Last modified: 2003-11-08 by dov gutterman
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Coat of Arms
from <www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/8070/shield.htm>
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From <www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/8070/shield.htm>:
Our Coat of Arms uses symbols of our history, culture and
religion. It was first recognized by the Spanish Crown in 1511,
but it wasn't until March 9,1905 that al law, establishing the
official Coat of Arms was signed. After numerous investigations
and amendments to that statute, the final version was approved
and signed into law in 1976.The green background stands for our
vegetation, our hopes and courtesy. Within the background there's
a lamb on top of the Book of Revelations, holding the seven seals
of The Apocalypse. The lamb symbolizes peace, purity, humble,
integrity, and holds a white flag with a red cross. The flag
means "truce", or knowledge to stop fighting. Both, the
lamb and the flag, are symbols of "John The
Baptist" or San Juan Bautista, the original name given by
the Spanish settlers.
The rim is covered by 16 symbols: castles signifying the
"Kingdom of Castilla" and lions, representing the
"Kingdom of Leon" and a flag, with both, lions and
castles, representing the unity of both kingdoms, also shows the
"Cross of Jerusalem" used by the Monarchs to expel the
"non christians" from the Spanish peninsula. The crown
on top symbolizes the "Royalty" who authorized this
shield. To the right, an "F" for Fernando, to the left,
a "Y" for Ysabel, the King and Queen of the Spanish
Empire. The motto reads: "Joannes Est Nomem Ejus",
it means "John is it name", the original name of
the island.
Our Coat of Arms is the oldest in use in America, other countries
created a new Coat when they became independent, ours is the only
one that remembers the Spanish presence in the "New
World" or America.
Dov Gutterman, 28 December 1998
There exists a slightly different version of the CoA of Puerto
Rico. The two differences are found on the shield's border:
1) The Cross of Jerusalem has a small cross at each corner.
2) Instead of the flag of Castile and Leon there is a flag of
Aragon and Sicily.
An example can be seen at <www.angelfire.com/az2/puertorico/prescudo.html>.
Also it is interesting to note that when this CoA was granted to
P.R. it included a flag based upon the same. While the
original drawing no longer exists, luckily the original
description does. Part of the description can be read (in
Spanish) at <www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/8070/bandera.htm>.
Marcos Obregon, 19 Febuary 2002
It is true that this version existed previous to the
declaration of the present CoA as the official one. But it
was not an accurate representation of the original one given to
the Island by the King of Spain. The present and official
one is thought to be the most accurate version so far.
It's a pity that the source of this information is not mention,
if there exists one. To this point, we can only say that
this is a putative first flag. What I can interpret from
the description, the flag was divided in two horizontal bands,
red the lower one with a white symmetrical cross in the middle
(not sure what "dos a dos" or "two by two"
means), and green the upper band with a golden castle to the
hoist and a golden lion to the fly.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 Febuary 2002
The motto on the CoA is "JOANNES EST NOMEN EJUS".
It's Latin. It means "John is his name" and is a
quotation from the book of Luke in the Bible. The elderly
Zachary (also spelled Zechariah) was told by an angel that his
wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son, and that they would
name him John. Zachary was struck speechless until the
child was born. When the time came to name the baby,
Elizabeth said his name was John, but the rest of the family
objected, wanting to name the child after his father and arguing
that no one in the family had ever been named John. They
approached Zachary for instructions, and he wrote on a tablet
"His name is John." The baby was the cousin of
Jesus and grew up to be known as John the Baptist, one of the
most important saints in the Christian religion. The
quotation is pertinent to Puerto Rico as a reference to the
island's capital, San Juan, which is Spanish for St. John.
The coat of arms, which shows a lamb with a banner resting upon a
book, is also a reference to John, as he was the one who referred
to Jesus with the words "Behold the Lamb of God."
Joe McMillan, 22 August 2002
"Dos o dos" refers to a equally divided cross.
I believe it describes a white greek cross over a red
background. This is a design used by the order of StJohn
the Baptist also known as the Knights of Malta. This makes sense
because the island was then known as San Juan Bautista.
Marcos Obregon, 21 October 2002
One of the explanations of the Coat of Arms of Puerto Rico
refers to the "Jerusalem Cross" on the border. In fact,
as is correctly pointed out elsewhere, the Jerusalem Cross
contains four smaller crosses in each corner.
The cross on the Coat of Arms of Puerto Rico is, in fact, the
Templar Cross that decorated the ships of Christopher Columbus.
Columbus and members of his family belonged to a knightly order
that was a reconstituted Templar Order that took root in the
Iberian Peninsula following the suppression of the Templars and
was known as the "Order of Christ."
In every which way it resembled the Templars and bore the same
insignia and "pattee" style of the Templar Cross.
Alexander Roman, 17 April 2003
First, the Order of Christ was Portuguese, not Spanish.
Second, the crosses on the Puerto Rico CoA are not crosses of the
Order of Christ. The cross of the O of C is voided
white.
Third, I don't believe Columbus was a member of this order. I
never saw it mentioned in his biographies., and I believe that at
the time the knights of the order were required to be
celibate. Columbus was not. I'd want more
documentation on this.
Fourth, Columbus's voyages were undertaken in overt competition
with the explorations being conducted at the same time by
Portuguese mariners under the sponsorship of the Order of
Christ. It's highly unlikely he would have used the O of C
emblem on his ships.
Fifth, neither the cross of the Order of Christ nor the crosses
on the Puerto Rico CoA are "patee." The crosses
on the Puerto Rico CoA and seal are crosses potent.
Joe McMillan, 18 April 2003
You may well be correct on your second and third points, but
on the first you are mistaken. The Portuguese and Spanish kings
(not sure whether this was Aragon or Castile, perhaps both) both
chose to nationalise the Templars, and in both (all three?)
instances the name used translates into English as Order of
Christ.
On your second point, the white voiding was applicable to the
Portuguese order, but not necessarily the Spanish.
Mike Oettle, 19 April 2003
Let me explain the significance of the flags and crosses in
the bordure of the shield of Puerto Rico. Ferdinand V of Castile
was also Ferdinand II of Aragon and Ferdinand III of Sicily, and
heir to the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Therefore, the bordure
portrays the kingdoms of the monarchs who granted the arms:
Castile and Leon (Joanna I), and Aragon, Sicily and Jerusalem
(Ferdinand).
Hijodel Cid, 24 October 2003
Only one version has the Aragon/Sicily flag; some have the
Castille/Leon flag with the separate symbols. Either way is odd-
why separate Castille and Leon but keep Aragon and Sicily
together as a flag (and Jerusalem separate)? Or why not have two
flags? Alternatively, why have both separate Castille and Leon
and combine them as well?
Nathan Lamm, 24 October 2003
by Blas Delgado Ortiz , 4 March 2000
I have this book, which I have mentioned before, with the
information that I think is mistaken. The book is titled:
"FLAGS OF ALL NATIONS" by Cleveland H. Smith and
Gertrude R. Taylor, pub. by Thomas Y. Crowell Compnay, NYC, NY,
1946, 1947.
The book shows the rounded
shield of Puerto Rico on a white field, in the center, as the
Governor-General's flag.
Steve Stringfellow, 12 August 1997
This is regarding the seal appearing in the Puerto Rico home
page and wrongly designated the Governor General’s Seal.
There is no such thing as a Governor General in Puerto Rico, as
in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Just simply Governor.
The round seal is in fact the Seal of the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, or Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, instituted
in 1953, and not to be confused with the CoA. The Governor of
Puerto Rico put it in display in front of him every time he gives
an official speech. In those instances, the seal circunscribed
with the inscription "GOBERNADOR DE PUERTO RICO" is
used. In official documents, the seal circunscribed with
"GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO" in a white circular band is
used today. The inscription originally read "ESTADO LIBRE
ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO."
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 4 March 2000
The seal of the Senate of Puerto Rico is the same one that the
one of the government of Puerto Rico. Just that in the upper
part, the word Senado (Senate) is written and in the lower part
is written Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico).
The seal of the House of
Representatives is just as the same of the Senate, but its color
is yellow and above of the seal it says Camara de Representante
(House of Representatives) and below is written Estado Libre
Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
The seal of the
Judicial Branch - above of the seal is written Estado Libre
Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) and in the
lower part: Tribunal General de Justicia (General Court of
Justice).
Nelson L. Roman, 6 November 2003
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