Puerto Rico

Information about the Puerto Rican Flag: Colors and Meaning of the Flag of Puerto Rico

:: Meaning of the Puerto Rican Flag ::

The flag of Puerto Rico consists of five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center. Puerto Rico’s official flag was adopted in 1952 (on the same day that Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth).

The Puerto Rican flag has a rich history. It was designed after the Cuban flag with the colors inverted as a sign of solidarity with Cuba. The red stripes symbolize the ‘blood’ that nourishes the government or that of brave warriors and the white stripes symbolize victory, liberty and independence. The blue triangle represents both the three sides of government and the blue waters of the ocean, while the white star symbolizes the island-country of Puerto Rico. (the sky and coastal waters of this beautiful Caribbean island).

“Many people see the red, white and blue of the Puerto Rican flag and simply assume that this is an offshoot of the American flag. Not true. The flag was created in 1895 by the Puerto Rican section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party in New York City. These Cubans and Puerto Ricans were, in fact, independentistas; that is, they wanted independence from Spain, and there was a revolution in Cuba at that very moment. Lola Rodríguez de Tío, a Puerto Rican independentista poet who also penned the words to La Borinqueña, the national anthem, in 1867, wrote that Cuba and Puerto Rico were “two wings of the same bird;” they received “flowers and bullets in the same heart.”

We know the rest of the story. Independence never came to Puerto Rico. The Spanish-American War came in 1898. The United States took the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico as spoils of war. The Puerto Rican flag, since it represented the desire for independence, was outlawed for half a century.” Martin Espada.

:: Meaning of the Puerto Rican Coat of Arms ::

The coat of arms of Puerto Rico was first granted by the Spanish Crown in 1511, and is the oldest arms still used in the New World. The predominant color on the background is the green, it is known that this color was used at the beginnings of the Christian era in allusion to Saint John the Baptist, as a symbol of the grass or vegetation when he would preach in the deserted jungle of Judea. Within the background there is a white lamb on top of the Book of Revelations, holding the seven seals of The Apocalypse of Saint John the Apostle. 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.The rim is covered by 16 symbols: 4 castles signifying the “Kingdom of Castilla”, 4 lions, representing the “Kingdom of Leon”, both, lions and castles, represents the unity of both kingdoms, 4 flags, and 4 crosses of Jerusalem are symbols of Saint John the Baptist.

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, who were over the crown (King and Queen of the Spanish Empire) when Puerto Rico was discovered, evoke the great pioneering efforts. The quiver of arrows and yoke represent ideograms for the initials of the Catholic Kings, F and Y. The motto on the Coat of Arms 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. Puerto Rico was originally called San Juan (Saint John), which today is the name of the capital city.