Last modified: 2008-07-19 by dov gutterman
Keywords: america | central america | panama | honduras | nicaragua | guatemala | costa rica | el salvador | united states of central america | greater republic of central america | central america federation |
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Costa Rica put the red in [in 1848] to
differentiate it from the other three with the horizontal blue
stripes; Guatemala turned the stripes and
made them vertical. At one time in the 19th century Costa Rica
used blue flag with a thin white cross with a red canton and
several stars (no clue as to the number).
John Andrew Lowe 29 November 1995
According to Smith's "Flags Through the Ages and
Across the World" [smi75b]
- Honduras entry (page 241): "The blue-white-blue
horizontal striped flag of the United Provinces of the Center of
America, based on the Argentine flag, was first hoisted in the
independence struggle against Spain on 4 July 1818, when the
commodore of the Argentine squadron, Louis Aury, proclaimed the
first independent Central American state on islands off the
eastern coast of Nicaragua. Aury's government lasted until
1821......(in 1823) when complete independence was established
the new national flag had stripes similar to, and apparently
based on, those of the first free state.."
Ned Smith , 14 May 1999
Crampton '90 [cra90] says on
the subject that: "General Belgrano used the colours adopted
in Buenos Aires on 25 May 1810, and turned them into a flag that
he hoisted at Rosario on 27 February 1812. In 1813 the colours
where taken up by San Martin to make a flag for the Army of the
Andees, in 1814 by Artigas and his League of Free Peoples, and in
1816 by Louis Aury, who led a maritime expedition to Central
America. [...]
The blue and white colours where also adopted in Central America.
The first flag is said to have been created by Colonel Arce on 20
February 1822 and presented to a unit from El Salvador going off
to fight the Mexicans, who had annexed the central provinces.
When the United Provinces of Central America were set up, the
same flag was adopted on 21 August 1823. [...]"
So, although it doesn't seem to be firmly established, it is very
likely that the Central American colours come in fact from
Belgrano's flag, through Louis Aury's (a french name?) expedition
in 1816 and 6 years later through Colonel Arce, who could have
had contact with Louis Aury's people in between (or even be one
of them!). Further, given the fact that all south american
symbology is positively embroided in masonic symbology, this
influence could have gone also through masonic channels. My
speculation here.
Jorge Candeias , 17 May 1999
At J.W Norie - J.S. Hobbs: Flaggen aller seefahrenden
Nationen, 1971 [nor71] (original
print 1848):
275 Central America - Blue over white over blue, in the centre a
blue disk.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 November 2001
Laurie's flag book of 1842 has an important caption under the
same flag that was ignored by all copyists and by some
vexollologists. It reads: "Arms in the center or the words
Dios Union Libertad."
Ralf Stelter, 15 March 2002
From <www.vdiest.nl> (defunct):
- 15 September 1821 - Independence of the colonial
"Kingdom of Guatemala" (Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Chiapas).
- 5 January 1822 - Incorporation into Mexico.
- 11 January 1822-10 Febuary 1823 - El Salvador in
secession.
- 1 July 1823 - Independence again (Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala,Honduras, and Nicaragua).
- 10 Jul 1823- United Provinces of the Centre of America (also
styled Republic of the Centre of America).
- 10 April 1825 - Federal Republic of Central America.
- 1838 - Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras exit the Federation.
- 17 April 1839 - Guatemala exits the Federation.
- 2 Febuary 1841 - El Salvador becomes a republic,
officially ending United Provinces
- 17 July 1842-1 December 1844 - Abortive attempt to restore
Confederation of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala
[withdraws], Honduras, and Nicaragua).
- 13 October 1852-10 November 1852 - Abortive attempt to restore
the Confederation of Central America (El Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua).
- 1898-30 November 1898 - Abortive attempt to restore the Central
American federation, Republic of Greater Central America (El
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua).
- 13 June 1921-14 January 1922 - Federation of Central America
(El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras).
- 14 January 1922 - Guatemala leaves the federation.
- 4 Febuary 1922 - El Salvador leaves the federation.
- 7 Febuary 1922 - Honduras officially leaves the
federation.
Francisco Santos, 7 August 2003
Flag According to Steenbergen Book (1862)
image by Jaume Ollé, 26 July 2003
No. 833 - Central America.
Source: [stb62]
Jaume Ollé, 26 July 2003
image by Jaume Ollé
us23.gif)
Coat of Arms
image by Jaume Ollé
The flags of Honduras, Nicaragua,
El Salvador and Costa
Rica are all based on the blue-white-blue tricolour of the
United States of Central America, which was dissolved 1838-9.
Paul Adams, 29 November 1995
From <countrystudies.us>:
"The colonies comprising the Captaincy General of Guatemala
declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. The
five states of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and
Costa
Rica went on to establish themselves as the United Provinces of
Central America on July 1, 1823.
Francisco Santos, 7 August 2003
Military Flag
image contributed by Fred Drews
The flag with B.N. was a military flag. B.N. meaning Batallon
Nacional.
Ralf Stelter, 7 November 2000
image by Jaume Ollé
1824.gif)
Coat of Arms
image by Jaume Ollé
Central American Federation - The flag and the emblem that was
used in 1824.
Fred Drews , 3 Febuary 2000 and 21 May 2000
I found this web page that actually has a copy of the original
constitution in 1824 with a picture of the coat of arms.
<www.tulane.edu/~latinlib> (defunct).
Fred Drews , 4 Febuary 2000
From <www.infoplease.com>:
"Central American Federation or Central American Union,
political confederation (1825–38) of the republics of
Central America: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and
Salvador. United under a captaincy general in Spanish colonial
times, they gained independence in 1821 and were briefly annexed
to the Mexican empire formed by Agustín de Iturbide.
Francisco Santos, 7 August 2003
image by Antonio Martins and Fred Drews, 19
June 2000
f49.jpg)
Coat of Arms
image contributed by Fred Drews
Flags - The 2nd of April of 1851, the National Diet, with seat
in Leon, Nicaragua, created by the Pact of Leon in 1849, decreed
obligatory the Flag of the Centralamerican Federation, composed
of two blue stripes and a white one in the center, with the coat
of arms, for the Republic integrated by Honduras, El Salvador and
Nicaragua.
Coat of Arms - The National Diet that was based in Leon,
Nicaragua, and on the 22 of April of 1851 decreed the Shield of
Arms of the three Republics: El Salvador, Honduras and
Nicaragua. The President of the Diet was Don Hermenejildo Zepeda
and Secretary Don Pablo Buitrago, the design contained the
following figures: An equilateral triangle in whose base
there is a mountain range with three volcanos, those that
symbolize the three nations united by the Pact of Leon celebrated
in 1849. The volcanos rise both on a land bathed by the
oceans. Over the volcanos, a rainbow; underneath the
rainbow, the cap of Freedom " spreading lights ".
In the superior part, three stars. Limiting the triangle
and in a semicircle, the inscription CENTRALAMERICAN FEDERATION.
Fred Drews , 3 May 2000
1) 
image by Jaume Ollé
2) 
image by Jaume Ollé
The Greater Republic of Central America, composed by El
Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, as a result of the Pact of
Amapala signed in June of 1895, adopted the Flag of 1851 with two
blue strips and one white in the center, and hoisted the 1st of
November of 1898. Due to the events of the 21 of November
of 1898, these ended the Greater Republic.
Fred Drews , 3 May 2000
Coat of Arms
rm.jpg)
image contributed by Fred Drews , 3 May 2000
The Greater Republic of Central America, born in 1896 and
formed by El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, adopted the same
Shield of Arms decreed by the National Diet of Chinandega,
Nicaragua in May of 1851 but removing the three stars and adding
two volcanos and limiting the triangle and in a semicircle, the
inscription GREATER REPUBLIC OF CENTRAL AMERICA.
Fred Drews , 3 May 2000
image by Jaume Ollé, 19 August 2003
No. 866 - Central America containing Honduras, Nicaragua and
San Salvador (1847) [the blue ball must be in fact the arms].
NB. Also with Dios, Union, Libertad on the ball.
Source: [stb62]
Jaume Ollé, 19 August 2003