Coat of arms
 The
Ecuador coat of arms, as described in a decree issued by the National Congress on
November 7th, 1900, is as follows:An oval shield,
containing the sun towards the top, in that section of the zodiac
whose signs correspond to the months of March, April, May, and June.
Below it, Mount Chimborazo, with a stream flowing from it to become a
wide river. A steamboat on the river, with a caduceus forming the
mast, symbol of navigation and of trade. The shield rests upon
consular fasces, the insignia of republican dignity. The flags of the
country stand at either side of the shield, together with wreaths of
bay and palm leaves, and above it all stands the condor, with wings
outstretched. The sun, as it follows the line of the Earth's equator,
gives the country its name, and it was worshipped from the earliest
times as a beneficent god. It is the highest symbol of an equatorial
people.
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The signs of the zodiac are those corresponding
to the months in which the struggle for freedom was waged,
culminating in the Battle of Pichincha, on May 24th, 1822. Mount
Chimborazo symbolizes the Sierra, or inter-Andean region, while
the wide river represents the coastal area. The river serves to unite
the two regions, symbolizing that unity which has brought about the
richness of the country, richness which in its turn is represented by
the boat with a caduceus as a mast. The condor which crowns the shield
represents power and liberty, invitolerant of restrictions. |
Historical synthesis of the Coa: The Coa underwent six changes. The current
graphical version, approved by the Ministerio de Instruccion Publica
(Popular Education Office) in 1916 is a marvelous work of art due to
the brushes of Pedro P. Traversari, which surpassed the many
antiaesthetical graphical versions of the verbal descriptions
contained in the 1845 and 1900 decrees.
These are the changes:
1) From 1821
the Free Province of Guayaquil used a white five-pointed star on blue
field, surrounded by two laurel branches and the scroll "POR GUAYAQUIL
INDEPENDIENTE".
2) While
Ecuador was part of Greater Colombia, its arms were those in the 6th
October 1821 Law decreed by the Cucuta Congress, ie. the cornucopies
or 'horns of plenty', bound with a tricolour tape, and with the words
'Republica de Colombia' around it.
3) The 27th
September 1830, the Constituent Congress meeting at Riobamba designed
the arms of Ecuador thus: "the arms of Colombia will be used, a light
blue field with a sun in the equinox over the phases and a scroll 'El
Ecuador en Colombia'".
4) About 1836
and at least in 1846 a round Coa with two mountains and two doves
carrying olive branches was used. On the sky, the sun amongst the
signs of Leo, Scorpio, Balance and Virgo and seven stars over them.
Beneath the mountains, a circular scroll 'Republica del Ecuador'
surrounded by olive and laurel branches.
5) A decree was passed during the third mandate of
General Flores, stating that "the [coat of] arms of the Republic will
have a rectangular chief and a elliptical base. Its field will be
divided into three quarters: the uppermost blue with the sun setting
over a section of the Zodiac; the middle one divided into two, right a gold field with an
open book with the Roman numerals I through IV indicating chapters of
the Constitution, left a green field with a horse; the
lowermost again divided into two, right a blue field with a river and
a ship on it, left a silver field with a volcano. A condor with
displayed wings on the top and flags and trophies at the sides.
6) The 1900 congress established the Coa as is known today, with the tricolour restored by Garcia Moreno in
1860, after the Jambeli victory where the Peruvian invaders sent by
Castilla were expelled. |
