FLAG OF CHILE: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The Chilean flag is the official flag of that South American nation. Its function is to represent the country nationally and internationally. The ratio of the flag is 2: 3 and its colors are blue, white and red, which represent the clear sky, the clean snow and the blood shed during the independence process.

The colors are arranged in two horizontal stripes of the same size: white and red. In the upper left corner there is a blue box. In its center is a five-pointed star. This symbolizes the executive, legislative and judicial powers.

Chile's flag. (Source: pixabay.com).

Chile has had few flags in its history, compared to other countries in the region. However, each one has an origin and meaning. The first one that was registered is one used during the War of Arauco. This flag is described in the poem La Araucana by Alonso de Ercilla and was blue, white and red.

Then the flag of the Old Homeland was created, made up of three stripes: blue, white and yellow. The changes it underwent were few and more recurrent during the transition stage. After different adjustments, the current flag of Chile was formed.

History of the flag

The current Chilean territory had some flags before its independence, which are described in certain documents. For the most part, they were used by the Mapuches, an indigenous people that populated the territorial space. In fact, some elements included in these early flags remained in use in subsequent designs.

During the colonial era, Spanish symbols were used. Once independence began, the flag of the Old Homeland was created. Later, the first designs of the flag were adopted that ended up being the current one.

Flags of the indigenous Mapuche

Although there is no physical record of the flag used by the indigenous peoples that inhabited the southern zone between Chile and Argentina, its design was described. During the War of Arauco, a particular flag was used. This conflict lasted around 236 years and pitted the Spanish Empire against the Mapuche tribes.

The flag that the indigenous people used to identify themselves was described in the epic poem La Aranauca, written by the Spanish Alonso de Ercilla. It is said that Talcahuano, a Mapuche warrior and chief, had a blue, white, and red banner. This pavilion, according to the description, had the name of the warrior written on it.

Other Mapuche flags

In addition, there is a record of two flags of Mapuche troops at the end of the 18th century, so there is no certainty about their date of creation or how long they were in use. One of them was blue with a white eight-pointed star in the center.

The other had a white eight-pointed star on a blue diamond with a zigzag edge of yellow, black, and red. The latter appears waved by Chief Lautaro in a well-known artistic representation, called El joven Lautaro. Its author is the Chilean painter Pedro Subercaseaux.

Fragment of The young Lautaro. (Pedro Subercaseaux, via Wikimedia Commons) In this banner, the Star of Arauco stands out as the main symbol. This flag is called guñelve and symbolizes the cinnamon flower and the bright star of Venus.

Mapuche grumpy flag. (By Al2, from Wikimedia Commons).

Flag of the Old Homeland

Chile began, like all of Latin America, a process of independence at the beginning of the 19th century. The First Government Junta of Chile was proclaimed in 1810, when José Miguel Carrera ruled.

New national symbols were also established to identify the independent nation. However, the flag was not officially adopted until 1813, when the patriots held a ceremony in the Plaza Mayor in Santiago.

The first flag was presented on July 4, 1812, during a dinner with Joel Roberts Poinsett, the consul of the United States. The reason was to celebrate the independence of the United States. It had three horizontal stripes, blue, white, and yellow, representing the legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

Flag of the Old Homeland (1812-1814). (By B1mbo, from Wikimedia Commons) On September 30, 1812, a new coat of arms was adopted and the flag added to its center. Another flag included the red Cross of Santiago in the left corner, while the shield was located in the center. The cross has its origins in the victory of the patriotic troops during the Battle of El Roble.

Flag of the Old Homeland with shield. (By B1mbo, from Wikimedia Commons).

After the outbreak of independence

In 1814, Francisco de la Lastra was elected as Supreme Director of the State of Chile, a position equivalent to that of Head of State. On May 3 of that year, the Treaty of Lircay was signed that reaffirmed Spanish sovereignty and the ancient symbols.

The patriots and the royalists, after the hard year of battles, decided to sign the treaty, but neither was willing to comply with it. When Carrera returned to power in July, the flag of the Old Homeland returned.

It remained until October when the patriots lost the Battle of Rancagua. From 1814 to 1817, the Reconquest began. This movement sought to reinstate imperial standards.

The Spanish flag was flown for the last time at the Battle of Los Papeles. Then he appeared on José Miguel Carrera's ships in 1817. He was also present in his campaigns in Argentina (1820-1821). The Reconquest ended with the Victory of the Liberation Army of the Andes at the Battle of Chabuco, on February 12, 1817.

Flag of the Cross of Burgundy, used by the Spanish in their American dominions. (By Ningyou., From Wikimedia Commons) Currently, the Old Homeland flag is used during ceremonial services. They are conducted by the José Miguel Carrera National Institute. This was founded by Carrera in 1813.

Transition Flag

With the victory obtained in the Battle of Chabuco, he made his way to a period called Patria Nueva. The flag that was adopted on May 26, 1817, is known today as the Flag of the Transition and the first national flag. Its design was attributed to Juan Gregorio de Las Heras.

The flag consisted of three stripes of blue, white and red. The meaning of these were the same as the flag of the Old Homeland. The color red supplanted yellow to represent the blood shed during battles.

Due to its resemblance to the flag of the Netherlands and to the flag of France, the transitional flag was no longer used. Furthermore, it had no official legalization.

Flag of the Transition (1817). (By No machine-readable author provided. B1mbo assumed (based on copyright claims)., Via Wikimedia Commons).

Current flag design

The design of the current flag is attributed to the Minister of War Bernardo O'Higgins. Some historians say that Gregorio de Andía and Varela were the ones who drew the flag.

The symbol was officially adopted on October 18, 1817. On February 12, during the Oath of Independence, it was officially introduced. Its bearer was Tomás Guildo.

The original flag was designed according to the Golden Ratio. This is reflected in the relationship between the width of the white and blue parts of the flag and in different elements of the blue canton.

The star is not right in the center of the rectangular corner. Its upper point is slightly inclined towards the pole. In this way, the projection of its sides divides the length of the golden proportion of the canton. The National Shield is printed in the center of the flag.

The shape of the star is based on the Star of Arauco. In Mapuche iconography, the morning star or Venus, was presented as an octagonal star.

The star that was finally chosen had five points. In its center it had an asterisk, which represented the combination of European and indigenous traditions.

Flag of Chile (1918). (By User: B1mbo, via Wikimedia Commons).

Latest changes to the current flag

That design was soon forgotten due to the difficulty of building it. In this way, the stamp and the eight-pointed asterisk were removed. The star remained, but without the tilt. In 1854 a ratio of 2: 3 was established and the blue box in the upper left was determined.

In 1912, the diameter of the star, the order of the colors in the presidential banner and the decorative cockade were established, being blue, white and red from top to bottom. These arrangements were described in Supreme Decree No. 1534 (1967).

There is a record of the flag used during the Declaration of Independence. It was 2 meters wide and more than 2 feet long. Several institutions were in charge of protecting this original flag, but members of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) stole it in 1980.

Its objective was to protest against the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. At the end of 2003, the group returned a version of the flag. This can be found in the National Historical Museum.

Meaning of the flag

The Chilean flag has a 2: 3 ratio. It has a white upper horizontal stripe. In this same strip, on the left side, the blue color occupies a third of the strip. This small box contains a white 5-pointed star.

The white and blue color of the flag are due to the verses written by Alonso Ercilla. These became the motto of the indigenous Mapuche warriors during the conquest: "By the breasts, skewed, crossed, blue, white and red bands."

Currently, the color blue and white are not interpreted as a warrior symbol. Over the years they have been seen as the clear sky of Chile and the clean snow of the Andes mountain range, respectively.

The flag also has a lower red stripe the same width as the white one. It symbolizes the blood shed during the war of independence on the battlefields. It is a tribute to the heroes who fought during that time.

"The lone star" represents the executive, legislative and judicial powers. These powers of the State must ensure the integrity of the country and are responsible for the correct compliance with the national constitution.

Other flags of Chile

Chile has other flags whose function is to represent different high officials. The most important is the presidential flag, which can only be used in the presence of the President of the Republic. When it is hoisted, the national flag cannot be used additionally.

The composition of this flag is based on the national flag. The country's coat of arms is added to it in the central part.

Presidential flag of Chile. (By User: B1mbo, via Wikimedia Commons). For its part, the bow flag is called "Jack" and is hoisted on warships. This signal allows identifying that the ships are active units and are commanded by a Naval Officer.

The bow flag consists of a banner with a 1: 1 ratio. It is blue and in the center of it there is a five-pointed star. This design is inspired by the command insignia of Tomás Cochrane, Vice Admiral who was appointed Commander in Chief of the Chilean Naval Force.

Bow flag of Chile. (By User: David Newton, via Wikimedia Commons).

Confusion around the flag of Chile

The Chilean flag is similar to different flags around the world. Countries like Liberia, the Philippines, and the Czech Republic carry very similar national banners.

The flag of the state of Amazonas of Brazil, the flag of the liberating army of Peru and the flag of Yaya are also similar. The latter belongs to a claim to independence led by Cuban Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in 1868.

Despite its similarity to all these flags, it was with the flag of the US state of Texas that an international dilemma arose. In 2017, a controversy arose because the citizens of Texas began to use the emoji of the Chilean flag as if it were the flag of Texas.

In response to the confusion, State Representative Tom Oliverson brought a resolution to the Texas Parliament to call attention to the situation. In it he declared that both flags are different and that the use that had been given to them was incorrect.

Flag of the US state of Texas. (Source: pixabay.com).

References

1. BBC (2017). Texas lawmaker: 'Don't use Chile flag emoji when you mean Texas!'. BBC. Recovered from bbc.com
2. Decree 1534 (1967). Ministry of the Interior of Chile. Recovered from leychile.cl
3. From Ercilla y Zúrilla, A. (1569). La Aranauca: poem: in a volume. Recovered from books.google.co.ve
4. DK Publishing (2008). Complete Flags of the World. New York. Recovered from books.google.co.ve
5. Rector, J. (2003). The History of Chile. Palgrave Macmillen. Recovered from books.google.co.ve