The Flag of Boyacá is the official symbol of this department of Colombia, approved by decree of the departmental government on August 6, 1968, whose colors are white, green and red with an oak leaf in the center.
The design and meaning of the flag correspond to Dr. Alfonso Mariño Camargo, member of the Boyacense Academy of History.
Since 1857, when the first flag of the department was created and approved to date, Boyacá has had three different versions of its national flag.
You may also be interested in history and meaning of the Colombian flag .
History of the Boyacá flag
The first flag of Boyacá was officially adopted on June 15, 1857, when the Sovereign State of Boyacá was created as part of the United States of Colombia.
A year later, it would be incorporated as a State of the Federation in the new national constitution.
This flag had the colors red, blue and yellow, arranged vertically, with the coat of arms common to all the states of the republic in the center. It was used as an official symbol of Boyacá between 1857 and 1863.
The second flag of Boyacá was created in 1863, when the department was renamed the Federal State of Boyacá. This pavilion also had three colors, similar to the current flag of Colombia, arranged in horizontal stripes, with the coat of arms in the center.
The state, along with the flag, will remain until September 7, 1886, when it officially receives the name of the Department of Boyacá, when the Political Constitution of Colombia enters into force.
The third flag of Boyacá, was approved by ordinance No. 47 of 1967 and through decrees 218 and 495 dated 1968, promulgated by the governor of the department.
Both the design and the heraldic description correspond to Dr. Alfonso Mariño Camargo, who served as judge of the Court of Tunja and Member of the Boyacense Academy of History.
Meaning of the flag
The current flag of the Department of Boyacá, is a flag made up of five horizontal stripes.
The first strip is sinople (green), the second blank, the third or central gules (red) and occupies two sixths of the total area of the pavilion, the fourth strip in white and the fifth in sinople.
The meaning that corresponds with the description of the flag is as follows:
Strip in sinople (green)
It means faith, sincere friendship, devotion to service, respect and hope for the progress of the people of Boyacá.
It also suggests the fertility of the fields and the mining wealth by the emeralds that its subsoil contains.
White stripe
It denotes the love of the Boyacense for his land and the depth of his thought at the service of the best causes of this entity.
Strip in gules (red)
It is a tribute to the brave who offered their blood in the battlefields of Tame, Paya, Boyacá Bridge, Pore, Pisba, Sochaviejo, Pantano de Vargas and Gámeza in the Battle of Boyacá, during the War of Independence.
On the initiative of the then governor of Boyacá, José Rozo Millán and the deputies of the Assembly of Boyacá, on June 5, 2008, it was approved to add the white oak leaf to the flag, arranged in the center of the pavilion.
The oak is the emblematic tree of Boyacá, which symbolizes the lineage, character and vigor of the Boyacá people.
References
- Meaning of the Boyacá Flag and its renewal. Retrieved on November 13, 2017 from boyaca.gov.co
- Flags of the World: Grenadine Confederation (1856 -1861), United States of New Granada (1861) and United States of Colombia (1861-1886). Consulted by crwflags.com
- Territorial organization of the United States of Colombia. Consulted on es.wikipedia.org
- Flags and shields of the departments of Colombia. Consulted on es.wikipedia.org
- The battle of boyaca. Consulted of colombiaaprende.edu.co