Coat of arms of El Salvador | |
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Versions | |
Armiger | Republic of El Salvador |
Adopted | 15 September 1912 |
Motto | Dios, Unión, Libertad "God, Union, Liberty" |
The coat of arms of El Salvador has been in use in its current form since 15 September 1912. [1]
The iconic and imposing coat of arms of El Salvador has Medieval Gothic and Greco-Roman influences, [2] as well as masonic, geographical, biblical, and Native American Indigenous symbolic representations, all of which come together in a distinctive, stylized heraldry crest emblem shield design.
Its center consists of a bold golden amber triangle outline, (symbolizing the three branches of the country's government—Executive, Legislative and Judiciary).
Inside of the triangle sits a row of five conic volcanoes, "Soberbios Volcanes", which are covered in healthy variegated vegetation. The vegetation depicts lush and fertile tropical rainforests rising out of the agitated cyan-turquoise Pacific Ocean swells. The five volcanoes are modeled after the Cordillera de Apaneca and symbolize the fellowship of the five original isthmian member states of the United Provinces of Central America — Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. The volcanoes are all illuminated yellow on their right sides by sunshine. [3]
Above the volcanoes is a red Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty, on top of a golden staff. Around the phrygian cap there are beams of light shooting outward, which are rays of Glory, symbolizing the ideals of the Salvadoran people.
The horizon is a dawn "red sky at morning". The date of the Independence Day of El Salvador, 15 September 1821, is written in black letters around the phrygian cap.
On the top, there is a rainbow arch, a biblical symbol of peace, a pact between God and Noah originating from the Book of Genesis as God's covenant with all living creatures to never again destroy life on Earth.
Behind the coat of arms there are five cobalt blue and white striped flags representing the flags of the Federal Republic of Central America. One of the flags is risen straight up behind and over the triangle, hanging loosely around its spear. The other four flags are risen halfway and stretch out like wings from behind the triangle's sides, two on each side and one over another, creating an almost horn-like effect with their ends tied up behind the triangle's bottom.
All of the five flags are each held up and raised with Native American Indigenous golden war spears, symbolizing El Salvador's American Indigenous ancestry and heritage. The spears represent the spirit and heroism of the Lenca and Pipil warriors who defeated the first attempted Spanish conquest of Cuzcatlan. Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado wrote that he was awestruck and spooked in great fear when he saw the massive numbers of American Indigenous warriors with large spears and bows as their weaponry standing their ground in their battle against the invading Spaniards.
Under the triangle, there is a golden amber scroll (historically golden amber) with the national motto of El Salvador—Dios, Unión, Libertad (transl. "God, Union, Liberty")—in boldface black capital letters.
The triangle, flags, and scroll are surrounded by a variegated green laurel wreath of Laurus nobilis tied together with a cobalt blue and white striped ribbon representing the national flag, which symbolizes unity. The laurel wreath is divided into 14 different parts, which symbolize the 14 Departments, the Salvadoran subnational administrative units. The laurel sections start large at the bottom and shrink in size as they go upward.
All this is surrounded by golden amber letters, which form the Spanish words "REPÚBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMÉRICA CENTRAL" (transl. "Republic of El Salvador in Central America") in boldface capital letters.
For special occasions, the entire coat of arms of El Salvador is stylized bathed in golden amber or silver. The coat of arms of El Salvador is recognizable in silhouette.
The Federal Republic of Central America was a sovereign state in Central America which existed from 1823 to 1841. Originally known as the United Provinces of Central America, the democratic republic was composed of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala of New Spain.
The Phrygian cap or liberty cap is a soft conical cap with the apex bent over, associated in antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe and Anatolia, including the Persians, the Medes and the Scythians, as well as in the Balkans, Dacia, Thrace and in Phrygia, where the name originated. The oldest depiction of the Phrygian cap is from Persepolis in Iran.
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The coat of arms of the Argentine Republic or Argentine shield was established in its current form in 1944, but has its origins in the seal of the General Constituent Assembly of 1813. It is supposed that it was chosen quickly because of the existence of a decree signed on February 22 sealed with the symbol. The first mention of it in a public document dates to March 12 of that same year, in which it is stated that the seal had to be used by the executive power, that is, the second triumvirate. On April 13 the National Assembly coined the new silver and gold coins, each with the seal of the assembly on the reverse, and on April 27 the coat of arms became a national emblem. Although the coat of arms is not currently shown on flags, the Buenos Aires-born military leader Manuel Belgrano ordered to paint it over the flag he gave to the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, and during the Argentine War of Independence most flags had the coat of arms.
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The flag of El Salvador features a horizontal triband of cobalt blue-white-cobalt blue, with the coat of arms centered and entirely contained within the central white stripe. This design of a triband of blue-white-blue is commonly used among Central American countries. Along with the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Haiti, it is one of only four national flags which has a depiction of its flag within the flag itself. El Salvador's flag is one of few that currently use the color purple, due to the rainbow in its coat of arms.
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