america latina

Huitzo eagle arms 1

Excerpt from the book

HERALDRY OF THE WORLD

Written and illustrated by

Carl Alexander von Volborth , K.St.J., A.I.H.

Copenhagen 1973

Internet version edited by Andrew Andersen, Ph.D.

Mexico and South America

(pp. 163-165 and 235-2236)

As long as Mexico and South America belonged to Spain (and in the case of Brazil, to Portugal), the heraldry of these colonies was in the main an offshoot of that of the homelands. Charges of local origin were likely to be included - see the Indians' heads in Fig. 856 and the cacti in Fig. 857 - but this in no way changed the usual composition.

856

856. Arms of the Spaniard Hernan (Fernando) Cortes (1485-1547), who conquered Mexico 1519-21.

855

855. The arms of the Spaniard Francisco Montejo

(c.1473-1553), who conquered Yucatan.

857

857. Arms of Mexico City, granted by Charles V in 1523.

After the secessions at the beginning of the nineteenth century a new form of national and civic heraldry developed in certain respects. Some of the new states retained the shield of the old shape, while others did away with it (Figs 15,854 and 858), but the devices themselves were all new: the Phrygian cap of liberty and the rising sun (Fig. 861), the laurel wreath (Figs 15 and 862), the clasped hands of brotherhood (Fig. 861), the cornucopia (Figs 860 and 862), stars and so on. The traditional heraldic beasts etc. were supplanted by native flora and fauna: the Queztal bird of Guatemala (Fig. 15), Brazil's wreath of coffee and tobacco leaves with the constellation of the Southern Cross in the centre (Fig. 858), Chile's hart and condor (Fig. 859), Peru's llama (Fig. 862) etc. In Mexico and the Small Central American states especially inspiration was also sought in Indian heraldry and symbolism (Fig. 854).