Last modified: 2008-05-31 by francisco gregoric
Keywords: san juan | provincia de san juan | different reverse | sun: 19 rays | sun: 32 rays | wreath | en unión y libertad | in unity and freedom | handshake | phrygian cap | cabot (juan manuel) | andes army |
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![[Province of San Juan flag]](../images/a/ar-j.gif) image by Francisco Gregoric, 24 Mar 2008 | ![[two-sided]](../misc/fis_twos.gif){kind=small} | 9:14
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In short, the law prescribes the new provincial flag
as being inspired by the historical [flag of the] Cabot Column of the Andes Army
(1817-1818)
António Martins, 03 Mar 2002
The flag of the Province of San Juan is a new design with elements of the historical Cabot flag as preserved nowadays at the Museum of National History of the City of Buenos Aires.
The triband adopted provincial flag as well as the historical one, have a wider central white stripe. At the center, a coat of arms with the motto "En Unión y Libertad (In Union and Liberty).
In the current provincial flag, the national Coat of Arms featured on Cabot’s flag, has been replaced with the current Province of San Juan Coat of Arms.
Furthermore, the reverse of the current provincial flag, as well as the original Cabot’s flag, differs from the obverse.
Francisco Gregoric, 24 Mar 2008
Construction details are 9:14 = 5+8+5 : 28
(litterally, 25+40+25 : 140 cm); the
position, style and size of the coat of arms and lettering
"En Unión y Libertad"
(meaning «In Unity and Freedom»), placed on the obverse
only. The sun on top
of the coat of arms has 19 rays, as many as the departments
(subdivisions) of the province.
António Martins, 03 Mar 2002
The provincial coat of arms and the legend that goes
underneath fit completely within the white stripe.
Patricia Castilla (from the Dirección de Ceremonial
y Protocolo de la Gobernación de San Juan), 14 Sep 2003
The provincial flag of San Juan is usually made in a slightly darker shade of sky blue than the national flag. However, nothing of this is prescrived in the flag law text.
Francisco Gregoric, 24 Mar 2008
![[Reverse of the Province of San Juan flag]](../images/a/ar-j_.gif) image by Francisco Gregoric, 24 Mar 2008 |
![[reverse]](../misc/fis_reve.gif){kind=small}
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Instead of the coat of arms, the reverse shows a sun with 32 rays, it’s color
legally prescribed as “light yellow” — a fatal mistake for something mainly
set on white background. The difference between reverse and obverse is also
taken from the original Cabot Column flag.
António Martins, 03 Mar 2002
The sun fits completely within the white stripe.
Patricia Castilla (from the Dirección de Ceremonial
y Protocolo de la Gobernación de San Juan), 14 Sep 2003
Although the sun is described in the law text as “light yellow”, it is usually made in a darker shade of yellow or even golden embroidered for the indoors ceremonial flags.
Francisco Gregoric, 24 Mar 2008
The provincial flag of San Juan was adopted by Law No.6840 of December 11, 1997. However a small mistake appeared in the point A of Article No.2 of the original law where the Anverse of the flag was described. The original text said "Rodeando la parte superior..." (surrounding the upper part...) and it should have been "Rodeando la parte inferior..." (surrounding the lower part...) So the original law was modiffied by Law No.6869 of May 21, 1998 and this mistake was corrected. The final legislation appears below, first in Spanish. Then translated to English.
LEY Nº 6.840. (modificada y corregida por Ley Nº 6.669)
LA CAMARA DE DIPUTADOS DE LA PROVINCIA DE SAN JUAN
SANCIONA CON FUERZA
L E Y
ARTICULO 1º.- Créase como Bandera Provincial de San Juan, al símil de la bandera de la Columna Cabot del Ejército de Los Andes.-
ARTICULO 2º.- El Emblema Provincial creado por el Artículo 1º de la presente Ley, tendrá las siguientes características:
LAW No 6,840. (modiffied and corrected by Law No. 6,669)
THE DEPUTIES (REPRESENTATIVES) CHAMBER OF THE PROVINCE OF SAN JUAN
ESTABLISHES WITH POWER OF
L A W
ARTICLE No. 1 - The Provincial Flag of San Juan will be created from the simile of the Cabot’s Column flag of the Andes Army.-
ARTICLE No. 2 - The Provincial Symbol created by Article No. 1 of this law, will have the following characteristics:
Law translated by Francisco Gregoric and Gus Tracchia, 24 Mar 2008
Other sites:j.gif)
The emblem was approved by law No. 1 G. in 1962.
António Martins, 07 Dec 2001
The elements of the provincial coat of arms of San Juan are taken from the Argentine national coat arms. Throughout its history, other variants were used by the Province of San Juan.
The first atempt to establish an exact model of coat of arms was preformed in 1911, however several variants of it continued to exist. Finally in 1962 an official pattern design of the provincial coat of arms was made and established by Law No.1.
The sun of the 1962 design had 18 straight rays in accordance to the number of departments of the province at that time.
The coat of arms of San Juan is the only Argentine provincial coat of arms where the join hands are shown clothed.
Francisco Gregoric, 24 Mar 2008
![[Original Cabot Flag as preserved currently]](../images/a/ar_cabot.gif)
When in 1814, General José de San Martín became Governor of Cuyo (present day provinces of Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis), he started the organization of the Army of the Andes.
The plan was to prepare an expedition to Chile and onwards Perú (the most important royalist stronghold in South America). In october 1814 Chile was re-conquered by the Spanish [1814], and the security of the United Provinces (Argentina) was in danger.
The crossing of the Andes was done in 1817 using six mountain trails pass. The main bulk of the army left the City of Mendoza crossing The Andes by the Los Patos Pass and Uspallata Pass.
To prevent the Spanish royalists in Chile of knowing where the bulk of the main army would cross, four auxiliary columns crossed to the north and south of Los Patos and Uspallata Pass.
An auxiliary column (Column No. IV) Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Juan Manuel Cabot crossed by The Guana Pass from present day Province of San Juan, then, part of the Northern region of the Province of Cuyo and occupied the Chilean City of Coquimbo, helping the independist forces of that area.
Francisco Gregoric, 26 Mar 2008
In 1888, several years after General San Martín´s army crossed the Andes,(the crossing was done in 1817), Josefa Cabot, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Juan Manuel Cabot, gave General Bartolomé Mitre the tattered remains of an old flag (just a coat of arms with a little fabric).
Josefa Cabot told Mitre, that the flag had been used by the column commanded by her father, Juan Manuel Cabot, when he crossed the Andes and occupied Coquimbo during “the times of San Martín.”
These reamains were sewn to an Argentine flag of late XIX Century.
In 1890 this flag was donated by General Mitre to the Museo Histórico Nacional -MHN-, where it has been preserved since.
Several books have published this story and the flag is generally accepted as being the historical flag used by the detachment of The Army of The Andes commanded by Cabot. No more details are known about it.
However there is an article by David Prando named La "Bandera de Cabot" no hizo la Campaña de los Andes (The "Flag of Cabot" did not make the Andes Campaign) where he puts the official history in doubt.
The first point of his work is that no contemporary documents made mention about any special flag used by Cabot. The second point is that the design of the only original part (the coat of arms) is different from the coats of arms used in the 1810s [See the Andes Army flag and the flag of Jujuy for comparison]. According to Prando´s opinion the design of the coat of arms is similar to the ones used in the 1830s. Therefore the remains of this flag would be from a later time. More research about this flag needs to be done.
In 2005 the Legislature of the Province of San Juan decreed by Law No. 7659 that the Cabot flag is part of the cultural patrimony of the province. Therefore, San Juan representatives to the National Congress have tried to introduce bills with the objective that the flag preserved in the MHN, could be sent to San Juan to be preserved there.
Since the flag is part of a national museum, the only way to do that is by national law or presidential decree.
Francisco Gregoric, 26 Mar 2008
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