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Coat of arms of Puerto Rico

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The coat of arms of Puerto Rico was first granted by the Spanish Crown on November 8, 1511, making it the oldest heraldic achievement in use in the Americas.[1] The territory was seized from Spain and ceded to the United States as a result of the Treaty of Paris that put an end to the Spanish–American War in 1899, after which two interim arms were adopted briefly. A law was passed in 1905 that reestablished the historical armorial bearings as the arms of the territory. Then in 1976, after numerous investigations and amendments, the current version was adopted.[2]

Coat of arms of Puerto Rico
Versions
Variant
ArmigerEstado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico
(Commonwealth of Puerto Rico)
Adopted1511
MottoJoannes Est Nomen Eius, Latin "John is his name".

History

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On the left, Christopher Columbus carrying a banner with the initials of Ferdinand II and Isabella I. On the right, an 18th century illustration of Puerto Rico's coat of arms.

The main element of the coat of arms of Puerto Rico is the Lamb of God. Despite Puerto Rico being a US territory, the shield continues to have elements reminiscent of Spain's presence in the New World. There have been different variations of the coat of arms throughout Puerto Rico's history.[3] The current version was officially readopted by the government of Puerto Rico on 3 June 1976.

1767 1873–74 1902–1905 1905 1976–present
 
 
 
 
 
1767 Design First Spanish Republic "Americanized" coat of arms Reintroduction of the historical arms Corrected coat of arms

Features

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Heraldic Symbols Border Shields
Arms Meaning
 
 Lamb of God with Cross Flag:

Symbol traditionally associated with St. John the Baptist, patron of the island.

 
 Book of Revelation:

Attributed to John of Patmos, the Book of Revelation is represented through book with seven seals on which the lamb sits.

 
 Ferdinand II of Aragon:

The gold-crowned F and the arrows (Spanish: flechas) represent Ferdinand II of Aragon.

 
 Isabella I of Castile:

The gold-crowned the Y and the yoke (Spanish: yugo) represent Ysabel, i.e., Isabella I of Castile.

Arms Meaning
 
 Cross of Jerusalem:

Symbol of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose succession rights passed to the Kingdom of Sicily, and henceforth to the Spanish Crown.

 
 Kingdom of Castille:

Arms of the Kingdom of Castile.

 
 Kingdom of León:

Arms of the Kingdom of León.

 
 Crown of Castile and León:

Flag of the Crown of Castile and León.

 
 Crown of Aragon (variant coat of arms):

Flag of the Crown of Aragon.

Latin motto:

"JOANNES EST NOMEN EJUS" (a quotation from the Vulgate of Luke 1:63) means "John is his name", referring to St. John the Baptist or San Juan Bautista, the original Spanish name of the island.[4]

Great Seal

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Great Seal of Puerto Rico
 
ArmigerEstado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico
(Commonwealth of Puerto Rico)
MottoJoannes Est Nomen Ejus, Latin "John is his name".

All of the states and territories of the United States employ a seal to authenticate and ratify documents and accordingly a seal of Puerto Rico exists, but the traditional coat of arms is used as the main emblem of the territory. The seal has most of the elements of the coat of arms, but the religious elements have been stripped away in accordance with the separation of church and state in the United States. In the seal, the lamb, which no longer has a halo, carries a white banner instead of one with a Red Cross. The book the lamb sits on does not have the seals of the Book of Revelation. The first Governors used the seal as their emblem but in recent years the usage of the seal has been limited to being the official emblem used to represent Puerto Rico on its legal documents when they are sealed.

Seal of the governor

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The seal of the governor is the official symbol of the executive head of Puerto Rico. It follows the design used by the seal of the president of the United States. There are several variants of the governor's seal in use.

Seals of the government of Puerto Rico

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There are several seals of the different sections of the Puerto Rican government.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "PR.GOV – Escudo". pr.gov. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  2. ^ Blanco, Enrique T. (2016-02-26). "Escudo y Banderas de Puerto Rico" [Coats of arm and Flags of Puerto Rico]. Revista del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (in Spanish). Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. pp. 20–21. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  3. ^ Ramirez Brau, Enrique (1937). "Investigación Histórica acerca del Escudo de Armas de Puerto Rico (1937)". Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Issuu.
  4. ^ Grabowski, John F. (1992). U.S. Territories and Possessions (State Report Series). Chelsea House Pub. Page 7. ISBN 9780791010532.
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