The flag of Cuenca (Ecuador) is made up of two horizontal stripes of the same size: the upper section is red, and the lower section is yellowish (gold).
The origin of its colors is given by the Spanish influence. The color tones selected for its elaboration are exactly the same as the tones used in the current Flag of Spain.
History of the flag of Cuenca
The first citizen to suggest the creation of its own banner for the city of Cuenca was Rodrigo Paz, who participated in an extraordinary way in the Cabildo de Cuenca shortly after the founding of the city, on April 12, 1557.
The formal request to make a local flag was received by the Cabildo of Cuenca on June 10, 1558, and was attended by the founder of the city, Gil Ramírez Dávalos.
This requirement took place during the Viceroyalty of the II Marquis of Cañete, Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza y Cabrera, and had the purpose of using this banner as a symbol of the city.
It is worth noting that Viceroy Hurtado de Mendoza y Cabrera, a native of the city of Cuenca (Spain), chose to assign the same name as his hometown to the current city of Cuenca (Ecuador).
Hurtado de Mendoza
Years later, on February 13, 1576, Attorney Lorenzo Fernández Lucero, took up the issue of the elaboration of the Cuenca flag, and gave the approval to acquire the fabrics and other materials necessary for its elaboration.
However, this request was left behind, and fourteen years later, on May 9, 1590, Attorney Lázaro Vallejo again demanded the creation of its own flag for the city of Cuenca.
At that moment the request took force, and preparations were made for the public display of the banner during the commemoration of the Day of Santiago Apóstol, on July 25 of that same year.
The first official flag of Cuenca was carried by Mayor Cristóbal Barzallo Quiroga, on the eve of the Santiago Apóstol festival, in 1590.
Meaning
The selected design was 100% allusive to the colors of the Spanish insignia of the Crown of Castile: bright red and yellow gualda.
Among the multiple meanings of colors, one of the most accepted meanings is that the color red represents the blood shed by Spanish explorers during colonization.
In addition, the yellow gualda color simulates the wealth of the conquered territories. Since then, both colors were adopted as the representative colors of the city.
The flag of Cuenca was initially devised to identify the exterior of the houses of the inhabitants of the city, and serve as a symbol of war or peace, as the case may be.
Today, it is used in official events in the city, as a genuine representation of the local identity.
Since July 17, 2003, and according to the ordinance of the Provincial Council of Azuay, the Flag of the Province of Azuay is exactly the same flag of its capital city: Cuenca.
References
- Andrade, C. (2015). Summary History of the Flag of Cuenca. Recovered from: sinmiedosec.com
- Cuenca Flag (2011). Recovered from: viajandox.com
- Cuenca, Ecuador (2016). New World Encyclopedia. Recovered from: newworldencyclopedia.org
- The Province of Azuay (2014). Cuenca Illustrious Magazine. Recovered from: revistacuenca.com
- Sache, I. (2008). The flag of Cuenca Canton (Azuay, Ecuador). Recovered from: crwflags.com.