The coat of arms of the Province of Santa Fe (Argentina) consists of an oval divided horizontally into two fields or equal parts. The upper half is sky blue, and the lower half is silver-gray.
In the internal part of the oval it has two arrows, with the points downwards, and a spear with its point upwards pierces them at their junction.
Both the arrows and the spear are joined at the point where they are crossed by a ribbon with a red bow, as a bow. Around the figures of the arrows are 19 gold-colored stars, placed evenly among them on the edge of the oval.
Crowning the oval, on the outside, there are two laurel branches separated at the top and joined at the bottom, where they are crossed with a ribbon that ties them and has the colors of the Argentine flag.
The coat of arms of the province of Santa Fe was defined in its current form as established in Provincial Law No. 2537, dated June 28, 1937, whose regulations for its correct application did not appear until September 1951, according to Decree No. 13212 of the Provincial Executive Power of Santa Fe.
History
The first shield used by Santa Fe was created by its founder, Don Juan de Garay, which was taken from the Royal Shield of Spain, but alternating in it the five wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The exact reason for this is not known; it is probable that it is a symbol of a religious type that signifies the absolution that Faith in Christ brought to the inhabitants of the province.
The province of Santa Fe began to use its shield from the beginning of independence, approximately in March 1816, the date on which the uprising of Mariano Rivera and Estanislao López against the Directory of 1814 took place.
In April 1816, Governor Mariano Vera ordered the production of the first seal of the province of Santa Fe, to be used in all official documents from that date on.
In later years new shields appear, some with great modifications, such as that of 1822, in which the Indian's arrows are eliminated, while the spear appears held by the figure of a knight in armor from the time of the conquest.
Also included are the image of a caiman caiman, birds, a lagoon, a lion and four stars that represented the departments into which the province was divided.
This shield is completed by the figures of six flags, a rising sun, and the legend "Invencible Province of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz."
Subsequently, the original symbols inspired by both the national and provincial shields are retaken, when the two arrows are incorporated between the intertwined hands.
In 1865, Governor Nicasio Oroño proposed to use the national coat of arms to replace the provincial one, which caused the arbitrary and excessive use of different models of coat of arms according to the taste or preference of the official who used it.
Later, and to correct the different versions of the shields that prevailed in the province, it was decided to return to the original design of the divided oval with azure blue enamel on the upper part and silver-gray on the lower part.
In the center of both parts, the crossed arrows in the shape of the Cross of San Andrés stand out, with their points facing downwards, crossed by a spear whose point is oriented upwards.
With Law 2537 of 1937 and its subsequent regulation through Decree 13212 of the Provincial Executive Power in 1951, the criteria regarding the design of the shield of the province of Santa Fe are unified, establishing the definitive form that it has today.
Meaning
Each element of the shield has a particular meaning. The main characteristics of each element will be detailed below:
Colors
The sky blue and silver-gray colors of the two fields or halves of the shield are taken from the colors of the Argentine national shield, and symbolize the belonging of this province to the nation.
Arrows and spear
The arrows that appear crossed and pointing downwards represent the weapons of the natives defeated by the weapon of the conqueror, represented by the spear pointing upwards.
19 stars
The gold-colored stars represent the 19 departments that are part of the province of Santa Fe.
Laurel
The two branches of laurel with red berries symbolize provincial autonomy.
Homeland ribbon
The ribbon with the colors of the Argentine flag at the base of the shield, or patria ribbon, recalls the nation's wars and victories achieved.
Red ribbon
The red ribbon that ties the arrows and the spear, also called gules ribbon, represents the federal headband, the banner of the federals.
References
- Santafe.gov.ar. (without date). Taken from the website of the Government of the Province of Santa Fe. "The province / Symbols and emblems / Shield". Recovered from santafe.gov.ar
- Unl.edu.ar. (without date). Taken from the website of the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, "Escudo y Bandera". Recovered from unl.edu.ar
- Van Meegrot, W. (undated). Web page "Heraldry Argentina". Recovered from heraldicaargentina.com.ar
- Monte Argentario. (Pseudonym). (April 14, 2009). ”Coat of arms of the Province of Santa Fe”. Recovered from es.wikipedia.org
- Mino, L. (undated). Taken from the website "To Meet Us, with Luis Mino - Shield of the Province of Santa Fe". Recovered from paraconocernos.com.ar