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By the Treaty
of Tordesillas (1494), the whole Amazon basin was in the area of Spanish Crown.
The mouth of the great river was only discovered by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, who
reached it in February 1500, followed by his cousin Diego de Lepe, in April
of that year. In 1541, Spaniards Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisco de Orellana,
from Quito, crossed the Andes Mountains and explored the course of the river
to the Atlantic Ocean. The trip, which lasted from 1540 to 1542, was reported
by the Dominican friar Gaspar de Carvajal, who said that the Spaniards fought
with women warriors, the Icamiabas, on the banks of the Marañón River. The
myth of women warriors on the river was spread in accounts and books, and this was the reason why the largest river in the region was named after the Amazones,
female warriors from Greek mythology. In the 18th
century a dispute arose about the border of Spanish and Portuguese influence.
The Treaty of Madrid between the Spaniards and the Portguese resulted in the
establishment of the Royal Captaincy of São José do Rio Negro by Charter of
March 3, 1755. In 1772, the captaincy was renamed Grand Para and Maranhao,
and Rio Negro was dismembered. In 1821, Rio Negro became a part of Grand Para
again. When Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822, residents of the
village of Barra do Rio Negro (later Manaus), proclaimed themselves
independent, establishing a provisional government. The region was
incorporated into the Province of Pará of the Empire of Brazil, as the
District of the Upper Amazon in 1824. A revolt in 1832 demanded the autonomy
of the Amazon as a separate province of Pará.. The rebellion was suppressed,
but the Amazons were able to send a representative to the Imperial Court,
Friar José dos Santos Inocentes, who got up the creation of the District of
the Upper Amazon. The district became
the autonmous Estado do
Amazonas by law of 5 September 1850, ratified 1 January 1852, separating
itself definitively from Pará. |
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In
the time of the Empire the arms used by the provinces were the Imperial Arms.
At the proclamation of the Republic the states were granted the right to adopt their own achievements. |
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The arms of the State of Amazonas were adopted by Decree n. 204 of 24 December
1897, but were in use before 1892 as they appeared in a review of laws of
that year.[1] It has as its
main feature the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Rio Amazonas (Rio
Solimões). ð See illustration in the head of this
essay. Meaning: ·
The oval
represents the Solimões and Rio Negro rivers forming the Amazon from this
point. ·
The blue
field represents the Brasilian sky ·
The union
of the rivers below the Phrygian cap symbolizes our loyalty to the Republic. ·
The green
field represent our forests. ·
The knot represents the origin of our greatness ·
The iron chain surrounding the oval symbolizes the
stabilty of the political autonomy of Amazonas. ·
The emblem of
shipping pending from the chain and a green ribbon inscribed with the
date 22 DE JUNHO DE 1832 on the
right, the date the ancient settlement of Amazonas proclaimed itself by force
of arms an independent province ·
And on the left 21 DE
NOVEMBRO DE 1889, the day the state ended the revolution
which had started on 15 november of the same yar. ·
The Amazon eagle with spread wings and open beak
symbolizes magnificence and power of our force. ·
On the right of the shield are the emblems of
industry ·
On the left of the shield rising from an anchor are the symbols of
commerce and agriculture. |
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The Constitution of the Federation of 1934 abolished the symbols of the
states and their achievements were replaced by the national emblem. The Federal Constitution of 1946 restored the autonomy and also the
achievements of the states. |
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The present achievement of the
Legislative Assembly of Amazonas was adopted together with the flag by Ato da mesa
nº12, of 7 June 2006. It is: Emblem: Two hills divided by a river flowing from
the dexter chief to the sinister base, a leaf charged with a pen per pale and
an open book in base between an Aras’ head and a derrick. In sinister base a
fish jumping, all proper. Garland:
Leaves Vert, tied with a ribbon Gules; surrounded by a bordure Vert, charged
with 62 five-pointed stars Argent, the one in chief Or pending therefrom two flowers. Crest: A steamer and two knots. Supporters: Two Indian women armed with spear and bow, in base two spearheads,
points downwards. Motto:
above the bordure: 5 DE
SETEMBRO DE 1832. On a ribbon below: ASSEMBLÉIA LEGISLATIVA DO ESTADO DO AMAZONAS. Meaning: ·
The Legislative power is symbolized by the book (referring
to the Constitution) and a pen. ·
The natural resources are symbolized by the river and the derrick ·
The flora is represented by the garland tied with
a red ribbon and by a guarana flower (Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) a climbing
plant of the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and
especially common in Brazil. ·
The fauna is represented by the head of an ara (Ara
ararouna - Psittacidæ) and a peacock bass (Cichlia intermedia -
Cichlidæ) ·
The bordure is charged with 62 stars symbolizing
the communities of Amazonas, the larger one the capital Manaos. ·
The steamer symbolizes the time when the Amazon
river was the main road of communication ·
The date 25
September 1852 is the date of the establishment of the Parliament. ·
The supporters represent the defending of our
interests, the origin of the names of the river and state and they symbolize
the Legislative Assembly as the guardian of the state. |
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Army |
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The State of
Amazonas is a part of the 12th Military Region together with the states
of, Acre, Roraima and Rondônia. Its
headquarters are in Manaus (AM). |
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Polícia Civil |
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© Hubert de Vries 2011-11-06
Heraldry of the World