The Medellín flag was designed by the Santa Fe de Antioquia Governing Board, who were based on the colors of the department's university banner: white and green.
This flag was created in 1810, when the cry of Independence of Colombia was made with the intention of separating from the Spanish Crown.
The flag of the city of Medellín is the same as that of the department of Antioquia. Both are made up of two horizontal stripes of the same proportion. The upper stripe is white, while the lower stripe is green.
The white stripe represents integrity, peace, and openness, among other values. Green represents hope, faith, and abundance.
The difference lies in the fact that the flag of the city has the coat of arms of Medellín in the center.
This element was added in order to distinguish the two flags. The shield shows a thick tower on which the Virgen de la Candelaria floats, holding the baby Jesus in her arms.
This is the official flag of the city since January 30, 1973.
History
To understand the creation of the Medellín flag, it is necessary to study two other elements.
The first is the flag of the Colombian department of Antioquia. The second is the coat of arms of the city of Medellín.
Flag of Antioquia
The flag currently used in the department of Antioquia was designed in 1810, when the ideals of independence and freedom began to materialize in the colonies of Spain in America.
The provinces of Colombia organized to make the cry of independence for the country. Each of these provinces used banners and cockades with representative colors.
The colors used in Santa Fe de Antioquia were white and green. This choice was made taking into account the banners of the University of Antioquia, whose colors were also these.
However, the use of this flag did not last long. A short time later it was replaced by the national flag (yellow, blue and red), with the department's coat of arms in the center.
However, on December 10, 1962 the flag of 1810 was retaken. This flag has been used to this day.
Coat of arms of Medellín
The coat of arms that is used today in Medellín was created in the year 1678, when King Carlos II of Spain issued a Royal Certificate in which he awarded the city a blazon.
Below is a fragment of this document that describes the shield in question:
"… an azure field shield and in it a very thick round tower, all around it crenellated and above it a coat of arms that has fifteen lace, seven blue and eight gold, and on its colonel that touches him and in honor of the tower on each side a small tower, likewise battlements and in the middle of them an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in her arms… "
Formation of the Medellín flag
The pavilion that is used today in the city of Medellín is the official symbol of the city since January 30, 1973, when the Council of Medellín determined it in this way.
The Medellín flag combines the two elements presented above. It has the colors of the flag of the department of Antioquia and in the center it has the coat of arms of the city.
Regarding this election, it can be said that Medellín, as the capital of the department of Antioquia, adopted the flag of the department in question to show that it was part of it.
This was also done in order to unify the ideals of the cities that were just being formed.
Medellín was not the first city to adopt the colors of Antioquia. The first capital of the department, Santa Fe de Antioquia, had previously done so.
Many of the flags of Colombian cities do not include the coat of arms in its official version. It is allowed that the shield is used only on the flag that is exposed in the mayor's office.
This does not happen with the Medellín flag, whose official version bears the city's coat of arms embroidered in the center.
In fact, this element is necessary because if it were not present it would not be possible to distinguish between the flag of Antioquia and the flag of the city.
Meaning
Each of the stripes on the flag has a meaning. The white stripe reflects integrity, frankness, eloquence, purity, spiritual cleanliness, obedience, and victory.
These are just some of the meanings that have been attributed to this part of the flag.
For its part, the green strip reflects the ecological zones, not only in the city of Medellín but also in the department of Antioquia.
In addition, the color green is related to hope and faith, two elements that are associated with the city's expectations of progress. This color also represents abundance, friendship and service.
Regarding the shield, it symbolizes the relations that existed between the Spanish Crown and the city of Medellín, which was once a colony of this nation.
In addition to this, the Virgen de la Candelaria in the center of the shield is the patron saint of the city. Since colonial times, the settlers had shown their devotion to this Marian dedication.
This can be evidenced in a statement issued by the town council of Villa de Medellín and sent to the King of Spain:
“… It is under the patronage of Our Lady of Candelaria, a very miraculous image (…), Candelaria has been the torch that has given birth to its foundation…”.
References
- Antioquia Department (Colombia). Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from crwflag.com
- Coat of Arms - Medellín. Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from crwflags.com
- Flag of Antioquia Department. Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from wikipedia.org
- History of Medellín. Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from discovercolombia.com
- List of Colombian Flags. Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from wiipedia.org
- Medellin. Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from wikipedia.org
- Medellín (Antioquia, Colombia). Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from crwflags.com