![[Coat-of-Arms of Ecuador]](../images/e/ec-coa.gif)
image by Zoltan Horvath, 28 May 2024
Last modified: 2024-06-15 by daniel rentería
Keywords: ecuador | condor | bird (condor) | chimborazo | guayas | caduceos | zodiac |
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image by Zoltan Horvath, 28 May 2024
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[This time I just have recorded the contribution to having been eaten the
great amount of backlogs - then I will summarize the conflicting contributions
reported here, a clean-up will be done later. - The Editor]
The Ecuador coat of arms was adopted by the National Congress
in 1900. Here is an explanation of its symbolism:
Four national furled flags act as supporters. Between them are
palm and laurel branches symbolizing victory. A condor perched at
the top serves as a crest and offers the country shelter and
protection under its outstretched wings and stands ready to
strike out against any enemy. At the base is a lictoral fasces
representing dignity.
The coat of arms proper is an oval disc (said to be
"heart-shaped") consisting principally of an
allegorical landscape. In the background is the majestic
Chimborazo mountain rising against a blue sky. This is the
highest peak in the Andes and its snows give birth to the Guayas
River. The imagery symbolizes the brotherhood of the Sierra and
the Coast. In the foreground, the steamboat "Guayas" is
seen crossing the wide river. This boat, which began service on
October 9, 1841, was constructed by Vicente Rocafuerte and was
the first of its kind in Ecuador and South America. The mast is
actually a caduceus (a rod with two wings at the top and two
snakes encircling it) and symbolizes "accord and
trade". On a band across the sky are the zodiacal signs for
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer corresponding to March, April,
May, and June -- months which are historically significant to
Ecuadorians. Centered among these is the sun, an ancient Inca
symbol.
T.F Mills, 11 December 1997
The bird on the top of the arms is an Andean Condor. This
native South American bird is also on the arms of Bolivia, Chile
and Colombia.
Paige Herring, 5 March 1998
At <www.mmrree.gov.ec> there is a governmental text as follows:
THE COAT OF ARMS OF ECUADOR
In1900 the Congress established the Coat of Arms and the flag as
physical symbols of the Fatherland. It is an oval within which
there is one of the most extraordinary landscapes of the
Equatorian land [sic]. A blue sky shows up the Andean giant
Chimborazo; from its silver snows falls a river whose waters
widen in a flooding manner until they run amidst luxuriantly
vegetated margins.
It is the Guayas river, symbol of national unity of mountains and
coastland, Equatorian regions. Melted contrasts for our
greatness. In the wide part of the river there is a ship which
reminds of the first one built in the Guayaquil docks in 1840,
believed to be the first ship built in South America. It carries
a Caduceus (symbol of the god Mercury and of trade). The silver
Zodiac band bears in the middle a gold sun. The signs of the
months of March, April, May and June, ie. Aries, Taurus, Gemini
and Cancer are engraved on them, translating the historical
calendar thus: 6th March 1845, fall of Flores' government; 21st
April 1822, the Tapi Battle, which announced the final victory of
Sucre at the unmatched Pichincha Battle 24th May 1822, fall of
the enslaving regime and our political freedom; 5th June 1895,
entry of Liberalism and a new political context. The whole rests
on a fasces, universal symbol of republican dignity. The oval is
surrounded by four national flags, two each side; in between them
appear olive and a laurel branches speaking of the peace and
welfare, glory and triumph. Over the oval on the top, a condor
-local bird of the Equatorian Andes- opens its wings and with its
majesty and energy symbolizes the Fatherland in its effort of
self improvement and progress.
Historical synthesis of the Coat of Arms: The Coat of Arms
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 Coat of Arms 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 [sinister?] a gold field with an open book with
the Roman numerals I through IV indicating chapters of the
Constitution, left [dexter?] 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 Coat of Arms 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.
Santiago Dotor, 21 October 1998
Concering Santiago Dotor's post: "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":
The "phases" is a wrong translation which should be
"fasces", as the arms of Colombia showed the fasces
with a bow and three arrows between two cornucopiae.The text he
gives explains that there were two cornucopiae bound together and
the letters... But he does not tell, that there must be a fasces
and a bow in between those cornucopiae. To prove here is that Coat of Arms. The said text was in
original FASCES, but we have a handwritten copy of that text,
coming from Ecuador, dating 1910 (!) where the writer copied
FASES. Since then the text has always been repeated, and not the
original text, which might have been lost, but is written in a
later brochure about coat of arms and flags of Ecuador.
Also Concering "...with two mountains and two doves carrying olive branches": We have two pictures of that coat of arms. One is circular, without the doves, the second is of normal shield shape but the doves are cornucopiae above the shield, and there are three mountains and only six stars. Who had the wrong intention? Were there cornucopiae or were there doves? Both look the nearly same when sketched roughly... I think the cornucopiae are right, as they have always been in Colombian arms of that era. In use 1832 - 1843.
Concering " ...during General Flores...": These coat
of arms were introduced in the constitution of 1843. In 1845 the
coat of arms of today was introduced (with w-b-w flags and
different signs in the Zodiac), it was changed in 1860 to the
present design, some minor changes in 1900. In our files we have
seven Ecuadorian arms! 1820, 1822, 1830, 1832, 1843, 1845, 1860
(1900).
Ralf Stelter, 23 May 1999 and 17 September 1999
I disagree, the original text (in an Ecuatorian website) did
say "fases" (ie. phases) and not "fasces". On
the other hand, the sun really is depicted in the coat of arms
over the signs of four phases of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus,
Gemini and Cancer) as is explained in the first paragraph of the
translated passage. The fasces is below the whole escutcheon, not
under the sun within the escutcheon. The text I translated said
"fases" (=phases), and the coat-of-arms depicted
somewhere in the same website did have Zodiac phases, with the
fasces below the whole escutcheon and not within it. I have no
knowledge on Ecuatorian vexillological or armorial history so I
cannot authenticate or refute either the text or the image.-
Saniago dotor, 25 May 1999 and 27 September 1999
This coat of arms seems to be the official one of the Republic
of Great Colombia. First apparition is dated 6 October 1821 in
Cundinamarca and is in use until 9 May 1834 (same time several
variants of the arms exist). These arms were added to the
national flag (intead old one).Main source from this infos is
Prof. Restrepo Uribe.
Jaume Ollé, 27 September 1999
The adoption date of Ecuador coat of arms as Dec 5th 1845 is a
date for the 2nd version coat of arms. The current (5th)
version of coat of arms was adopted on Dec 5th 1900.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 13 January 2001
Description of the national coat of arms
The coat of arms of Ecuador is made of an oval whose inner upper part includes
the sun; on the elliptic [ribbon] are placed the Ram, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer
signs of the zodiac, matching the months of March, April, May and June, during
which significant historical events occurred.
In the lower dexter part is the representation of the Chimborazo (the highest
snow volcano in the country), from which flows a river (Guayas), on the non
meandrous part of which sails a steamboat, recalling the steamboat built in the
Guyaquil shipyard (1840), the first steamboat in South America. The steamboat's
mast is made of a caduceus, the symbol of nvigation and trade, as the
sources of Ecuador's wealth. The shield is supported by a fasces of consul's
axes, the universal expression of the Republican dignity, and flanked by
national flags and breanches of palm and laurel proclaiming peace. The oval is
crowned by a condor with spread wings.
Source: User's guide of the national symbols, November 2009 [e9c09].
Ivan Sache, 19 September 2010
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