Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Libertad 15 de Septiembre

The coat of arms of the Republic of Guatemala was established by a decree passed by Congress on the 18th of November 1871 (one hundred years before I was born) under the administration of General Miguel García Granados (the one in the 10 quetzales bill).

The coat of arms has a scroll in the center with the date of the independence from spain: September 15th 1821, two crossed rifles (Remington rifles) symbolizing the disposition to take arms if freedom needs to be defended, two crossed sabers symbolizing honor, a crown laurel foliage symbolizing victory and the love for peace over war.

The color of the flag, which has been cause of crontroversy is SKY BLUE (not blue like the color in other Central American flags). The middle panel is white and the coat of arms is always on it. On the scroll the quetzal that, according to the legend, takes us back to the freedom lost when the Spanish came but also is a gentle reminder of our current freedom as we sing and refer to the quetzal in the last verses of the National Anthem.



1 comment:

Nancy said...

Sin temor a ser tachada de antiguatemalteca, creo que a los chapines nos falta mucho para merecer un escudo de tanto honor.
Apapachos