The Sun of May on Argentina’s flag has 32 rays. They alternate between 16 straight rays and 16 wavy or flaming rays, surrounding a golden disk with a human face.
The design is based on the sun engraved on Argentina’s first national coins, authorized by the Constituent Assembly in 1813. The symbol later appeared on Argentina’s war flag in 1818. Its name refers to the May Revolution of 1810, the event that began the independence process in the Río de la Plata region.
The Sun of May is sometimes described as an Inca sun because of a popular interpretation linking it with Inti, the Inca sun god. However, historians note that there is no contemporary evidence proving an Inca origin; the design also resembles the earlier European heraldic “sun in splendour.”
For decades, the sun appeared in varying artistic forms. Argentine regulations in the 1940s standardized it around the 1813 coin design, including its 32 alternating rays. In 1985, Argentina established the sun-emblazoned version as the country’s sole national flag.