The flags of US states and cities that are inspired by Spanish flags

@ElentirENG ES 7·18·2024 · 23:34 0

Spain and the United States have important cultural ties due to the Hispanic cultural heritage of that American country.

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Much of the current territory of the United States was part of Spain in the past, and even today that Hispanic heritage is reflected in many place names of American states and cities. This Spanish legacy is also seen in some flags of US states and cities. Let's look at some examples.

Alabama

The flag of Alabama was adopted by this state in 1895. Alabama was part of Spanish Florida and its flag is inspired by the Spanish flag of the Cross of Burgundy, which was the flag of Spain from 1525 to 1843, for 318 years.

Florida

Florida was another of the US states that were part of Spain. This state had three different flags between 1861 and 1900. Finally, it adopted a flag with a red cross on a white background, like Alabama but with the seal of the state of Florida in the center. The state flag of Florida, like that of Alabama, is inspired by the Spanish flag of the Cross of Burgundy. The current shape of the Florida flag was approved in 1985.

New Mexico

The state of New Mexico was also part of Spain. Specifically, it was in the northwest of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, one of the largest viceroyalties in Spanish America. Its flag was approved in 1925 with the intention of reclaiming its Spanish and indigenous legacy. The colors are those of the current Flag of Spain, and the emblem that it has in the center is the symbol with which the Zía Indians represented the sun. Today it is one of the most appreciated state flags in the United States for its original design and cheerful colors.

Arizona

Arizona was also part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Its flag was officially adopted on February 27, 1917. The star is a copper color, since Arizona is the largest producer of copper in the United States. The blue evokes the United States Flag, while the red and yellow stripes evoke the Spanish past of this state.

San Diego

The city of San Diego, on the coast of California, was founded by the Spanish in 1769. Its flag was officially adopted on October 16, 1934. It indicates the year 1542, in which the explorer Spaniard Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo entered San Diego Bay for the first time, taking possession of that territory for Spain. As the city itself points out on its official website , the colors of the flag of this city evoke those of the Flag of Spain, and coincide in their arrangement with the flag used by the Spanish galleons, but vertically.

Santa Bárbara

The city of Santa Barbara, in California, was founded by Spaniards in 1769. Its municipal flag was designed in 1920 and officially adopted in 1923. The colors of the flag evoke the Spanish past of the city, which is why they coincide with those of the current Flag of Spain.

Santa Isabel

Puerto Rico was a Spanish territory until 1898. Today it is a commonwealth of the United States. The city of Santa Isabel, in Puerto Rico, has a flag of clear Spanish inspiration and very similar to the flag of Santa Bárbara.

Toa Alta

Toa Alta is a town in Puerto Rico founded by the Spanish in 1751. Its municipal flag is one of the clearest examples of Spanish inspiration in US flags, as it reproduces the colors and stripes of the current one. Flag of Spain, changing its thickness and adding an eight-pointed star in the upper left corner, which evokes Santiago Apóstol, Patron Saint of Spain. This flag was officially adopted in 1983.

Barceloneta

This town in Puerto Rico was founded in 1881 by Bonocio Llensa Feliú, born in the La Barceloneta neighborhood of the Spanish city of Barcelona. The flag of Barceloneta was officially adopted in 1979 and clearly recalls the municipal flag of Barcelona, with which it shares its St. George's crosses and the red and yellow bars.

Morovis

The city of Morovis, in Puerto Rico, was founded by the Spanish in 1818. The flag includes the red and yellow colors of the Flag of Spain and the Eagle of San Juan, which was used by the Kings Catholics in their coat of arms.

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Images: Froztbyte / Steve Hall / The Eloquent Peasant / Madden / Zscout370.