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Arecibo (Puerto Rico)

Last modified: 2006-06-09 by dov gutterman
Keywords: arecibo | power squadron | san felipe collage |
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image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 7 May 2002



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The Flag

At pueblos-de-puertorico.com site (defunct) there is the above flag of Arecibo, in Arecibo District, Puerto Rico. This flag is quite different from the flag at the Lexjuris site.
Jarig Bakker , 25 January 2000

Arecibo - The flag derives its design, colors and symbolism from the municipal Coat of Arms.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 6 April 2001

I live on Arecibo. I talked with some people of Casa Ulanga (Cultural Center of Arecibo) and they tell me that Arecibo has only one flag - half blue at left and at right has the "diamonts" blue and gold. They do not know why Lexjuris site show a diferent flag but in their site the text say that Arecibo flag is half blue at left and at right has the "diamonts" blue and gold ,but when they show the flag, it is a different one.
Nelson L Román, 9 August 2001

The blue hoist - yellow fly version with no Coat of Arms is the former flag according to Nelson Román, buy I guess it is OK to use it because many PR flags has two accepted versions, one with and one without Coat of Arms.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 4 September 2001

This is the corrected Arecibo flag. Nelson Román went to the City Hall and corroborated two things:
- the belt in the shield is entirely golden as the rest of the shield (in fact, the whole shield appears to be dark golden toward orange).
-the belt holes are also present.
Previously, the belt was rendered incorrectly white based on the Anisa bulletin.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 4 September 2001

After a thorough discussion spending several months about Arecibo's flag with my liaison in Arecibo, Néstor Luis Román, and Arecibo's Cultural Center, Casa Ulanga, we finally agreed that the actual flag of Arecibo in common use today has the City Shield smaller than the one at reported before and completely golden-yellow and dark blue, while the rhombi at the fly are dark blue over a yellow field.  The official description do not specified real values, especially for the shield size in relation to the rest of the flag, so a construction sheet cannot be done with certainty.  This has let several versions of the flag to be flown around the city, mainly regarding the size and true colors of the shield, and even using the heraldic copper-yellow of the CoA in all the flag, as recently used at the Chicago's Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 7 May 2002

The reason why the Coat of Arms in the flag is all orange-gold instead of silver and gold, and the blue is of only one shade all around the flag, including the rhombi, is pure economics. The municipality spend from $400 to $500 in each big size flag, so it is cheaper to use only two colors plus yellow.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 November 2002


Vertical Variant


image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 14 May 2005

Nelson Roman report avertical display of Arecibo's flag, used by now at Arecibo's Casa Ulanga (cultural Center) when the City Mayor comes to give a speech.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 14 May 2005


Previous Flag


image by Thanh-Tam Le, 28 May 2006

The entirely yellow version apparently did really exist many decades ago, according to a very old folk in town.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 4 September 2001


Flags in Use

1)
image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 2 September 2001

Nelson Román, from Arecibo, discovered the bulletin on a drugstore the other day. What was his surprise when he saw another version of the Arecibo flag, this time with three rows of five rhombi (diamonds) instead of five columns of three rhombi. The shield has the belt white bordered in gold. The shield can be considered canting in some way. It has a belt that stands for Captain "Correa" ("belt" in English), a local military hero from Spanish times. The flag with the rhombi longest axis oriented horizontally and the white belt shield is an incorrect version presented by Anisa Productions.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 2 September 2001

2)
image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 4 September 2001

Here is a photo of a version of the flag. There are some differences from the oficial one which has more gold and
no silver color at the Coat of Arms.
Nelson L. Román, 16 September 2003


Coat of Arms


Coat of Arms at the city hall
image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 November 2002


Coat of Arms on the flag
image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 November 2002


Shield
image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 November 2002

Arecibo's Coat of Arms and shield - The true and accepted coloring for both are dark blue and deep or orange gold for the shield, mural crown and belt, and silver for the belt buckles. The present mural crown has five towers since 1980. This representation is the one seen at the City Hall entrance, though a less wide mural crown touching the shield corners is also seen, as depicted in the actual municipal flag.
The "variant" is considered the real thing about the Arecibo Coat of Arms and the one represented in the actual flag.  The only difference with the one at City Hall, which is rather an old and yellow plaque, is the mural crown.  The accepted official Coat of Arms that is used also as the seal, has the mural crown narrower and higher, which is the one I am attaching today.  I only wanted you to know the very different versions that have appeared with this Coat of Arms and with the flag. All this information has been corroborated with my liaison at Arecibo and with the Cultural Office of the city, Casa Ulanga.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 November 2002

Arecibo has existed as a population nucleus since the early years of the sixteenth century (1515). In the year 1570 the Taino Indians entrusted the land to the Spaniards who began to live in the village. The shield is divided by diagonal lines in golden and blue rhombis with a blue stripe in the superior part, in which resides an opened five-point crown and which is adorned with drawings characterizing the art of the Taínos. This combination of symbols represents the Indian Cacique (Chieftain) from whom the population's name derives, the governor that erected the town and the hero Captain Correa who defended it. The crown remembers the Cacique Francisco Xamaica Arecibo, converted to Christianity, who reigned the region of the Abacoa, today Arecibo. The two turtles are symbols of antiquity. The population of Arecibo is one of the four oldest of the Island. The blue rhombis in golden background are part of the shield of arms of the Governor Felipe de Beaumont y Navarra, Governor of Puerto Rico (1614-1620) and which had part in the foundation of Arecibo in 1616 as a town. The strap in gold and clasp of silver that borders the shield alludes to Captain Antonio de los Reyes Correa, of Arecibo. In the strap, in saber letters, it says Very Loyal (Muy Leal), a motto granted to the city in 1850. The crown mural has five towers, which means that Arecibo received the title of city. This occurred in 1981.
Nelson Román, 9 August 2004


Arecibo Power Scuadron


image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 12 August 2002

Colors of the burgee of Arecibo Power Scuadron - The yellow of our Burgee comes from the color of the Arecibo Coat of Arms and flag. The three vertical lines indicate the three reasons of our being: Service, Education, and Camadrerie. The wheel is indicative of the boats we enjoy. The wolf with a captain's hat is related with "los Lobos de Arecibo" (Arecibo Wolves), name of our county's baseball team.
Source: <www.xsn.net>.
Nelson L. Román, 8 July 2003


San Felipe College


image by Nelson L Roman, 15 June 2003

This  is the flag of the San Felipe College (private school) of Arecibo in Puerto Rico.  In the center there is the seal of the College and above the seal the words "Colegio San Felipe". Below the seal it says "founded in 1932". The Colors of the School are Blue and white.
Nelson L Roman, 15 June 2003