He Mendoza shield Is blue and sky blue, was adopted in 1941 and has a meaning of equality, freedom, glory and prosperity.
Mendoza is a province of the Argentine Republic that marks the border with Chile by the Andes mountains . It is the seventh province with more territory Argentina And the fourth province with the largest population.
It is one of the provinces through which the national route 7 passes, a road that runs from the Chile-Argentina border to the Chile-Uruguay border.
The province of Mendoza is characterized by its cultivation of grapes that result in the best Argentine wines.
Each province to be able to distinguish itself from another, must own a flag and a provincial shield.
What is the meaning of the Mendoza shield?
Several are the elements that make up the shield used today, each one has a different meaning for which each province has shields with meanings that characterize them.
Colors
The colors are two, blue and white. They are the same used in the flag of Argentina and in the national shield.
The blue represents fraternity, justice, truth and loyalty; While white represents purity, firmness, obedience, faith and integrity.
Laurels
It comes from Greek mythology and symbolizes glory and success.
Phrygian cap
They represent equality and freedom.
The handshake
It means the union of the people.
The pica
It reflects the firmness of the province.
The Cornucopia
They represent abundance and in this case, full of grapes, reflects the largest cultivation of the province.
Tape
It represents the flag of the Argentine Republic.
May rising sun
The sun represents prosperity and each ray represents the subdivisions of the province.
History of the various shields of the province of Mendoza
The province of Mendoza has had to undergo several changes of shields since its foundation.
The various types of shields have been created and modified through time, by the changes of governments from the independentista process until arriving at the shield that represents Mendoza at the present time.
Although the city of Mendoza was founded in the year 1561, it was in the Cuyo region joined to other cities that today are also provinces. For this and other reasons Mendoza's coat of arms made its appearance for the first time in the 1800s.
It was the royal shield, the shield of the Spanish crown in Argentina at that time. Of a bright red color and with the symbols of the monarchy, as it is the lion.
Mendoza's first coat of arms, called the first provincial coat of arms, emerged in 1819 and consisted of a branch that was crossed by an ear of wheat, framed in an oval shape.
These marked the two primary industries of the province for that time. The branch gives as a record that the cultivation of grapes has been one of the main commercial activities of Mendoza for centuries.
Shield of Patriotic Weapons and Time of Roses
In the years 1820, the general Juan Manuel de Rosas gained political power in the Argentine territory. There were disagreements between the laws that would be adopted by the provinces of the republic and there were failed attempts to institutionalize a central power for all of them.
General Rosas at that moment, takes the command to create the Argentine Confederation. This would be the union of several provinces and Mendoza would be part of them.
In 1834, Mendoza adopted the coat of arms Patrias. In the oval form are the hands intertwined and dressed, with the May sun on the top but not stamped, the pike with the Phrygian cap leaning on a mountain and at the bottom of the shield are noted bayonets, spears, a bugle, Flags and a saber.
It had as inscription: The gratitude of Mendoza to Mr. General Rosas.
This shield prevailed until 18 of March of 1852, after the defeat of Rosas in the battle of Caseros and its resignation to the government of Buenos Aires the 3 of February of that same year.
Two years later, the provincial coat of arms was used but adding spears, cannons and trophies of flags until 1861.
National Coat of Arms and Coat of Arms of the Province of 1864:
The 18 of December of 1862 the national coat of arms without modifications became the shield of the province of Mendoza.
In 1864, it was wanted to make modifications and additions to give some distinction between the provinces. Keeping as a base the national coat of arms, the shield of the province of 1864 was created.
Based on the national coat of arms, the May sun is stamped, hands intertwined without vestments with a pike crowned by the Phrygian cap, surrounded by the shield with crowns of laurels. Adding as characteristic of Mendoza two cornucopias or horns of abundance, full of fruits and flowers.
This shield was used until the year 1941 where it underwent a small modification. It is the shield with more duration of the province of Mendoza because it lasted in force more than 70 years.
Coat of arms of 1941 and Law N ° 1450
On October 25, 1941, Law No. 1450 was passed and approved on October 30 of that same year. This law promulgates a new shield very similar to that of 1864 but a change is added, the decision was taken by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of the Province of Mendoza.
The two horns of abundance of the old shield became only one, in order to be able to fit the legend that gave rise to the meaning of the horn of abundance, since the senate based on said legend concluded that showing two cornucopias was a mistake.
This legend originates from Greek mythology, the god Zeus when small was fed by the milk of the Amaltea goat.
While the child was playing broke one of the horns of the goat with lightning, without intention. Seeing what had happened, Zeus returned the horn to Amalthea full of fruits and flowers and gave him the power to give whoever possessed everything he desired.
That is why the provincial coat of arms happens to have a single cornucopia, full of its largest crop, grapes.
References
- Gregoric, F (2008) Mendoza Province (Argentina) Extracted from crwflags.com.
- History of the coat of arms of the province of Mendoza. Extracted from tyhturismo.com.
- Mendoza Province. Extracted from argentour.com.
- Malburgh, S (2013) A look into Cornucopia History: The meaning behind the horn of plenty. Extracted from brighthubeducation.com.