The coat of arms of Pereira, capital of the department of Risaralda, was adopted as of October 1923, thanks to an agreement made by the Municipal Council.
Despite the fact that this municipality was declared in 1863 and is one of the most populated in the coffee region, until that moment it did not have any emblem to represent it in special events.
In this way, the shield becomes one of the most outstanding symbols for the municipality.
The shield created more than 90 years ago is not the same as it is today, as it has undergone three modifications. The first known version was by an unknown author and was used until 1920.
Some of the most prominent features of the previous version are:
-The placement of an arm with an ax between his hands and a wheel with wings that symbolize hard work and progress.
-In the lower part the placement of a ribbon with the inscription "The triumph of a race", which speaks of a past full of obstacles overcome.
However, the current version of this shield expresses the history of this city more clearly.
It consists of several elements:
-A stylized golden frog.
-A half sun accompanied by two condal crowns one on each side
-Three right hands that form a triangle and represent three historical moments of this municipality; prehistory, colonial times and today.
Meaning
The Pereira coat of arms has a Spanish shape and is made up of two quarters, divided diagonally upwards, on a golden base on which other elements are found that complete the concept that the design of this coat of arms seeks to convey.
Upper part
It has a half sun accompanied by two county crowns, one on each side, which were taken from the old shield of Carthage, granted by Emperor Carlos V to the "City of Robledo", thus alluding to the colonial era.
The right barracks
It has a green background that reflects hope, renewal and improvement.
In the three there are right-handed hands, which interlocked form a triangle. They represent the union and solidarity that characterize today's social action.
Bottom
On the golden background that frames everything, we find two segments, one of laurel to its right and the other of coffee tree to its left.
They come together at the bottom and together represent the richness of agriculture in the region, as well as the triumph over the adversities that strengthened this population in each of its stages.
References
- "Coat of Arms and Flag - Municipal Council of Pereira." concejopereira.gov.co. It was consulted on September 29, 2017.
- «File: Escudo de Pereira.svg - Wikimedia Commons.» commons.wikimedia.org. It was consulted on September 29, 2017.
- «Our Symbols - Mayor's Office of Pereira.» Dec 7, 2016, pereira.gov.co. It was consulted on September 29, 2017.
- "Pereira - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." es.wikipedia.org. It was consulted on September 29, 2017.