What is the name of the golden sun shown on Argentina’s national flag?

The golden sun shown on Argentina’s national flag is called the Sun of May.

The Sun of May has a human face and alternating straight and wavy rays. It appears in the center of the white stripe on Argentina’s light-blue-and-white national flag. The emblem commemorates the May Revolution of 1810, which began the process leading to independence from Spanish rule.

Argentina’s flag was designed by Manuel Belgrano and first raised on 27 February 1812. Early versions did not always include the sun. The version with the sun became associated with the state flag, while a plain striped version was historically used for civil purposes.

The sun is linked to the Inca sun deity Inti in popular explanations, although its immediate political meaning is tied to the revolution in May 1810. It should not be confused with Uruguay’s flag, which also displays a Sun of May but uses nine horizontal stripes.