Coat of arms of Medellín (Colombia)

Characteristics of the Royal Decree

The royal decree granting the coat of arms to the Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín is transcribed in its entirety below:

Don Charles (II) by the grace of God King of Castile, of Leon, of Aragon, of the two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Murcia, of Jaen, of the Algarves, of Algeciras, of Gibraltar, of the Canary Islands, of the East and West Indies, Islands and mainland of the Ocean Sea, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, of Bravante and Milan, Count of Hapsburg, of Flanders, of Tyrol and Barcelona, Lord of Viscaya and Molina, etc.

Because the Town Council, Justice and Regiment of the Villa de Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria de Medellín that has been founded in the Sitio de Aná in the Province of Antioquia, has begged me in a letter of June twenty-fourth of last year of sixteen hundred and seventy-six to be of service to give it Arms for the luster of it as the others have them. And having been consulted about it by those of my Council of the Indies, I have had the good will to grant it the same Arms that the Villa de Medellín has in the Province of Extremadura in these Kingdoms and they are: A blue field shield and on it a very thick keep, round, all around crenellated and on it a coat of arms that has fifteen laces, seven blue and eight gold, and on its colonel that touches it and in the homage of the tower to each of the sides a turret, likewise crenellated and in the middle of them placed an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in her arms with the invocation of the Annunciation in the form that follows: (here the graphic of the arms)

The said arms and motto I give and grant to the said Town so that it can bring them and put them and bring and put them on the banners, seals, shields and flags of it and in other parts where it wants and it is necessary, according to the form and manner that other cities of the Indies and of these my Kingdoms of Castile bring and put them, to whom they are given arms. And by this my letter I command the Dukes, Marquises, Prelates, Counts, Rich Men, Priors, Commanders, Mayors of the Castles and strong and plain Houses and those of my Council of the Indies and presidents and Judges of my Royal Audiences of them and the Governors, Captains and Justices and other my offices of the Indies, Islands and the mainland of the Ocean Sea and to the Councils and Magistrates of them and other judges and justices of the said Indies to keep and fulfill this my letter and what is contained in it in everything and for everything, according to and as it is contained in it, and that against its tenor and form they do not go, nor pass, nor consent nor pass now nor in any time whatsoever, which is my will.

Given in Madrid on the thirty-first day of March one thousand six hundred and seventy-eight years.

I The King.

I Francisco de B. Madrigal. Secretary of the King Nro.

Lord I made it written by his m.

The same royal decree refers to the documentation sent by the "Town Council, Justice and Regiment", dated June 24, 1676, where they request arms for the Villa de la Candelaria de Medellín. Further on, there is a description of the arms granted by King Charles II, and this document came with a drawing in two copies, indicating what the arms for the new town should look like.

In order to understand the royal decree, it must be taken into account that it was written in 17th century Castilian, therefore its spelling and wording differ from contemporary Spanish. The following is an analysis of the blazon (description) and the drawing of the coat of arms, to understand the context of the period in which it was conceived.

The description of the arms begins with the following: (...) a blue field shield (...). The field in the strict sense designates in heraldry the background of the shield, it is the total surface of the same one and that is contained between the lines of its contour, in this case the field is blue whose heraldic name is azure.

(...) and on it a very thick, round keep, all around crenellated (...). A keep is a large tower with military purposes, since in ancient times it served as defense of a square or a fortress. Graphically, a keep is understood as a tower generally with a circular plan, a door and two windows, very used in Spanish heraldry and corresponding to the artificial figures. The characteristics of a tower must be specified, in this case the paragraph indicates that it must be wide, of circular plan and crowned with merlons.

(...) and on it a coat of arms that has fifteen laces, seven blue and eight gold, and on its colonel that touches it (...). Said coat of arms corresponds to the coat of arms of the House of Portocarrero, an ancient and extinct Spanish noble house, whose primitive arms are squares (checkered) of 15 pieces, 7 blue and 8 gold, the coat of arms is in homage to Pedro Portocarrero y Aragón, Count of Medellín. The term "colonel" in heraldry simply refers to a crown, an expression that today is in disuse. The reading of colonel in an ancient document is that of a crown and it does not matter the type, because at that time there was no classification system and crowns of all types were made, but especially open ones. The crown before the seventeenth and eighteenth century is paraheraldic, it has no function other than decorative. In this case, the term "colonel" refers to the fact that the coat of arms has a crown of ornamentation as a bell.

(...) and in the homage of the tower to each one of the sides a turret, likewise crenellated (...). The homage of the tower or homage tower, also called keep, was in ancient times the most outstanding tower of a fortress, it was the last redoubt of defense if the others succumbed, and it could be isolated from the rest of the fortification. In this case, the passage refers to a small crenellated tower on each side of the keep.

(...) and in the middle of them placed an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in her arms with the invocation of the Annunciation (...) this part refers to the use of the hagiographic figure of the Virgin with the Child and the place arranged for its location is the place of honor of the shield, 15 the advocative error contained in this passage is explained later.

When analyzing the model that was sent in the document, it is possible to see who executed the drawing, since in the lower corners the words "Orozco Fecit" can be seen, which translates as "Orozco did it".

In the drawing, from bottom to top, it is found first that all a terraced on which the tower rises is a surface that is not mentioned in the document. Then we can see the tower with a wide base, a uniform cylindrical shape, and a round arched doorway, two square windows, and is crowned with seven merlons.

On the door of the tower there is a coat of arms (arms of the House of Portocarrero), which has some ornaments around it, as a bell it has an enhanced and open crown, on each side of the escutcheon there is a fleur-de-lis, and surrounding the coat of arms there are two lambrequins. These last two ornaments are not mentioned in the description of the royal decree.

Above the keep, on each side, there is a small turret, also of uniform cylindrical shape, with a circular window and crowned with five merlons. It is worth noting that the number of merlons and the masonry, both of the keep and the turrets, are not recorded in the document.

Between the turrets and on a cloud the hagiographic figure of the Virgin poses, who has a voluminous dress, in her right hand holds a candle (or flame) and in her left arm the Child, at her feet is a crescent moon and below it a cherub. On the head is a halo containing 19 points or rays and ends at the top in a cross, besides it emerges a glow that makes its way between two lateral clouds. Only the cloud in the center, the Virgin and the Child are indicated in the document, the other elements are part of the iconography of the Virgin of Candelaria, for this reason they are found in the drawing.

In synthesis, the drawing is the complement of the description, since it defines details and shows other elements that were not enshrined in the royal decree; this was intended to clearly indicate how the coat of arms should be, thus avoiding misinterpretations, since, in heraldry, the pieces, furniture and other elements can have different aesthetic styles. For example, towers have various stylistic forms to be represented, and in this case a uniform cylindrical tower was desired.

Errors and contradictions in the Royal Decree

The analysis of the Royal Decree shows that it contains several errors and contradictions, which were clarified in the publications of the writer Hernán Escobar Escobar. Thus, in one of its paragraphs we find the first error which is referred to in the following terms:

And having been consulted about it by those of my Council of the Indies, I have had the good will to grant it the same Arms that the Villa of Medellín has in the Province of Extremadura in these Kingdoms....

Here there is a contradiction, because the Council of the Indies had already given to the Villa de Medellín the same coat of arms of its Extremadura counterpart, but why did it not realize this detail when the king consulted them on the subject? Possibly, this council did mention something to him, and the king in reality what he wanted to say was that he granted "similar" arms to the Villa de Medellín de Extremadura, since the description of the escutcheon that he himself gives, does not agree with the coat of arms of the town of Extremadura, although they have characteristics in common.

Furthermore, if the Villa de Medellín already had the arms of its Extremadura counterpart, it makes no sense for the king to grant the same coat of arms that had already been given, unless what was sought was to give a new and definitive escutcheon. This would make more sense, since the new coat of arms would be an exclusive symbol of the town, thus complying with the Laws of Arms in the sense that there cannot be one coat of arms identical to another, since the purpose of these emblems is the individuality of lineages, cities, states, institutions, etc.

Although it is possible that this error is due to the ignorance or little information that the King of Arms of the monarch Charles II had about the coat of arms of the Spanish town, it could also have been generated by a bad communication with the Council of the Indies.

In another passage an advocative confusion is committed when attributing two incompatible religious representations, the passage refers in the following terms:

...in the midst of them placed an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in her arms with the invocation of the Annunciation....

This is an error both in the text and in the drawing of the coat of arms that was included in the royal decree, since the Virgin of the Annunciation represents the announcement of the birth of Jesus and does not have to include the Child in her arms; in addition, in the drawing of the shield was placed the Virgin of the Purification, that is also known as the Virgin of the Candelaria, patron saint of the city, and that represents the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, 40 days after the birth of Christ, the Light of the world, that comes to illuminate all like the candle or the flames, from where the name of "Candelaria" is derived. It seems, then, that the Kings of Arms would have wanted to place the Virgin of the Purification, since the documentation sent by the town council mentioned this particular dedication.

Another explanation that must be taken into account for the errors can be found in the context of the means of communication of the time, since the official writings were transcribed several times by different scribes, while the document with the original rubric and seal of the king remained in Spain, and in reality what was sent to the Indies was a copy of the original, perhaps deriving this process in the making of the errors.

Design

Heraldic emblems can be understood as the reproduction of graphic signs contained within an outline, generally in the form of a shield and whose description is known as the escutcheon, the very essence of the emblem itself, together with the various elements outside that outline in case it has them. Regarding the coat of arms of Medellín, its design corresponds to the escutcheon (and the model) indicated in the royal decree of March 31, 1678, which has maintained its composition almost unaltered for more than 300 years, with no variations other than aesthetic ones.

On the other hand, the shape of the coat of arms has its variations; for example, municipal entities usually represent the coat of arms with the outline corresponding to the so-called modern French style, a quadrilateral outline whose lower corners are rounded with a quarter circle (a half part), and in the center of the lower part it is equipped with a point formed by the union of two quarter circles of the same proportion. It is probably preferred for its rectangular shape, as it facilitates drawing, since the model of the royal decree is contained in a rectangle. Moreover, this outline has been used for a long time, as evidenced by a series of coats of arms of the city found in the Basílica de la Candelaria, the former cathedral and seat of the oldest parish in Medellín.

Although its proportions are not legally established, the coat of arms used by the municipality has somewhat exaggerated measures, as it is longer than normal, the usual proportion is 8 parts high by 7 wide, however, according to some authors a proportion of 9 high by 7 wide is also allowed, which is the one used in Italian heraldry, being these the maximum measures used in the modern French style and, in this case, would be recommended for the coat of arms of the city.

Another possible contour, and the second most used, is the one that corresponds to the traditional Spanish heraldic style, a quadrilateral contour with a rounded base, with a proportion of 6 high by 5 wide, which is preferred in the publications of historians to represent the coat of arms of the city, probably because it is considered the most common among Hispanic escutcheons. Another form used in publications, but to a lesser extent, is the so-called English style, an outline similar to the modern French, to which two small triangular projections are added at the ends of the upper part.

Escutcheon

The escutcheon is the description of a coat of arms. Throughout history the coat of arms of Medellín has been described in different ways:

Description of the Royal Decree
A blue field shield and on it a very thick keep, round, all around crenellated and on it a coat of arms that has fifteen laces, seven blue and eight gold, and on its colonel that touches it and in the homage of the tower to each of the sides a turret, likewise crenellated and in the middle of them placed an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in her arms with the dedication of the Annunciation in the form that follows

The royal decree —written in 17th century Castilian— gives a basic description of the escutcheon, which is complemented by the drawing that came with the document, and as mentioned above, it defines the forms and brings other elements that are not mentioned in the text, but even so, some aspects were left undefined.

Description of the Decree No. 151 of February 20, 2002
... the coat of arms of the city is on a blue background, it has a tower with a wide and round base, and an ornamented surrounding ending in seven merlons. Above the door and in the middle of two small windows is a coat of arms, which has 15 boxes or squares, seven blue and eight gold, and ends in a heraldic crown. And in the superior part of the tower, to each one of the sides an adorned turret and in the middle of them on a cloud, an image of Our Lady of the Candles with her Child in arms.

Decree No. 151 of February 20, 2002, which defines the new administrative structure of the municipality and establishes other provisions, such as the one that refers to the arms of the city (exactly in Chapter IV – Of the regime of the Municipality. Article 12 – Medellín Coat of Arms) is only limited to that description and does not indicate or regulate the use of the emblem.

Description from the web page of the City Hall of Medellín
In a blue field is represented a gold keep and over the door a shield of 7 arms with 15 squares, 7 blue and 8 gold. In the upper part 2 keeps and in the middle of them the image of Our Lady of Candles, Patroness of the city.

The vague description of the City Hall, on which most of the descriptions on the web are based, as well as several brochures and tourist guides, contains an error, because it says "...on the door a shield of 7 arms...", which is false, in reality it is not a shield of compound arms, it is a simple checkered shield of 15 pieces, 7 blue and 8 gold. In addition, they changed the words turrets that are diminutive of tower, for keeps that is augmentative of tower.

Description by José Antonio Benítez
A Castle in Campo de Cielo, with two keeps, above the Gate a Heart with Yellow and Azure cartouches. In the middle of the two Towers, above the Castle, is portrayed Our Lady of Candles with her precious Child in her Arms, and a Torch in her Hand.

José Antonio Benítez was the official scribe of Antioquia from the end of the 18th century until the middle of the 19th century, and his description (on which some descriptions are based), is the most erroneous of all, practically describing a new coat of arms, as he changes the tower for a castle and the checkered shield of 15 pieces, 7 blue and 8 gold, for a heart with yellow and blue cartouches.

Although it is understandable that the tower is perceived as a castle, since this building in the heraldry is represented as a wall (whose form can vary), with its merlons, a door and two windows; on this wall there are three towers, the middle one of greater height, all crenellated and each one with its window. Although the tower agrees in almost everything to be a castle, it would only lack the tower in the middle, but in its place is the image of the Virgin.

These descriptions have two characteristics in common: none of them indicate the shape of the coat of arms, which has given rise to variations in the outline of the emblem among various styles, and none of them is truly structured in heraldic language. By analyzing both the text and the drawing of the royal decree, that is, the original granting document, we obtain a description that, although not official, is created using the precise terminology of heraldry.

Description in heraldic language
In a field of azure, a round keep of gold, mazoned and clarified of sable, charged with a shield checkered of 15 pieces, 7 blue and 8 gold (arms of the house of Portocarrero), stamped with an ancient crown of gold, and surmounted, between its two turrets, by the image of Our Lady of Candles carrying the Child, in her sinister arm, and a candle in her right hand, rayonant and bedded with clouds rising from each canton.

"Gold" keep

The keep was not originally made of "gold", since neither the Royal Decree nor Decree No. 151 of February 20, 2002, which are the legal and valid documents, indicate its color. This de facto change is not clear when it was generated, but already some books published at the beginning of the 20th century contain, for some unknown reason, the word "gold" in the transcription they make of the Royal Decree that grants the arms, remaining as follows: "...a keep of very thick gold...". The work called "Libro de actas del M. Y. Cavdo. y Rexmto. de la Villa de Medellín" published in 1932, which gathers the transcriptions of the documents of the Town Council of the Villa de Medellín between 1675 and 1813, also for some unknown reason, in the transcription of the Royal Decree has the word "gold" added to it. This work was a fundamental part of Hernán Escobar Escobar's research on the escutcheon of Medellín, since, as he himself indicates in his study, it helped him to verify and take the transcriptions of the documents related to the coat of arms, among them the transcription of the royal decree that grants the arms. Escobar, being the only person who has so far carried out a study on the emblem, is the main source of reference in most of the publications that touch on the escutcheon of the city, which, consequently, reproduce the error generated in the Book of Minutes of the Town Council.

Diffusion of the arms of Medellín

In addition to the municipality, the arms of Medellín are present in the symbols of other institutions that, because of their close ties to the city, have adopted them, either in whole or in part. Likewise, due to its representative character, the coat of arms also appears in the most important decoration of the city and, in turn, has appeared in different commemorative elements of the most important dates of Medellín.

Archdiocese of Medellín

The Archdiocese of Medellín is one of the entities that uses the arms of the city. From its beginnings it did not have an official coat of arms despite its antiquity, for this reason Archbishop Tulio Botero Salazar, after taking possession of the archiepiscopal see in 1958, and seeing this problem, decided that to identify the archdiocese in its official documents, the same coat of arms that for 300 years has identified the city would be used, and, by decree of June 30 of the same year, adopted the coat of arms of Medellín as the official emblem, adding the archiepiscopal cross as a stamp and the motto of the name of the archdiocese at the bottom.

The decree refers in the following terms:

Our Father Tulio Botero Salazar By the Grace of God and the Will of the Apostolic See Archbishop of Medellín Considering:

A) that it is convenient to have an Official Coat of Arms of the Archdiocese;

B) that the historical Coat of Arms of the City of Medellín exists.

We decree:

Article 1. That the OFFICIAL COAT OF ARCHDIOCESE OF MEDELLÍN be adopted as the COAT OF ARCHDIOCESE OF MEDELLÍN, that is: "blue field shield and on it a very thick keep, round, all around crenellated and on it a coat of arms that has fifteen laces, seven blue and eight gold, and on its colonel that touches it and in the homage of the tower to each of the sides a turret, likewise crenellated and in the middle of them placed an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in her arms with the invocation of the Annunciation" (Royal Decree of March 31, 1678).

Article 2. Introduce the variant of the double archiepiscopal cross, placed in the upper part of the coat of arms.

Communicate and comply. Given in Medellín on June 30, 1958.

Tulio Botero Salazar

Archbishop of Medellín

Bishop Octavio Betancur Arango

Auxiliary

It is noteworthy that, apart from the stylistic differences, the coat of arms of the Archdiocese does not comply with two characteristics of the escutcheon of the city. The checkered shield of 15 pieces, 7 blue and 8 gold, was changed for a checkered heart and the Virgin, instead of resting on a cloud, rests directly on the tower. In addition, each one of the turrets ends in a dome, a detail that the arms of the city do not have.

Educational entities with the arms of Medellín

Another entity that uses the arms of the city is the University of Medellín, whose coat of arms was designed by Francisco López de Mesa, a member of the group of founders. The coat of arms of the emblem has a pointed outline, quartered, and in its first quarter are located the arms of the Villa de la Candelaria de Medellín, which represent the link that the university has with the city, from which it takes its name.

In addition, other educational institutions also use all or part of the arms of the city among their emblems, such as the "Colegio Mayor de Antioquia", and the "Centro Formativo de Antioquia" —CEFA— which only have the tower, and the "Institución Educativa Alcaldía de Medellín" has both the tower and the hagiographic figure of the Virgin and Child. These last three educational institutions belong to the municipality.

Seal of the Free State of Antioquia

Another emblem that featured the arms of Medellín, at least partially, was the Seal of the Free State of Antioquia, which only used the keep. This seal emerged in the midst of the events of the Colombian Independence, when the then Province of Antioquia declared its independence from the Spanish Crown on July 29, 1811, with the name of Free and Independent State. In recognition of this, the President of Antioquia, José María Montoya Duque, approved by special decree the Gran Sello de Antioquia (Great Seal of Antioquia) on September 2, 1811, for use as the seal and insignia of the State, as well as its use on the uniforms of its representatives and those of the Royal Court of Finance.

Said seal consisted of a double oval, the innermost of them divided into five-quarters surrounded by the inscription Fe Publica Del Estado Lybre E Yndependyente De Antioquia, surrounded in turn by a palm branch and an olive branch. Of the first four-quarters, the first showed a tree with a raven, the second a tower, the third a lion and the fourth showed two linked hands and arms. These quarters represented the coats of arms of the cities of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Medellín, Rionegro and Marinilla, respectively, while the last quarter contained six branches gathered with a ribbon bearing the inscription R.Z.C.B.Y.C., initials of the towns of Remedios, Zaragoza, Cáceres, San Bartolomé, Yolombó and Cancán (today Amalfi), in their order.

The document approving said seal refers in the following terms:

In the city of Antioquia, capital of the Province, on the second day of September one thousand eight hundred and eleven, the Supreme Legislative Power having assembled in its Palace, and having proposed as the subject of its deliberations the seal to be used by the State, the insignia and uniforms of the individuals of the National Representation, and of the Tribunal of the Royal Treasury, it was agreed as follows:

That the seal of the State be immediately broken in oval form, divided into five quarters and with an inscription on the circumference reading: FE PVBLICA DEL ESTADO LYBRE E YNDEPENDYENTE DE ANTYOQUYA, which shall be bordered on one side with a palm, and on the other with an olive tree. The principal of the five quarters will be occupied by a raven perched on a leafy tree; the second, a tower; the third, a lion; the fourth, two hands and arms intertwined, and the fifth six palm branches gathered with a ribbon. And in the extremity the six initials R.Z.C.B.Y.C.B whose arms are allusive to the four illustrious City Councils; and those of the last quarter, to the six places not subject to capitular department.

Lucio de Villa, Juan Elías López, Manuel Antonio Martínez, Juan Nicolás de Hoyos, José Antonio Gómez, Silvestre Vélez, secretary.

Later and with the passage of time the Free State of Antioquia adopted other emblems, leaving the Great Seal of Antioquia in disuse.

Medellín City Hall Medal

The Medalla Alcaldía de Medellín is the highest distinction of the municipal administration, and was established by Decree 845 of August 10, 1992, when Luis Alfredo Ramos Botero was Mayor of Medellín. This decoration consists of a metal disk, on the obverse side of which there is a reproduction in relief of the arms of the city and, on the reverse side, the legend "Medalla Alcaldía de Medellín" (Medal of the City Hall of Medellín). In addition, the medal is attached to a ribbon with the colors of the municipal flag, which allows it to be hung around the neck for display. It is also accompanied by a lapel shield and a military lapel shield, both with the same design as the main medal.

The decoration comes only in gold category, and is conferred by "decree of honors" to individuals or institutions as a token of recognition and gratitude for outstanding achievements in any of the fields such as social, cultural, economic, ecological, educational, sports, recreational and welfare in the city and the country. In addition, the Mayor of Medellín has sole authority to decide on its granting and is the only one who can deliver it, without the possibility of delegation.

Stamp with the arms of Medellín

In 1975, as part of the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the "legal" founding of Medellín, a stamp was issued with the reproduction of the arms of Medellín as the central figure, and the outline used on this occasion is that corresponding to the Spanish style. The stamp is part of the Heraldic Series programmed by the National Government of Colombia as a way of linking to the commemorative dates of the founding of the cities of the country; in this case, as a recognition to the inhabitants and the city of Medellín.

The stamp was issued on November 4 of the same year, with a format of 30 x 40 mm and a face value of 1 peso for domestic mail only. 1,500,000 units were issued; the special sheet consists of 50 stamps and, in addition, 5,000 first day envelopes were issued. Around the escutcheon, at the bottom is the legend "1675-MEDELLÍN-1975" and at the top is the word "COLOMBIA" and just below it the numeral value "$ 1ºº".

Commemorative coins with the arms of Medellín

Also as part of the city's tercentenary celebrations, in 1975, two commemorative gold coins were minted, on which the arms of the city were depicted. The coat of arms used on these coins is possibly based on the drawing that was included in the royal decree, as the tower is slightly displaced to the right of the rectangle, as is the model of the document.

Both coins are of the same design, only the size and face value vary, they are made in gold law 0.900, are square in shape, and have the values of 1,000 and 2,000 Colombian pesos. The coin of the first value has a dimension of 17.5 x 17.5 mm and weighs 4.25 grams, and the second has 21 x 21 mm and weighs 8.5 grams. On the obverse, the central figure is the "Coat of Arms of Medellín" flanked by olive branches; around the coat of arms, on the upper part is the legend "REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA" and on the lower part the years "1675 - 1975". On the reverse, the central figure is a bouquet of orchids, around it is the legend "TRICENTENARIO DE MEDELLÍN" at the top, and at the bottom is the value in letters and numbers, and "900/1000 ORO" indicating the purity of the metal. A total of 8,000 pieces were minted, of which half were for 1,000 pesos and the rest for 2,000 pesos. They are also the only two square-shaped Colombian coins.

These commemorative coins, although declared legal tender, and therefore, with liberatory power, never entered into circulation, since they were only created for collection purposes. Moreover, their face value is much lower than their acquisition value, which corresponded to the cost of the gold used in their manufacture, according to the market cost, increased by a premium of around 20%.