Order of the Aztec Eagle
Highest rank of the Mexican Honours System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle (Spanish: Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners.
| Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle | |
|---|---|
 The Order of the Aztec Eagle (Star) | |
Awarded by  Mexico | |
| Type | Order |
| Established | 1933 |
| Awarded for | Services given to Mexico or to mankind |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Grades | Grand Cross with Collar Grand Cross, Special Class Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Member |
 Ribbon of the Order of the Aztec Eagle | |
History
It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to the services given to Mexico or humankind by foreigners. It corresponds to similar distinctions given to Mexican citizens such as the Condecoración Miguel Hidalgo or the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor. It is given by the office of the foreign minister on the instructions of a Council established for this purpose headed by the President. Its naming is partially taken from the Imperial Order of the Mexican Eagle, which was created by Maximilian I of Mexico on January 1, 1865.
Design
There is some design similarity of the order with the coat of arms of Mexico, particularly the golden eagle holding a rattlesnake, which is associated with the Aztec civilization.
Classes
Since 2011
Since the reform of March 2011,[1] the classes are :
Collar ("Collar"), awarded to heads of state;
Sash of Special Category ("Banda en Categoría Especial"), awarded to prime ministers and heads of government, hereditary princes(ses), consorts of heads of state, or to people whose category is tantamount to the previous;
Sash ("Banda"), awarded to government ministers, secretaries, members of royal families, ambassadors, or individuals whose category is tantamount to the previous;
Plaque ("Placa"), awarded to government undersecretaries, plenipotentiary ministers, consuls general, brigadier generals, rear admirals, as well to those whose category is tantamount to the previous;
Venera (a type of insignia), awarded to ad hoc business representatives, colonels and lieutenant colonels, captains of a ship, equivalent servants of embassies in Mexico, as well to those whose category is tantamount to the previous;
Insignia, awarded to ad interim business representatives and other members of diplomatic missions; captain, navy lieutenant, as well to those whose category is tantamount to the previous and to those cases the Council considers pertinent.
All grades except the collar may be awarded, at the Council's discretion, to distinguished foreigners.
Before 2011
Prior to the 2011 reform, the classes were, in descending order:
Collar ("Collar"), awarded to heads of state;- Grand Cross ("Cruz"), awarded to prime ministers and heads of government
- Sash ("Banda"), awarded to government ministers, secretaries and ambassadors
Medal ("Medalla"), awarded to government undersecretaries, plenipotentiary ministers, as well to those whose category is tantamount to the previous;
Plaque ("Placa"), awarded to ad hoc business representatives, colonels and lieutenant colonels, captains of a ship, equivalent servants of embassies in Mexico), as well to those whose category is tantamount to the previous;
Venera (a type of insignia), awarded to ad interim business representatives and other members of diplomatic missions;
Insignia proper, awarded at the Council's discretion; and- Honorable Mention ("Mención Honorífica").
Notable recipients
Royalty
Presidents
Edvard Beneš – Collar (1935)
Dwight David Eisenhower – Collar (1945)
Chiang Kai-shek – Collar (1945)
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan – Collar (1954)
Fulgencio Batista - Collar
Juscelino Kubitschek – Collar
Rafael Trujillo – Collar
Charles de Gaulle – Collar
Josip Broz Tito – Collar (1963)
Julius Nyerere – Collar (1975)
Todor Zhivkov- Fidel Castro – Collar (1988)
Lennart Meri – Collar (1995)
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – Collar (2007)
Michelle Bachelet – Collar (2007)
Nelson Mandela – Sash (2010)
Álvaro Colom – Collar (2011)
Mauricio Funes – Collar (2011)[19]
Juan Manuel Santos – Collar (2011)
José Mujica – Collar (2014)[20]- Dilma Rousseff – Collar (2015)[21]
- Otto Pérez Molina – Collar (2015)
Mauricio Macri – Collar (2016)
Sergio Mattarella – Collar (2016)
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa – Collar (2017)[22]- Pratibha Patil – Sash Special Category (2018)
Manuel Luis Quezon – Collar- Miguel Díaz-Canel – Collar (2023)[23]
Politicians
Johannes Leimena
Edmond Leburton
Alexandra Kollontai – Sash (1944)
Henry Harley Arnold – Collar (1945)- Dr. Jože Brilej – Sash (1950s)
Takeo Miki – Sash (1967)
Sir Edward Heath (1994)[24]- Bernardo Arévalo (1995)[25]
Yves Ducharme – Venera (2006)[26]- Mark Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General – Plaque (placa) (2006)[27]
Lisa Shoman – Sash (2008)- Ted Kennedy – Sash (2008)
José Manuel García-Margallo (2015)
Benoît Hamon[28]- Eva Perón (1951)
- David Dreier (2017)[29]
- Jared Kushner – Sash (2018)[30]
Qiu Xiaoqi - Sash (2019)[31]
- Jean-Yves Le Drian – Sash (2021)[32]
- Isabel Allende Bussi – Insignia (2023)[33]
Other
- Walt Disney (1943)
- Spencer Atkinson (1946)
- Norman Borlaug (1970)
- Nettie Lee Benson (1979)[34]
- Nigel Davies (1980)
- Edward Hidalgo (1980)
- Diana Kennedy (1981)
- Gabriel García Márquez (1982)
- Claudio Arrau (1982)
- Plácido Domingo – (1985)[35][36]
- W. Michael Mathes (1985)[37]
- Cesar Chavez (1990)[38][39]
- Dr. Donald Winkelmann (1994)
- Yuri Knorozov (1995)
Hector P. Garcia (1998)- Satish Gujral – Insignia proper
- Charles Butt – (2001)
- Melinda Gates – Insignia proper (2007)
- Anne d'Harnoncourt – Insignia proper (2007)
- Rigoberta Menchú – Insignia proper (2010)
Mario Vargas Llosa (2011)[40]- Amartya Sen (2011)
Bono – Insignia proper (2012)[41]- Takashi Yamanouchi (2013)[42]
- Ralph Roeder[43]
- Lady Susan Hussey (2015)[44]
- Dolores Huerta (2015)[45]
- Richard W. Fisher – Badge (2015)[46]
- Stuart Gulliver (2017)[47]
- Roderic Ai Camp (2017)
- Rick Bayless – Insignia (2017)[48]
- Roberta S. Jacobson (2018)[49]
- Catherine Bréchignac (2018)[50]
- Stephen A. Schwarzman – Plaque (2018)[51]
- Henry Kravis – Plaque (2018)[52]
- Roberto Riccardi – Plaque (2021)[53]
List by class
Gallery
Grand Cordon (collar) of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
Insignia of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle
Sash and sash badge of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
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Additional sources
- Mexican Chamber of Deputies[54]
- Olvera Ayes, David A. "La Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca – Apuntes para su Historia". Cuadernos del Cronista. México, 2011