The coat of arms of Misiones differs slightly from most of the coat of arms of Argentine provinces, mainly in the colors used. It refers to mate, the region's main crop; and to the Iguazú Falls, a natural monument.
Being the ninth most populated province in the country, it sustains itself economically thanks to the sowing of yerba mate, tea and citrus.
Yerba mate then became the plant chosen to adorn the outline of the shield of this province.
Tourism in Misiones has been a driver of the local economy. The famous Iguazú Falls are of great tourist attraction, and this has helped the economic and infrastructure development of the province.
These falls, which are the natural monument that stand out the most in Misiones, are part of the set of symbols of the province that are present on its shield.
Misiones, like the southern states of Brazil, is culturally diverse, in part thanks to the number of immigrants who arrived in the second half of the 20th century, from Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Denmark and Poland, as well as Brazilian descendants. of these.
The territory was disputed between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in the colonial period and during the independence struggle, until at the end of the 16th century it began to officially form part of Argentina.
History
The current coat of arms of Misiones is relatively new, given that the province used the National Coat of Arms of Argentina for most of its history.
In 1955 it obtained its own shield, three years after being recognized as an Argentine province.
It was rectangular in shape and quite different from the other regions. That iteration lasted only 4 years and included a branch of yerba mate.
It was not until Decree-Law number 3,769, of December 30, 1959, that Misiones officially obtained its current oval shield, maintaining the colors of the previous version and some of its symbols, but with a different distribution.
Meaning
In the 1959 version, which is still in use, the oval is divided into two halves -blue above and white below-, thus coinciding with the Argentine national colors.
The lower white half refers to the Iguazú Falls, while the upper half in blue serves as a sky over the natural monument.
On the right side of the sky there is a sun with rays of different lengths, which sets over the falls and, somehow, makes free reference to the Sun of May, although without the facial characteristics.
In the upper central part there are missionaries' sticks intertwined with a bow and arrow, which together represent the missionaries, caciques, and lobbyists of the Jesuit, chief, and lobbyist periods, respectively.
On both external sides of the oval (left and right) you can see two bunches of yerba mate, representing not only a traditional plant from Argentina, but the main crop of the province.
Bordering the oval in its upper and lower parts is the inscription "Provincia de Misiones", written in capital letters on what would be parchment paper wound towards its ends.
References
- Heraldry Argentina - Province of Misiones: heraldicaargentina.com.ar
- Official Website of the Province of Misiones: missions.gov.ar
- Taringa - The meaning of the shield of all Argentine provinces: taringa.net
- Wikipedia - Misiones Province: en.wikipedia.org
- TyH Turismo - History of the Coat of Arms of the Province of Misiones: web.archive.org