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Last modified: 2020-10-31 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Don Benito (37,017 inhabitants in 2018; 56,199 ha) is located 120 km east of Badajoz and 50 km east of Mérida. The municipality is composed of the town of Don Benito and of the colonies of Conquista del Guadiana (131 inh.), Gargáligas (526 inh.), Hernán Cortés (944 inh.), Ruecas (701 inh.), El Torviscal (562 inh.), Valdehornillos (670 inh.), and Vivares (733 inh.).
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
The flag (photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo) and rehabilitated arms of Don Benito, adopted on 30 December 1992 and 25 June 1993 by the Municipal Council and validated on 25 May 1993 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 22 July 1993 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 29 July 1993 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 89, pp. 2,225-2,226 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. Composed of two vertical stripes in proportions 2/3 and 1/3 of the flag's length, white at hoist and charged with the municipal coat of arms, red at fly.
Coat of arms: Azure a castle or masoned sable adextered by a palm vert in base gules two keys or in saltire. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Gargáligas
Gargáligas is located 30 km north-east of Don Benito.
The flag and arms of Gargáligas, adopted on 8 February 2005 by the Village Council and validated on 21 April 2005 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 28 April 2005 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 21 May 2004 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 58, pp. 6,927-6,928 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. Divided by a descending wavy diagonal in width 1/5 of the flag's width, blue, and yellow at fly. Charged in the center with the coat of arms.
Coat of arms: Per bend wavy argent and azure a sun or, 2. Or a branch of rockrose flowered proper. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Hernán Cortés
Flag of Hernán Cortés - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Hernán Cortés is located 20 km north-west of Don Benito. The village is named for the conquistador Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), the overthrower of the Aztec Empire and conqueror of Mexico, who was born in Medellín (Province of Badajoz).
The flag and arms of Hernán Cortés, adopted on 25 May 1999 by the Village Council and validated on 16 November 1999 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 22 December 1999 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 18 January 2000 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 6, pp. 502-503 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. Composed of three vertical stripes in respective proportions 1:5 at hoist, white, 3:5, green, and 1:5 at fly, blue. Charged in the center with the coat of arms in full colors.
Coat of arms: Per fess, 1. Argent a [double-headed] eagle sable, 2a. Or a watermelon vert, 2b. Azure a mill argent over waves of the same. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
While the lower part of the arms represents the agricultural colony of Hernán Cortés, its upper part represents its namesake.
As a reward for his acts in America, Hernán Cortés was erected Knight of the Order of Saint James and Marquess of Oaxaca Valley, and granted arms by Charles I in 1525:
"Quarterly, 1. Argent a double-headed eagle sable, 2. Sable three crowns or, 3. Gules a lion or, 4. Azure the town of México argent over waves azure and argent. Inescutcheon Or four pallets gules. A bordure or seven heads proper chained argent. The shield surmounted by a helmet, a crown and a winged tiger.
The first quarter features the arms of Austria, representing the Habsburg rulers of Spain at the time.
The second quarter represents the three Aztec rulers submitted by Cortés: Moctezuma, Cuitláuac and Cuáhutemoc.
The third quarter feature a lion as a symbol of valiance and a field gules to recall the blood shed during the conquest.
The fourth quarter features a realistic representation of the conquered realm.
The escutcheon features the arms of Monroy, Cortés' lineage.
The bordure alludes to Moctezuma's seven vassals, captured after the seizure of México.
The helmet represents the Order of Saint James, the crown is a symbol of sovereignty, and the tiger represents Cortés' force and astute.
[Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes]
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Ruecas
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Flag of Ruecas - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Ruecas is located 15 km north of Don Benito.
The flag and arms of Ruecas, adopted on 6 June 2002 by the Village Council and validated on 25 June 2002 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 13 January 2003 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 11 February 2003 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 18, pp. 1,870-1,871 (text).
Flag of Ruecas - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
The flag and arms of Ruecas, adopted on 6 June 2002 by the Village Council and validated on 25 June 2002 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 13 January 2003 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 11 February 2003 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 18, pp. 1,870-1,871 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. Vertically divided, red at hoist, white in the center and green at fly, in respective proportions 1:4, 2:4 and 1:4. Charged in the center with the coat of arms in full colors.
Coat of arms: Per pale, 1. Gules waves azure and argent, 2. Or furrows vert with plants or. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
El Torviscal
![[Flag]](../images/e/es-ba-et.gif)
Flag of El Torviscal - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
El Torviscal is located 20 km north-east of Don Benito.
The flag of El Torviscal, adopted on 16 February and 22 December 1998 by the Village Council and validated on 5 October 1998 and 16 November 1999 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, is prescribed by an Order issued on 22 December 1999 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 18 January 2000 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 6, p. 508 (text).
The flag is described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. Tierced on top, green at hoist and red at fly on a white background. Charged in the center with the municipal coat of arms in full colors.
The coat of arms of El Torviscal, adopted on 16 February 1998 by the Village Council and validated on 5 October 1998 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 26 October 1998 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 3 November 1998 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 126, pp. 8,016-8,017 (text).
The coat of arms is described as follows:
Coat of arms: Per pale, 1. Or a flax-leaved daphne vert fructed gules flowered argent, 2. Vert a rice panicle or. Grafted in base, Azure four waves argent. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
The daphne (torvisco) makes the arm canting. The village was named for the Hispano-Roman toponym Torviscus, from turvare, "to trouble". turviscare means "to poison water with daphne to catch fish", as reported by Julián Mora Aliseda (Don Benito: Análisis de la situación socio-económica y cultural de un territorio singular).
According to the Gran Enciclopedia Extremeña, the flax-leaved daphne is very common in Extremadura, flowering from July to September and still flowering after the ripening of fruit. The whole pant contains toxic substances causing irritation.
Rice is a main crop in El Torvisco, especially in the irrigated crops of the upper plains of Guadiana. The base of the shield represents water supplied all the year round by the Zújar dam.
[Municipal website]
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Valdehornillos
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Flag of Valdehornillos - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Valdehornillos is located 25 km north-west of Don Benito. The village was established in 1969 as part of the Plan Badajoz.
The flag (photo) and arms of Valdehornillos, adopted on 31 May 2002 by the Village Council and validated on 25 June 2002 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 13 January 2003 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 11 February 2003 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 18, pp. 1,871-1,872 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. White with a red horizontal stripe, in width 1/5 of the flag's hoist, in base. Charged in the center with the coat of arms in full colors.
Coat of arms: Per fess, 1. Argent three ovens gules port sable surrounded by two mountains proper, 2a. Vert four furrows or, 2b. Azure four waves argent. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
The upper quarter forms a rebus of the village's name, lit. the Valley of Small Ovens. The lower quarter emphasizes the origin of Valdehornillos as an agricultural colony.
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
Vivares
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Flag of Vivares - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
The submunicipal entity of Vivares, located 30 km north-west of Don Benito, was established in 1999.
Vivares (municipal website) was established as an agricultural colony in 1964-1965. The village was built by workers coming from the neighboring settlements, while the stone was extracted from the Morra de Vivares mountain, located only 2 km from the building site. The first colonists (15-20 families) were allocated a plot, a house, a mare and a cow. They experienced hard time since neither electricity nor freshwater was supplied; children were taught in a single class and a doctor visited the village only once a week. Accordingly, several settlers emigrated to the neighboring towns and were replaced in 1966-1967 by newcomers, who established the first shops.
The main source of income in Vivares (75%) is agriculture, producing tomatoes, watermelons, corn and rice.
The flag (photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo) and arms of Vivares, adopted on 12 March 1998 by the Village Council and validated on 6 October 1998 and 16 November 1999 by the Assessing Council of Honors and Distinctions of the Government of Extremadura, are prescribed by an Order issued on 22 December 1999 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 18 January 2000 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 6, pp. 511-512 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3. Gyronny in base, yellow at hoist and green at fly on a white background. Charged in the center with the municipal coat of arms in full colors.
Coat of arms: Per pale, 1. Or three rabbits argent on a base proper, 2. Vert two corn plants crossed. Grafted in base, Azure four waves argent. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
While the second and third quarters allude to irrigated agriculture, the first quarter makes the arms canting, vivares meaning "burrows", and, more specifically, "rabbit burrows".
The coat of arms in actual use does not match the legal description, the field of the first field being represented as "proper" (here, brunâtre) and not or as prescribed. However, the drawing attached to the Order represents the arms this way, while the drawing of the flag shows the coat of arms as prescribed. From an heraldic point of view, the plain field is more suitable, although the use of brunâtre might be challenged as uncommon, especially in Spanish municipal heraldry.
Ivan Sache, 15 March 2020
