Peru

El Peru

Last modified: 1997-09-22 by herman de wael
Keywords: peru | bolivia | america |
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by giuseppe bottasini

• Governmental and Military Flags of Peru
• History of the Peruvian Flag
• Peruvian - Bolivian confederation
• North Peru
• South Peru

History of the Peruvian Flag

• 1820
• 1822
• 1823
• 1825
• 1838
• 1839

1820

by Jaume Olle

The first Peruvian flag was flown by general Miller in Tacna on 1820-05-14. William Bennet Stevenson. secretary of Lord Cochrane, refers in his reports, that it was blue with the sun in the center. I have never seen this flag drawn so the image is a free creation based on the description. Image in Ratio 2:3.

by Jaume Olle

On 1820-10-21 General Jose de San Martin issued in Pisco the decree that fixed the national flag. The literal text was as follows :

"Will be adopted as national flag of the country one of silk or linen 8-foot long by six broad, divided by diagonal lines in four fields, white the two extremes superior and inferior, and flesh-colored the lateral two, with an oval-shaped laurel wreath, and within that a sun setting over snowed mountains above a quiet sea. The shield can be painted or embroidery, but preserving each object their colors, to know: the laurel wreath to be green and tied in the lower part with a tape of gold color; blue the upper part that represents the sky; yellow the sun with its beams; the mountains of an obscure brown color, and the sea between blue and green".

the image has been copied from the American Hispanic Encyclopedia; the blue color is applied to the snowfall mountains as reflex of the sky. Ratio 6:8.

1822

by Jaume Olle

On 1822-03-15 the Marquis of Torre Tagle, supreme delegate, dictated a decree , modifying the previous, that was saying: "The national flag of Peru will be composed of a transverse white strip between two flesh-colored of the same width, with a sun also flesh-colored on the white strip."

by Jaume Olle

"The preference badge (Flag of the State) will be all flesh-colored with a white sun in the center"

"The banner will be equal in all to the flag, with the difference of the provisional weapons of the State, that will carry embroidered on the center of the white strip ( the provisional weapons are described thus: formed the shield the flags of all the republics that fight against espana, this is those of Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Peru , and this shield will be put between the Peruvian flame and the Chilean condor )."

by Jaume Olle

"The flag of the mercantile ships will be equal to the national, with the difrerence of not to carry the flesh-colored sun in the band of the center"

1823

by Jaume Olle

The Peruvian flag was modified to horizontal form in 1823, because in the distance, the flag was confused with the Spanish flag, though the modification decree of the flag and of the shield is of 1825-02-25. The approved shield included the vicuna, the keno tree and the cornucopia apportioning gold and silver coins, representing the three kingdoms: animal, vegetable and mineral. The shield had to go presided by a laurel wreath and to each side a banner with the national colors. The flag of 1823-25 included in the center the sun.

1825

by Jaume Olle

In 1825 it was determined that the flag would carry the national shield.

1838

In 1838 General Santa Cruz created the Peruvian - Bolivian Confederation.

1839

In 1839, General Santa Cruz was overthrown and the flag of 1825 was re-established

All the flags are drawn in Ratio 2.3 (except the flag of Peru 1820, that is Ratio 3:4 or 6:8). The original drawings, for the majority, are in The American Hispanic Encyclopaedia. The text of the decrets is in the same Encyclopaedia.

Jaume Olle - 1996-07-26