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San Salvador (San Salvador, El Salvador)

image by Fred Drews and Jaume Ollé, 18 August 1999

Overview
Coat of Arms
Flag of the Government of the city of San Salvador

See also:

Overview

San Salvador, the capital of San Salvador Department, uses the same flag and the coat of arms as the department flag and coat of arms.
Fred Drews, 18 November 2004

The municipal symbols of El Salvador are shown and described on a dedicated page of the municipal website.
The municipal flag of San Salvador is horizontally divided in seven stripes, blue-white-blue-white-blue-white-blue, with a square red canton (height: three stripes) charged with the municipal coat of arms. The flag was approved in 1943 by the Municipal Council presided by José María Melara.
The municipal coat of arms, approved after a contest launched in 1943, was designed by the painter José Mejía Vides. The shield is "Quarterly, 1. Argent a chain of emeralds, 2. and 3. Azure a bend sinister argent, 4. Argent a bell proper."

The chain of emeralds represents Cuscatlán [Cuscatlán, today the name of a department of El Salvador, was the name given to the natives of the western part of the country, lit. meaning "Land of the Precious Jewels". I.S.], while the bell belongs to the Church of Mercy, used by Priest José Matías Delgado [José Matías Delgado y León (1767-1832), priest and doctor, is nicknamed "The Father of the Salvadorian Fatherland". On 5 November 1811, he is said to have rung the bells of the Church of Mercy in El Salvador as a cry for freedom. Delgado was President of El Salvador from 1821 to 1823.I.S.] to give the signal of the insurrection for the independence of the country. The second and three quarters are an oblique projection of the colours of the antique Federal Flag.

The dates on the border of the shield are 1525 [The town of San Salvador was founded in April 1525 by the Spaniards, in a place located south of the today's town; destroyed by the natives in 1526, the town was refunded in 1528 near Suchitoto, north of San Salvador, and, for the third and last time, in 1525, on its today's site.I.S], the year of foundation of the town; 1811, the year of the first uprising for independence; and 1821 [On 15 September 1821, the provinces of Central America, including El Salvador, declared their independence from Spain.I.S], the year of the proclamation of independence.
The design of the flag recalls, probably not by a mere coincidence, the striped flag (but with nine stripes) with a red canton used by El Salvador in the late 19th century - early 20th century.
Ivan Sache, 25 February 2009

Coat of Arms

2018

image by Fred Drews, 9 September 2018

On May 1st the original coat or arms and flag of the city, which were substituted by new emblems three years ago, were reinstated.
Fred Drews, 9 September 2018

2015

image by Fred Drews, 15 May 2015

Modified Coat of arms city of San Salvador, department of San Salvador, El Salvador. After a week the new city of San Salvador coat of arms, has had a few modifications made to it.
Fred Drews, 15 May 2015

image by Fred Drews, 06 May 2015

Coat of arms city of San Salvador, department of San Salvador. As of today the coat of arms of the capital city of San Salvador has changed.
Fred Drews, 06 May 2015

Previous Coats of Arms

image from www.guanaquin.com

image contributed by Fred Drews, 28 August 2009

This is the old Coat of arms for the city of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, which was used before 1943, when it was substituted by the current coat of arms. This old Coat of arms was based on the original coat of arms given by the King of Spain to San Salvador in the late 1500s, the main difference are the dates that were added to the original emblem.
Fred Drews, 28 August 2009

Flag of the Government of the city of San Salvador

2015–2018

image by Fred Drews, 01 December 2015

Flag of the Government of the city of San Salvador (Gobierno de San Salvador), department of San Salvador.
Fred Drews, 01 December 2015

Much less a government flag, it is more a replacement of the flag of the city of San Salvador. This flag was used only during the tenure of Nayib Bukele (2015–2018) as the mayor of the district of San Salvador. The symbolism it carries is very similar to the current flag of its municipality. On its coat of arms, the diagonal flag symbolizes loyalty, protection and the obligation to serve. 1834, the date when San Salvador was declared the capital of the Federal Republic of Central America, is on a ribbon below the ribbon reading "CIUDAD CAPITAL" (meaning Capital City). The swords symbolize the struggle and blood shed by General Francisco Morazán and Captain General Gerardo Barrios, "heroes who established the Republic and the legacy left to new generations." The six stars surrounding the shield are for the six districts (keep in mind district does not have the same meaning as it does now; today the meaning is zones). The coat of arms also features a laurel wreath. Indoor versions of the flag also carry a gray fringe. The flag fell out of use when it reverted to the old one on May 1, 2018, when ARENA was reinstated into the municipality's government.
Source: https://www.elmetropolitanodigital.com/2015/05/alcaldia-de-san-salvador-tiene-un-nuevo-escudo/
Daniel Rentería, 5 July 2024

Flag and arms of San Salvador (2021–2024)

image located by Daniel Rentería, 5 July 2024

The symbols of San Salvador adopted during the tenure of Nayib Bukele were re-adopted on May 1, 2021; the day Mayor Mario Durán (of Nuevas Ideas, Bukele's party) came into office. However, on the coat of arms, one difference is noted: the shade of blue. During the tenure of Bukele, the coat of arms was light blue. However, the tenure of Durán saw the color being changed to dark blue, probably as preference. The color of the flag's field also changed from blue to white. Again, the fringe on flags used indoors is gray. Apparently, the coat of arms was approved by municipal decree on May 5. The symbolism of the diagonal flag and and shield as decreed is kept the same; however, the decree gives the symbolism of the laurel wreath as: "...surrounded by a wreath of laurels, which are intertwined around the banner, representing triumph and rebirth." The symbolism of the color silver is kept on the current flag.

Source: https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nueva-administracion-de-alcaldia-capitalina-regresa-a-la-bandera-y-escudo-que-uso-Bukele-mientras-fue-alcalde-20210501-0015.html

Daniel Rentería, 5 July 2024