Editing Plan of Iguala (section)

==Three Guarantees==
[[File:Flag_of_the_Three_Guarantees.svg|thumb|left|Tricolor flag of the [[Army of the Three Guarantees]]]]
The Plan of Iguala established three central principles for the nascent Mexican state: the primacy of [[Roman Catholicism]], the absolute political [[independence]] of Mexico, and full [[social equality]] for all social and ethnic groups in the new country. These are the "Three Guarantees" by which the Plan is sometimes known, summarized as "Religion, Independence and Unity" ("Religión, Independencia y Unión"). The tricolor flag of the Army of Three Guarantees is a symbolic representation of the three guarantees, and is the colour scheme for the post-independence red, green, and white Mexican flag.

The document explicitly includes all residents of Mexico's geographic territory among its citizens: the preamble refers to "Americans, under which term are included not only those born in America, but Europeans, Africans and Asians who reside in it," and Article 12 states: "All the inhabitants of the Mexican Empire, without any other distinction besides merit and virtue, are suitable citizens to apply for any employment," or "All the inhabitants of New Spain, without any distinction between Europeans, Africans, nor Indians, are citizens of this Monarchy with option to all employment depending on their merit and virtues," depending on the copy.<ref>{{Cite web| last = McKeehan| first = Wallace L.| title = Plan of Iguala and Treaty of Cordova| publisher = Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas | url = http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/iguala.htm| access-date = 2 November 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090826173709/http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/iguala.htm| archive-date = 26 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last = De Iturbide| first = Agustín| author-link = Agustín de Iturbide| title = Plan de Iguala| journal =  Leaflets. 1821. From Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Americas Collection, 1811–1920, MS 518.| year = 1821| hdl = 1911/9226| url = http://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/9226| access-date = 2 November 2009}}</ref>