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Cundinamarca Independent State (1813-1814) (Colombia)

image by Jaume Ollé

Overview
Santa Fe Colours
Cundinamarca Regiments Flag (1811)
The 1813 Flag
National Colors
Army Flag
Presidential Flag
Coat of Arms

See also:

Overview

On 21 July 1810 appeared, in Santa Fe, cockardes, banners, bands and flags with the colors yellow and red. They must means that spanish colors were recognized since the Junta in Santa Fe, established day before, recognized the spanish king Fernando VII and the regency government of Cadiz. The colors were the orign of the current Bogota flag (Santa Fe full name was Santa Fe de Bogota, now known only as Bogota). Those colors were used mainly by the so-called Junta de San Victorino, a popular leadership of the revolt, that on 26 July obtain decision that the Junta recognizes only the King Fernando VII but not the regency of Cadiz since Santa fe wanted to be autonomous, only under the same king as Spain. However, on 16 August 1810 a more moderate autonomist fraction took power. Those colors were used by the militias of the province of Santa Fe in 1811. On 27 February 1811 santa Fe was converted into the state of Cundinamarca (recognizing the spanih King) and constitution was issued on 30 March 1811.
On 7 August 1813 the State of Cundinamarca flag was adopted, adding a celest stripe to the flag. There is a mistake f of some vexillologist which attribued the meaning of sea to the blue the, even Philippe mentions that the flag with seal must have been the naval ensign. It is quite clear that no ensigns were created by Cundinamarca because is in inner land, very very far to the coast and without rivers or lakes. Flag must be only national, civil and state flag on land and with seal (and inscriptions) as the military flag. Since is not any exemple available of the military flag, reconstruction was made according to the text of the law.
Flags of Cundinamarca were plain triband as civil (and probably state) flag on land, triband with seal (very similar to the current provincial flag) is doubtefoul (perhaps state flag on land). Perhaps there is a confusion with the presidential flag which is certainly the triband with seal but with motto in the seal which is different from the motto in the national seal. Square triband with black inscriptions and seal is a reconstruction of the military flag from Restrepo (JHS and CUNDINAMARCA inscriptions were added because they are quoted in the law text but they are not drawn in Restrrepo). Square triband with gold inscriptions is my reconstruction (the l>aw don't mention seal neither chains and motto, but only eagle and cap, and it didn't gave the colour and position of the inscriptions that I placed in the most normal form and in the most frequent color for embrodoined inscriptions).
Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001

Santa Fe Colours

image by Jaume Ollé, 15 September 2001

Cundinamarca Regiments Flag (1811)

obverse
image by Eugene Ipavec and Jorge Candeias, 30 May 2006

reverse
image by Jorge Candeias, 30 May 2006

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

In a recent Military parade held in Bogota this year to commemorate Colombia's Independence Day (July 20), all the historical Colombian flags were flown. According to my sources (a booklet from the Military Museum in Bogota and also the pictures taken from the TV broadcast that day), the flag (ratio 2:3) should be called Bandera de los Regimientos de Cundinamarca (Cundinamarca Regiments flag). The obverse of the flag should be yellow background and the red stripes (one vertical and one horizontal), just like it is shown here and on the top left corner clockwise there is the Crown of Spain, the arms of the State of Cundinamarca and the arms of Castilla and León encircled. On the bottom left corner the same composition. From what I saw on the pictures, all of the Coats of Arms depited on this flag are outlined (in black and white).
This flag was carried by Colombian General Anotnio Nariño in all his campaigns against the Spaniards.
The reverse of the flag is the yellow background and the red stripes (one vertical and one horizontal).
At that time Colombia was divided among Centralists (State of Cundinamarca and its allies) and the Federalists (Provincias Unidas de Nueva Granada), two rival government entities that even fought a civil war. This period is known as "La Patria Boba" (The dumb fatherland) because due to the internal conflict it was rather easy for Spain to reconquer in 1816 the territory that had declared independence on July 20, 1810.
E.R, 6 March 2006 and 30 May 2006