The Piura coat of arms was awarded to the city by Emperor Carlos V on December 7, 1537. The conferment was carried out through the Royal Certificate, signed thanks to the request of Hernando de Zevallos representing the inhabitants of San Miguel de Piura.
The shield of this Peruvian department has a quadrilateral shape with rounded lower corners.
The interior houses many details. It can be subdivided into two sections (inner field and outer field) to facilitate its description.
In the inner field there is a rising sun with several rays of fire. Underneath are white clouds with orange tints that cover the entire height and width of this part of the shield.
There is a fist sticking out of the clouds with angel wings on each side. This fist tightly holds a gold scale and frames the facade of a castle with three towers, two windows and a door.
Within this frame, the initials S and M appear above, on the left and right side, respectively.
The entire background of this field, except for the wings and the head of the shield, is royal blue.
In the outer field or border, the background red color predominates with a fine golden outline. Both on the right side and on the left side there are two flags with the drawing of a cross on a white background.
The fabric of these flags is represented with a certain movement on gilded iron spears in the shape of a cross.
Finally, in the upper part there is a gold crown that protrudes from the shield, this is decorated with red precious stones.
History
The Royal Certificate where the conception of the Piura shield lies was lost shortly after it was issued. Currently only the issuance of its description is preserved.
The first sketch of the shield was created in 1783, under the artistic skill of the Archbishop of Trujillo, Baltazar Jaime Martínez.
However, many historians believe that this sketch and the current shield bear no resemblance.
In 1933 a municipal ordinance was issued that obliges the use of the coat of arms of San Miguel. For that they hired Enrique del Carmen Ramos, who was in charge of recreating the design of the shield described by the Royal Decree.
Enrique del Carmen Ramos's design is the one used today by the Piura municipality.
Meaning
The upper part where the sun appears and the rays of fire represent Divine Providence, a deity who from above is in charge of protecting and guarding the city, represented by the castle.
The clouds, the fist, the wings, the balance and the letters (S and M) symbolize the Archangel Saint Michael.
During the Middle Ages it was believed that this archangel was lord and guardian of the gates of the heavenly paradise, and that is why he had the duty to weigh the souls of the deceased once they reached heaven.
This he did to see if the weight of his good actions outweighed the bad actions. In the end, the archangel determined whether the person in question was worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven.
All the ornaments on the sides (the golden spears and the cross flags) symbolize the Christian faith.
The crown is linked to the honor given to the city through its foundation, carried out in 1532 by Francisco Pizarro.
References
- Shield of Piura (sf). Retrieved on November 19, 2017, from Wikipedia.
- Garayar, Carlos. (2004). Conquest and colony. Regional Atlas of Peru. Lima: Peisa.
- Mile, Carlos. (1966). General History of Peru, volume I. Lima.
- Mile, Carlos. (1966). General History of Peru, volume II. Lime.
- Zamalloa Arrmejo, Raúl. (1958). The Nationality Process. Peru.