The Escudo de Buenaventura (Colombia) is divided into two large sections, by a diagonal that crosses the municipal pavilion from right to left.
In the left section is a golden anchor at rest, and above it, a caduceus of mercury also of gold.
The right section is separated into three parts, each of which represents an element: air, sea and land.
At the bottom, on a band with the colors of the Buenaventura flag, there is the inscription: “Our Wealth comes from the Sea”.
Buenaventura is a Special District located in the center-west of Colombia, in the Department of Valle del Cauca. There is the most important port in the country.
You may also be interested in the Buenaventura flag.
History
The Buenaventura coat of arms was created by the distinguished citizen of Buenos Aires Augusto Polo Valencia, renowned photographer, journalist and professor of the District.
Augusto Polo Valencia, who was also the designer of the Buenaventura flag, was inspired by the natural wealth of the sector to present his proposal.
Polo Valencia knew very well the characteristics of the city, and tried to reflect them in its design, which was accepted by the Buenaventura Municipal Council in the 1950s.
Meaning
The Buenaventura shield has two large sections, divided by a diagonal line that crosses the flag from top to bottom and from right to left.
The left part has an intense blue background, on which a gold anchor rests diagonally, and in front of it an equally golden caduceus appears, perfectly balanced on its tip.
The anchor is the most faithful representation of the most important item in Buenaventura's economy: port activity. More than 80% of all Colombian exports leave through the Buenaventura seaport.
Additionally, the caduceus symbol has historically been related to commerce. Represents an icon of fairness and fairness in coats of arms.
In the other half of the shield there are three subdivisions:
- The first part represents a beautiful sunset in the bay, with a reddish sky in the background.
- The second part shows the reflection of the setting sun on the sea.
- The third part reflects the sand on the shore, and honors the land of Buenaventura and its lushness.
The three scenes complement each other, since they are all part of the same context.
However, each one of them makes mention of a different element (air, water and earth), to honor the natural characteristics of the District.
In the lower section there is a ribbon made up of two colored stripes. The upper band is yellow and the lower one is green, the colors of the Buenaventura flag.
In the yellow band appears the legend “Our Wealth”, and in the green band the sentence is completed by adding “It comes from the Sea”. All text is presented in capital letters.
References
- Buenaventura (2017). Governor of Valle del Cauca. Recovered from: valledelcauca.gov.co
- Shield of Buenaventura (sf). Recovered from: viajandox.com.co
- Shield of Buenaventura (sf). Recovered from: wiki2.org
- Symbols (2016). District Mayor of Buenaventura. Recovered from: buenaventura.gov.co
- Symbols of Buenaventura (nd). Recovered from: buenaventuracity.wordpress.com
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca). Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org