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Colombia - Historical Flags (pre-1856)

Last modified: 2003-08-16 by dov gutterman
Keywords: colombia | new granada | miranda | cauca | vargas | cundinamarca | cartagena | nueva granada | buga | sun | moon |
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Overview

Professor Restrepo Uribe told me that between 1834 and 1861 the nine provinces of Colombia used flags of their own: the national flag with the provincial shield in the center.
But during the same time Colombia changed its flag two or three times (including vertical stripes version).
Jaume Olle, 8 September 1996

I have searched on the history of the Colombian flag. After final independence was achieved in 1819, the Great Colombia used a tricolor flag, yellow- blue-red, horizontally arranged, at a 3:2:1 ratio -that is to say, yellow was larger than blue and blue was larger than red-. After the Federation dissoluted in 1830, Colombia kept using that flag until 1834. In 1834, the country's name became "República de Nueva Granada", and the flag was changed: the stripes were vertical, all of the same width, and the order, from hoist to fly, was red-blue- yellow. This flag was then changed on November 26, 1861, to the present flag, with horizontal stripes, yellow-blue-red, at a 2:1:1 ratio.
My source is "Banderas y Escudos del Mundo EASA", Editorial América S.A., 1986., as well as personal experience
Jaime Vengoechea, 10 April 1999

Before 1834, the shade of blue in colobian flags was celeste (light blue) and not the same shade of the current national flag.
Jaume Ollé, 26 October 2001


Historical Flags Site

Almost a year ago, Dov Gutterman found in the web of the colombian presidency a page with a short synopsis of the colombian flag history at <www.presidencia.gov.co> and it contains 16 flags with a short explanation of each one of them. I had drawn most of those flags .Here is also a translation of the info at that page. My comments are between brackets.
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


Pre-Independence Coat of Arms


by Jaume Olle, 15 September 2001

Until 1810 only spanish flags were used in Nueva Granada. But the so-called Kingdom of New Grenada had arms granted by King of Castilla and Catalonia, Charles V, in Royal Cedule issued 3 December 1548. (A lot of cities also obtained arms)
Jaume Olle, 15 September 2001


1797 Flag


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "Designed by Francisco Mirando [isn't it Miranda?, JC] in 1797, referring to the social classes and to the four fundamental aims the patriots aspired to: equality, liberty, property and safety. " [this is the tetracolour flag also used today as the state flag of Vargas, Venezuela. It can be described like this: Divided vertically into two equal fields. The hoist field is white with a blue horizontal stripe 1/4 height along the bottom. The white part is charged by a red sun; the blue stripe is charged with 4 white 5-pointed stars. The fly half is divided into 4 vertical stripes, yellow, red, white, blue. The overall proportions look like 1:2].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

Editorial note: According to other source, this reported flag is wrong and the right flag is the flag that is used today by Vargas state, Venezuela, as described there.


1806 Flags


by Guillermo Aveledo , 7 September 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "This was the emblem of the brigantine Leandro when it was put in the water at 12 March 1806. This flag was the symbol of victory "- [blue with a full moon centered and a raising sun in the canton. A long and narrow red streamer flies above the flag with no identifiable writing. In the original file there seems to be something in lower hoist and details are very difficult to resolve. The overall proportions seem to be about 2:3, excluding the streamer.]
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "At 12 March 1806, our national tricolour was flown for the first time. Miranda was inspired by the predominant colours of the rainbow [?] and it was flown on land in the port of La Vela in August of the same year" [It is the colombian yellow-blue-red horizontal in 2:1:1. Judging by that drawing, it was 1:2].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


"Carlos III" Flag


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "Red and gold of Carlos III. It's colours symbolize the military notion in the orders of his majesty for the regime, discipline, subbordination and services of his armies, effective since the time of D. Carlos III ".[This is the spanish triband. I'm not sure I understood the original text, so this translation may contain errors. Anyway, this image should, I suppose, contain the arms of Spain from that period, as depicted in the Spanish pages. Proportions, 2:3].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


1811 Flags


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "In 1811 the predecessor [?! I suppose they refer to Miranda] leaded the mantuans [?!] under a big yellow banner, used by the armies in the Liberating Campaign of 1819" [ A plain yellow flagwith 2:3 proportions].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "This flag was adopted by the confederate cities in the Cauca Valley, approved at 26 July 1811. The General Jose' Maria Cabal took part in the delegation and his troops took the flag in campaigns along the Palace' [this is a white over blue horizontal bicolour, unlike the current flag of Cauca." [Again, I'm not certain of my translation. The text is quite confusing . Anyway, the proportions seem longer than 2:3. I made it 1:2, perhaps exaggerating].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

Cauca Valley has a complicate history. First autonomist movements started in July 1810. In August some cities created a confederation for defense from the royalist that controlled mainly Popayan and Pasto. More cities adhered to the Confederation in September 1810. On October, Cali claimed that the confederation would be recognized as separate province (separate from Popayan). The flag - celest over white, was used as cockarde, flag and band. On 5 February 1811 the confederation didn't recognize the spanish regency government anyomore. Popayan (royalist) was conquered on 1-4-1811 but royalist remained in Pasto. On 21 June 1811 junta of Confederate cities established in Popayan and flag was adopted on 26 June 1811. It was celest over white and fringed argent in at least three sides. It was used as band, flag and coackarde. Confederation lost and reconquist Popayan for several times (even conquered Pasto for some time), and first obtained help from the United Provinces and after 1813 (with a previous small help in 1811) from Cundinamarca. The dictatorship of Cundinamarca, Nari?o, was capturated by royalist in this war, when leading cundinamarquese troops in help of the confederates. At the end royalist defeated the independentist and in 1816 the confederation ended and spanish rule restablished as was in rest of provinces except Casanare, where the independentist resistence, led by Santander, and helped soon by Venezuela, started to recover the country.
Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "From the regiments of Cundinamarca of 1811 the government decreed that the flag should be yellow with a red cross and it it's corners the shields of Cundinamarca, Castille and Leon. It was held by Narin~o in all his campaigns." [my image is just a sketch, since it is impossible from the original file to know where should be placed each of the shields. Anyway, they are in the hoist quadrants (more specific than "corners"). The source shows a long flag, so I made it 1:2].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "Flag of Cartagena. At 17 November 1811, it [the flag, I presume] received an oath of loyalty from the troops gathered there. Bolivar took it in the Admirable Campaign in 1813, using it Atanasio Girardot did the feat of the _Barbula_. It was adopted as emblem in April 1814 by the Congress of the united provinces of Nueva Granada" [The flag is green (?) with a yellow inner border and a red outer border and a white 8-pointed star centered. The green is highly dubious. The colour of the original is not clear, but is distinctly greenish. I suspect, however, that it should be blue instead, as in all other colombian flags I know of. I'm posting the green "version" anyway. Also a long flag in the original drawing, so I made it 1:2, probably exagerating].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

See also: Cartagena State (1811-1814) and Cundinamarca Independent State (1813-1814)


1814 Flags

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "Ninth flag   -  Of an independent Cundinamarca. In the year 1814 was adopted as a symbol of Nueva Granada and ment a second act of conversion of the tricolour. Nation corresponding to the identity of heroic aims and ideals of Nariño, Miranda and Bolivar"[The flag is a tricolour of blue, yellow and red, with equal horizontal stripes and with an oval centered charged with what looks like an eagle.
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "At 26 April the Congress gathered in Tunja adopts it as symbol of the united provinces of Nueva Granada. Later it was adopted as banner of the city of Buga. "[this one is a plain horizontal tricolour with equal heights, yellow, green (?), red. Proportions definitely 1:2].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>: "Of the Bolivarine lancers. Designed by the liberator Simon Bolivar and carried by his troops during the campaign of War to Death [this is a blue triangular flag with white writing reading "LIBERTAD O MUERTE" (freedom or death)]
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999


by Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999

From <www.presidencia.gov.co>:"This one continues the flag of War to Death and the troops carried it from 1814 upto the battles of the Vargas swamp and Boyaca' bridge that established definitively our independence" [this one is clearly based on napoleonic designs: red with a large white lozenge including a blue rectangle. Another long flag, but again I might have exagerated by making it 1:2].
Jorge Candeias, 1 October 1999



by Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001


by Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001


by Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001

In 1819 campaign there was mainly using the Miranda flag, that was yellow, blue and red (4:2:1) but also was used the flag of Padilla, a pirate chef that in1813, leading Cartagena military forces, helped Bolivar in the so-called "war at death" against spanish in 1813. The Padilla flag is only reported with date 1819 and is red with white losange containing a black rectangle.Flagmaster picture it with yellow losange, but seems to be another mistake.
Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001

See also: United Provinces on New Granada (1814)


1819 Flag

See: Great Colombia Federate Republic (1819-1830)


1821 Flag

See: Great Colombia Federate Republic (1819-1830)


1834 Flags

See: New Granada Republic (1831-1856)


Colombia - Historical Flags (1856-1909)