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Artenara (Municipality, Canary Islands, Spain)

Flag of Artenara, as seen hoisted upon the Town Hall - Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 September 2011

Symbols of Artenara

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Symbols of Artenara

The symbols of Artenara are prescribed by a Decree adopted on 19 February 1996 by the Government of the Canary Islands and published on 12 April 1997 in the official gazette of the Canary Islands, No. 45, pp. 2,742-2,745 (text). The flag was initially adopted on 19 December 1995 by the Municipal Council and validated on14 February 1996 by the Heraldry Commission of the Canary Islands, provided corrections to description of the arms, which were accepted on 15 February 1996 by the Municipal Council.
The symbols are described as follows:

Flag:
I. A vertical stripe of intense celestial blue colour, with the inner border serrated.
II. A vertical stripe of white colour, with the proportionated representation of the municipal coat of arms in its geometrical center.
III. A vertical stripe of mountain green colour, with the inner border serrated.
Coat of arms:
Per pale, 1. Azure an eight-pointed star or, 2a. Or a pine proper terraced vert, 2b. Argent a pot proper. A bordure gules five stars or. The shield supported by two goats rampant affronty proper armed and langued gules. Beneath the shield a scroll or inscribed with the motto "Tradición, Fe, Naturaleza". The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.

The flag is in proportions 2:3; the white stripe is slightly broader.

According to José Manuel Erbez (Banderas y escudos de Canarias, 2007; website), blue represents the sea, green represents the pinewoods and white symbolizes purity, being also the colour of the flag of the St. Matthew parish.
The eight-pointed star alludes to the fact that Artenara is the municipality of Gran Canaria with the highest elevation. It also alludes to the virtues of the inhabitants: respect and honour. Furthermore it symbolizes the adoration of the Virgin of Cuevita. The pine symbolizes the forestal riches of Artenara, while the pot symbolizes pottery, being there since the pre-hispanic times. The five stars on the bordure represent the villages forming the municipality. The goats symbolize the importance of stock breeding; they also allude to one possible meaning of the name in the native's language, the Place of Goats.

Klaus-Michael Schneider & Ivan Sache, 30 September 2011