to add or have your own experiences (similar or different), drop a comment below in the comment section.

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Thanks for reading.

Best regards,

Matt