The shield of Trujillo, state of Venezuela, has an elliptical shape and is divided into three quarters: two upper ones of the same dimensions and a lower one of greater dimensions than the previous one.
In the upper left barracks, there is a pen. In the upper right quarter, two hands are seen shaking. Between the upper and lower barracks, there is a band that says “ESTADO TRUJILLO”.
In the lower quarter, a set of mountains can be seen, on which two crossed swords rest.
On the sides of the shield, there are branches of coffee and sugar cane, joined by a ribbon that says "JUNE 15, 1813" and "NOVEMBER 25, 1820".
At the top of the shield, an eagle rests holding a golden white five-pointed star.
History
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Trujillo state government promoted a competition that aimed to find a design that would serve as a regional symbol.
On July 31, 1905, it was announced that the winner of the contest was Pompeyo Oliva, a journalist from Sán Lázaro, Trujillo. Since then, Oliva's design has been used as the region's coat of arms.
Meaning of the Trujillo state shield
The branches of coffee and sugar cane on the sides of the shield represent the main agricultural products of the state, which dominated the economy during colonial times and in the early years of Venezuela as an independent country.
These two branches are joined by a ribbon on which two dates can be seen:
1. The first reads “June 15, 1813”. This was the day that the Liberator Simón Bolívar proclaimed the “war to the death” in the city of Trujillo.
2. The second date is “November 25, 1820”, which was the day that Bolívar began the War Regularization and Armistice treaties.
In the upper part of the blazon, an eagle with outstretched wings can be seen. In its claws, the animal holds a white five-pointed star. The eagle represents the pride of the Trujillo peoples.
With respect to the star, this is identical to those found on the flag of Venezuela. In the national flag, the stars symbolize the provinces that declared the country's independence in 1811. The shield adds this element because Trujillo was one of those provinces.
The coat of arms is divided into three barracks, two at the top and one at the bottom.
In the left barracks, there is a pen that represents the intellectuals of the Trujillo state. In the right barracks, two hands shaking are observed, representing Bolívar and Morillo during the peace treaties of 1820.
In the lower barracks, you can see a mountainous landscape that represents the Niquitao field. It was there that the patriot José Félix Ribas defeated the realist José Martí.
The borders that divide the barracks are yellow, which represents the wealth of the state.
References
- The History of Venezuela. Retrieved on December 9, 2017, from books.google.com
- Trujillo State (Venezuela). Retrieved on December 9, 2017, from crwflags.com
- Trujillo State. Retrieved on December 9, 2017, from ngw.nl
- Trujillo, Trujillo. Retrieved on December 9, 2017, from wikipedia.org
- Trujillo (Trujillo, Venezuela). Retrieved on December 9, 2017, from crwflags.com