The coast of what is now the state of Paraná was discovered in the 16th century and colonized by the Portuguese. The city of Paranaguá was founded in 1648 and became the centre of the Spanish Jesuits missions in the interior. In 1853 Paraná was separated from Sao Paulo to which it had belonged until then. In 1889 it became a state of the Federal Republic.

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.

There have been several achievements of Paraná.

The first arms of Paraná are in “Brasões do Brasil”  of Tristão de Alencar Araripe, published in the Boletin do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (1890). They are:

Arms: per fess, the chief Or, three fir-trees proper, in base Vert a star Argent and a river per fess.

Motto:  VIRES ACQUIRIT EUNDO. (We gather strength as we go).

When the first flag of the state was proposed in 1891, it was also suggested to create a new coat of arms.

The proposed arms were: A landscape with the beautiful natural views of Paraná representing the waterfall of Iguassú and the cascades of Seven Quedas. In the east there is a large ranch of Northern Russian and Icelandic type, and a sun on the horizon, in the rays of which are our majestic fir-woods and meadows (our main industries) and our beautiful Ara parrot. Together with this important representative of our fauna we see in our fields and near the borders of the rivers an ox, a sheep and a horse, representing our cattle breeding. We remark also the Southern Cross symbolizing the Republican constitution of our state. In a circular margin is written REPUBLICA BRAZILEIRA - ESTADO DO PARANA

For reasons obvious to the heraldist, the proposal was not accepted

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By law nº 456, of 29 March 1892, a version of the emblem of the United States of Brazil was adopted to be the emblem of Paraná. For the purpose its central disc was charged with the map of Paraná showing some rivers and the capital Curytiba. The motto on the ribbon below was changed into: ESTADO DO PARANA 19 de DECEMBRO de 1853.

The description of the emblem in the law reads:

Escudo redondo em campo blau, o relevo do Estado do Paraná em prata, com a indicação da Capital - Curytiba; bordadura do campo perfilada de ouro, carregada de vinte e uma estrelas de prata. O escudo fica pousado numa estrela partida-gironada de dez peças de sinople e ouro, bordada de duas tiras, a interior de goles e a exterior de ouro, guardas de blau, salvo a parte do centro que é de goles e carregado de uma estrela de prata, figura sobre uma coroa formada de um ramo de café frutificado, à destra, e de outro de fumo florido, à sinistra, ambos da própria cor, atados de blau ficando o conjunto sobre um resplendor de ouro, cujos contornos formam uma estrela de vinte pontas. Em listel de blau, sobre os punhos da espada, inscreve-se em ouro a legenda ESTADO DO PARANÁ, no centro, e ainda as expressões 19 DE DEZEMBRO, na extermidade destra, e DE 1853, na sinistra.

By law  nº 592, of  24 March de 1905, signed by president Vicente Machado da Silva Lima the emblem was changed. The colours were defined to be Green and White instead of Vert and Or (sinople and ouro) and the crown (coroa) of coffee and tobacco was called a garland (grinalda) .

The law reads:

Art. 1°

As Armas do Estado serão as mesmas até aqui adoptadas sendo porém de cores verde e branca o plano do polygono estrellado e circumdado este por uma grinalda formada de dois ramos de matte e pinheiro, sendo de cor branca a irradiação que faz fundo ao escudo.

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New arms were created by the painter Alfredo Andersen and adopted by law nº 904, of 21 March 1910. They were:

Arms: A landscape with a farmer cutting the grass, and a rising sun over a mountain range in the distance.

Crest: A natural eagle sejant Or.

Garland: Branches of a pine-tree and tea

Motto: ESTADO do PARANÁ 19 de Decembro de 1853

The law reads:

O Congresso Legislativo do Estado do Paraná decretaou e eu sancciono a lei seguinte:

Art. 1.° - Fica adoptado como armas do Estado do Paraná o desenho symbolico que accompanha este decreto.

Art. 2.° - Os symbolos contidos no desenho annexo assim se explicam:

a) O lavrador, ceificando a messe farta, colocado no primeiro plano do campo do escudo, assignala com precisão o caracter de nosso meio ethnico e economico, e representa as inclinações naturaes do nosso tempo e da nossa raça, retemperada pela civilasação.

b) A orla de pinhheiraes, esfumada no segundo plano do escudo, dá idéa da extensão da nossa natureza vegetal.

c) A cordilheira maritima, limitando o horizonte, diz sobre a natureza do solo, variado por divisões de altitudes que lhe são caracteristicas.

d) O sol nascente é o symbolo illuminando de uma grandeza que surge, de um futuro que se ergue promissor e fecundo.

e) O falcão paranaense, pairando protectoralmente sobre o escudo, ao passo que representa o mais galhardo exemplar da nossa avi-fauna, condiz com o pensamento adoptado universalmente para a representação symbolica que põe nas azas condoreiras as humanas inclinações pela liberdade.

f) As grinaldas do pinho e mate, enfim, que contornam a parte inferior do escudo, definem as preoccupações industriaes da actualidade, que fazem a riqueza economica do Estado.

Art. 3.° - A presente combinação heraldica terá uso em todos os papeis officiaes do Estado e na fachada dos edificios publicos.

Art. 4.° - Revogam se as disposições em contrario. -

Palcio de Presidencia do Estado do Paraná, em 21 de março de 1910, 22.° da Republica

(a) Francisco Xavier da Silva. [1]

That is to say:

·           The farmer represents the natural propensities of the people tempered by civilisation.

·           The fir-trees symbolize the wealth of our natural vegetation

·           The coastal mountain-range symbolizes the wealth of the soil caused by the diffence in altitudes.

·           Te rising sun symbolizes the greatness of the future

·           The Paraná-falcon symbolizes the human longing for liberty

·           The garland symbolizes the economic wealth of the state

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About 1932/’33 a new achievement was adopted. [2] It was:

Arms: Gules, a reaper with his scythe Argent , an a chief per pale, the dexter Azure, a three-topped mountain-range Argent, the sinster Vert, a rising sun Or.

Crest: A Nhapecani-falcon (Thrasactus harpya L.) sejant, wings expanded Argent

Garland: Branches of  tea and fir.

The mountain-range symbolizes the Curitiba-, the Campos Gerais- and the Guarapuava uplands in the east, centre and west of the state

Harpy eagle (Harpya harpia - Accipitridae)

This achievement may have never been used because 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.

As a result the arms of 1932/’33 were readopted in 1947. At the same time the chief was changed into: Azure, a three-topped mountainridge Argent on the dexter and a rising sun Or on the sinister.

ð See illustration in the head of this essay.

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In 1988 a commission was assigned to improve the heraldry and blasoning of the arms and a new achievement was created in 1990. It was:

Arms: Vert, a sower in the act of sowing Argent, and a chief Azure, a rising sun Or on the dexter and a mountain-range Argent on the sinister.

Crest: A Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja - Accipitridæ) sejant guardant, wings spread Argent.

Garland: A branch of tea (Ilex paraguaiensis, Saint Hilaire) and a branch of Paraná-fir (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertoloni) Otto Kuntze), proper.

This achievement was abandoned in 2002 and replaced by the achievement of 1947.

Armed Forces

Army

Parana is a part of the 5th Military Region together with the state of Santa Catarina.

Its headquarters are in Curitiba (PR).

Military Police

The first emblem of the Military Police consisted of the achievement of the state of Paraná, the shield having a wide golden bordure. In brass it was also used as a cap-badge (ill).

The present emblem was introduced in 1969 and changed in 2001.

Police