The Wiphala must fly to the left of Bolivia’s tricolor in official situations.
Bolivia recognizes two principal national flags: the red, yellow, and green tricolor and the Wiphala, a square, multicolored emblem associated especially with Indigenous peoples of the Andes. The 2009 Constitution formally made the Wiphala a national symbol alongside the tricolor, national anthem, coat of arms, cockade, and the flowers kantuta and patujú.
The prescribed arrangement places the tricolor on the right and the Wiphala on the left when they are displayed together. This rule reflects Bolivia’s constitutional identity as a Plurinational State, recognizing both the historic national banner and Indigenous peoples’ political and cultural presence.
The Wiphala is commonly designed as a 7-by-7 grid of colored squares arranged diagonally, although regional versions differ. It is not the same as Cusco’s seven-striped rainbow flag, another frequent source of confusion. Nor is the Wiphala merely a decorative cultural banner: in Bolivia, its constitutional status gives it official national-symbol standing.