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klaus-michael schneider
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image by Jens Pattke, 23 September 2008
See also:
The flag of canton of San Cruz (capital: Puerto Ayora) is
horizontally divided white-yellow-green-blue and at the center of
cloth is the cantonal Coat of Arms.
Source: <www.santacruz.gov.ec>.
Jens Pattke, 23 September 2008
The flag
Translation of the Decree:
"The Illustrious Cantonal Council of Santa Cruz According to
the remit imparted by the Law on Municipal Regime.
Issues:
The following Decree on the prescription of the flag of the
Canton of Santa Cruz:
Article 1.
A flag is prescribed for the Canton of Santa Cruz, of rectangular
shape, with proportions similar to those of the national flag,
divided in four horizontal stripes of equal height and arranged,
from top to bottom, with the colours white, yellow, green and
blue.
Arrticle 2.
In the middle is placed the coat of arms of the Canton of Santa
Cruz.
Article 3.
The flag shall be used in the important civic acts and shall be
trated with the same dignity as prescriebd for the national flag.
Article 4.
Care shall be taken of the symbolism and, i nthe same time, the
Homeland Altar shall be established for the two flags.
Article 5.
White is the perfect symbol of peace, from which this canton
breathes and lives, which attracts tourists and takes roots in
the locals, in the same time, gives the perfedt human relations
that shall maintain the men to avoid the wrath of war.
Article 6.
Yellow means the resources of our soil and the work of its sons.
Article 7.
Green symbolizes hope of the villagers for progress and
salvation, and also the greenness of its productive natural
environment e enjoyed by man and the animals, which catergorize
the efforts of man for his constant development and the advances
of civilization.
Article 8.
Blue means the limpid waters that waters our coasts, unique in
the world.
Article 9.
The colours shall remain always limpid and bright through the
special care by the members of the Community.
Article 10.
Effect. The present Decree shall come into effect after its
publication in the Official Register.
Made and signed in the Meeting Room of the Illustrious Cantonal
Council of Santa Cruz, on the first day of the month of July
1986.
Pr. Roberto Uribe A. Vice President of the Council Guadalupe
Andrade T. Secretary of the Council.
Certifies that the present Decree was discussed and approved in
two distinct sessions held by the Illustrious Municipal Council
of Santa Cruz on 17 June and 1 July 1986, having been
definitively approved during the last of these two
sessions."
Coat of Arms
While the description of the flag is quite straightforward in the
Decree, the description of the coat of arms is lengthy and
arranged in a very unlogical order, with several general
definitions and statements, some of them disputable, that do not
make the reading easy. I propose the following, simplified
description:
Upper left quarter, a cow grazing in a mountain landscape, on a
blue field;
Upper right quarter, a cactus growing in a mountain landscape, on
a blue field;
Lower field, a bird and a tortoise in a landscape, a fisher in a
boat, two green islands on a blue field;
The shield surmonted by a blue disk charged with a bird spreading
wings an standing on a black mount.
The border of the shield is wrapping branches of Scalesia
pedunculata and Miconia robinsoniana.
The cactus is the Galápagos giant cactus (Opuntia echios
J.T. Howell var. gigantea), endemic to the Galápagos.
The bird is a Galápagos petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia
Salvin), locally known as "pata pegada", endemic to the
Galápagos and breeding only on the five islands of Floreana,
Isabel, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Santiago.
The tortoise is the Galápagos giant tortoise (Geochelone
nigra Quoy & Gaimard), endemic to the Galápagos. Among
the 12-15 recognized subspecies, 11 remain, the island of Santa
Cruz harbouring six of them.
Scalesia pedunculata Hook., Family Asteraceae, is the
daisy tree, endemic to the Galápagos, like all other Scalesia
species. From an evolutionary point of view, these species are
the plant equivalent of the famous Darwin's finches.
Miconia robinsoniana Cogn., Family Melastomataceae, is
the cacaotillo a shrub, found only on the Santa Cruz and San
Cristóbal islands.
Translation of the Decree (I have corrected the spelling
mistakes in the Latin binomials of plants and animals when
required):
"The Illustrious Cantonal Council of Santa Cruz According to
the remit imparted by the Law on Municipal Regime, especially
Article 165, a, b and others.
Issues:
The following Decree to prescribe the coat of arms of the Canton
of Santa Cruz:
Article 1.
The coat of arms of the "Municipality of the Canton of Santa
Cruz" is accepted, which, after its approbation, shall be
used in all the official acts and the documents pertaining to the
municipality, such as seals, letterheads and other graphics to be
sent by the Illustrious Council.
Article 2.
The coat of arms of the Canton of Santa Cruz shall have the
following heraldic composition:
The coat of arms of the Canton of Santa Cruz contains in its
blason the most salient symbols [...]
Blason:
The shield is decoratively divided in fields and quarters, the
conformation of the shield is named blason.
Quarters: Their origin and style date back to the era of
renascent romantism.
It is divided in four quarters, the main space called field
containing the prominent figures of the blason and being the
sacred field, in which are represented the noble actions.
In the secondary spaces are life complements with an heraldic
meaning.
Field: It is made of all spaces where the main figures of
theplace are shown.
Main space: The "galápago", an endemic species,
abundant in this canton thanks to the conservation effort
provided by the Service of the National Park of Galápagos and
the Charles Darwin Station. The "pata pegada" (Pterodroma
phaeopygia), as a bird nesting on the heights of Santa Cruz
and feeding from the sea, is presented as an integrating element.
The boat, representing the main means of transportation between
the island and the rest of the province and of the country, and
the family- oriented fishing, practiced by a part of the
population.
Quarters [Chief] - Secondary spaces
In the first space [dexter], a land landscape on the background
made of the skyline of the upper zone of the island in green,
with a grazing cow as the representationof cattle-breeding and
agriculture practiced by the inhabitants.
In the second space [sinister], a cactus (Opuntia echios),
representing the unique flora of the island.
Poetry, joint with the eternal peace of the beautiful and
inimitable landscape, where the still sky merged with the sea in
the productive kiss of the immense divinity.
Azure - Blue tincture
The colour of the sky over the landscapes
The fifth colour of the sun spectrum and the noblest of the five
colours used in the blason.
Represents planet Jupiter or Venus and symbolizes piety, loyalty,
sweetness, majesty, fidelity, justice, beauty, sky and creation.
Mountains
Including the greatness of the natural environment and the
munificence of the lands full of colour, life and
natural resources.
Green - Vert
Emerald, colour of frech grass and plants.
Represents planet Venus; the natural environmentbwith its
greening elements, from the jewels like emerald to sweet fruit
like apple.
It is the symbol of spring in its plenitude.
It is rigor, courtesy, joy and friendship.
Circle - Third decorative element
In the upper part of the balson is a circle with azure
background, symbolizing the world, inscribing a Galápagos hawk (Buteo
galapaguensis), the main natural predator representing
domination in the ecosystem.
Argent - White metal
The most precious after gold and platinum.
One of the most used in the balson, representing the moon,
venerated by the primitive people, the stainless star, large and
of marvelous whiteness.
Gules - Red tincture
The most precious colour of the blason, its geometrical oultine
dividing it into three quarters.
Its colour represents planet Mars.
The colour which has most life, the first in the solar spectrum
venerated as the king star.
For its ressemblance with fire, it is the colour symbolizing war,
value, fiercy and active love, the plenitude of divine love and
the fire kept by the volcanos.
Ornament
Illustrious piece made of drawings surrounding the shield. This
pieces are made of various and capricious drawings, however
always in relation with the represented epoch.
The ornaments surrounding the blason show stylized molluscs and
seastars, representing the extraordinary beauty of the undersea
life surrounding the island.
Crest
Draped ornementals that complete the blason figure, made of
fabrics and parchments with capricious wrappings, wrapping
branches of _Scalesia pedunculata_ and Miconia robinsoniana,
two endemic plants of the island.
According to heraldry, the coat of arms represents the facts,
causes, opinions, feelings and interpretations of the traditions,
legends and historical echoes of the Illustrious Municipality of
Santa Cruz and its inhabitants.
The coat of arms of the Canton of Santa Cruz was elaborated after
the strict rules of universal heraldry and science, yielding
valuable symbols very representative of the island and its
virtues.
Article 3. For no reason shall the symbolism and colours be
changed once approved by the Illustrious Municipal Council in the
two prescribed sessions.
Article 4. Effect. The present Decree shall come into effect
after its publication in the Official Register.
Made and signed in the Meeting Room of the Illustrious Cantonal
Council of Santa Cruz, on the first day of the month of July
1986.
Pr. Roberto Uribe A. Vice President of the Council
Guadalupe Andrade T. Secretary of the Council
Certifies that the present Decree was discussed and approved in
two distinct sessions held by the Illustrious Municipal Council
of Santa Cruz on 17 June and 1 July 1986, having been
definitively approved during the last of these two sessions.
Guadalupe Andrade T. Secretary of the Council."
Ivan Sache, 28 September 2008