PANAMA
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Granada
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In 1501, Rodrigo
de Bastidas was the first European to explore the Isthmus of
Panama sailing along the eastern coast. A year later Christopher
Columbus, on his fourth voyage (1502-‘04), sailing south and
eastward from upper Central America, explored Bocas del Toro, Veragua, the Rio de Chagre and
Porto Belo. By then he had received from the Catholic Kings the title “Admiral
of the isles and continent discovered and to be discovered by our appointment
in the ocean and part of the Indies” (Almirante de las
islas e tierra firme por nuestro mandado descubiertas e por descubrir en el
mar oceano en la parte de las indias) On his arms in his Codice dei Privilegi (today in the State Archives of Genoa) which
he wrote just before the sailed for his fourth expedition, the Tierra Firme is represented in the
third quarter by a golden continent and islands in a blue sea. When he
discovered present-day Panama however, he had been dismissed
by the royal court in 1500, rehabilitated after a while but not restored in
his functions by the Catholic Kings. After his fourth voyage he died in 1506.
Soon Spanish
expeditions would converge upon Tierra Firma which later became the Spanish
name for the Isthmus of Panama. In 1509,
authority was granted to Alonso de Ojeda and Diego de Nicuesa to colonize the
territories between the Gulf of Uraba and Cabo Gracias a Dios in present-day
Honduras. The idea was to create an early unitary administrative organization
similar to what later became Nueva España. Tierra Firme later received
control over other territories: the Isla de Santiago (now Jamaica) the Cayman Islands, Roncador, Quitasueño,
Providencia and other islands now under Colombian control. It ended up to be
the region between the Gulf of Urraba and the Rio de Chagre on the spot of
present Panama Canal. 1538 the Audiencia de
Panama was founded consisting of the Tierra Firma and the duchy of
Veragua, granted to a grandson of Columbus in 1537. The
Audiencia was made a part of the vice-kingdom of Peru founded 1542 and in
1717 became a part of the vice-kingdom of Nueva Granada. It shared the vicissitudes of this
vice-kingdom after it fell apart in 1810 and was reunited in 1819. In 1831 it
was united with the State of New Granada (which was the central part of the
former vice-kingdom) and its successors and only revolted in 1840 to found an
independendt state, the 'Estado Libre del Istmo', or the Free State of the Isthmus which lasted only 13 months. After a
conflict of the Republic
of Colombia (the last successor of the Estado de Nueva Granada) with the
french Company constructing the Panama-canal, it was made an independent
Republic with the help of the United States on 3 November 1903. |
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In Panama as in other parts of the Spanish Indies,
the emblems of the Spanish kings and of the Kingdom of Castile were valid. This can be seen on this 4 reales coin struck for the Audiencia de Panamá. It shows the arms
of King Philip II (1555-’98) before he became a king of Portugal in 1580. On the reverse is a cross and the quarters of
Castile and Leon.
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Many other lower administrative units became their
own coats of arms. Also the Spanish Amercian
nobility was provided with its own blasons. |
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In September 1510 Santa María la Antigua del Darién,
the first permanent European settlement on the American mainland, was
founded. A coat of arms was granted to the
settlement by Royal Warramt of King Charles I (V) of Spain, dated10 July
1515. The arms are: Arms: Gules, a
castle Or between a tiger and a crocodile rampant respecting proper and a sun
radiant in chief Or. Crest: Our Lady of
Antigua The relevant part of the warrant reads: [...] señalo
e doy que tenga por armas la dicha cibdad un escudo colorado e dentro, en él,
un castillo dorado e sobre él la figura del sol e debaxo del castillo un
tigre a la mano derecha y un lagarto a la izquierda, que estén alzados el uno
contra el otro alrededor de esta manera siguiente y por divisa la imagen de
Nuestra señora de la Antigua, las cuales dichas armas y divisa doy a la dicha
ciudad para que las podáis traer e trayais y poner y pongáis los pendones y
sellos de la dicha ciudad [...]. These arms
are now used by the community of Acandí (Dept. Chocó). Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien disappeared in
1524 and its exact location is not known. Å Nuestra Señora de la Antigua in Sevilla Cathedral
(last quarter of the 16th centuy). |
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After the so-called Balboa expedition of 1513 the 'fantastic descriptions'
of the isthmus impressed Ferdinand II of Aragon and Castilla, who
gave the territory the name of Castilla Aurifica (Golden Castile). He
assigned Pedro Arias Dávila as Royal Governor. Dávila
arrived in Santa Maria in June 1514. On 15 August 1519, Dávila, having abandoned Santa María, moved the capital of Castilla Aurifica
with all its organizational institutions to the Pacific Ocean's coast and
founded Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
de Panamá (present day Panama City), the first European settlement on the
shores of the Pacific. On 15 September 1521 the settlement was granted a coat of arms by Royal
Warrant of King Charles I. |
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Arms of Panama On a view of the forum of
Panama City, 1748 The shield quarterly, the colors
somewhat disarranged, the ships frigates. |
Arms of Panama Modern rendering on Wikipedia
Commons |
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The arms are: Arms: Or, parterd
per pale, the dexter a yoke proper and a bundle of five arrows pointing down proper,
its feathers Argent its points Azure; the sinister two caravels proper, and a
five-pointed star Argent in dexter chief; within a bordure compony of Castile
and Leon. On the arms there is a crown of five leaves which is the crown of a duke.
In the time of Independence this crown was replaced by a mural crown. The Royal Warrant reads [1]: |
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Veragua and Tierra Firma in in the Blaeu Atlas, 1630 Veragua or Veraguas was the name of five
territorial entities in Central America, beginning in the sixteenth century
during the Spanish colonial period. It was based on an Indigenous name for
the region. 1.The
Gobernación de Veragua (Columbian Veragua) (1502-1537) included the
Caribbean coast of present-day Nicaragua and Costa Rica and the coast of
Panama as far as the Río Belén, namely, the coastline explored by Christopher
Columbus on his fourth voyage, in 1502. It was this area that Columbus (and
his heirs) claimed as his private domain, but which the Crown did not
recognize. Spanish governors of this territory were Diego de Nicuesa and
Felipe Gutiérrez y Toledo. 2 The Duchy of
Veragua, created in 1537 from the Gobernación de Veragua in territory now
belonging to Panama. The first duke was Luis Colón y Toledo, grandson and
heir of Columbus, who received the title after a long lawsuit with the Crown
of Castile. In 1556 he returned the territory to the Crown but retained the
ducal title. 3 Royal Veragua
(Veragua Real) (1537-1540) included those territories of the
Gobernación de Veragua not included in the Duchy of Veragua. These
territories were in two parts, with the duchy separating them. In 1540 the
western part, together with territories from Castilla de Oro, became the
Province of Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica within the Spanish Kingdom of
Guatemala. In 1565 the name was shortened to Province of Costa Rica. 4 The Province
of Veragua, formed in 1560 from territories formerly in the Duchy of Veragua.
Its first governor was Francisco Vázquez. This territory, slightly expanded
to the west and the south, became a dependency of the Intendencia of Panama,
and in 1821, of the Republic of Colombia. 5 Veraguas
Province is today one of the provinces of the Republic of Panama. It is the
continuation of the Colombian Province of Veragua.
Arms of the Duke of Veragua 1537 The son of Christopher Columbus, Diego Columbus, spent most of his life trying to regain the
titles and privileges that his father had been granted for his explorations
and then stripped of in 1500. He was greatly aided in this goal by his
marriage to María Álvarez de Toledo, niece of the 2nd Duke of Alba, who was King
Ferdinand's cousin. In 1508, he was named governor of the Indies, the post
his father had previously held. He continued to fight for the remainder of
his father's titles, and was made viceroy of the Indies in May, 1511. He
continued to resent enroachments on his power and to fight for all of his
father's privileges thereafter and made trips to Spain in 1515 and 1523 to
plead his case without success. After his death, a compromise was reached in
1536 in which his son Luis Colon (1519/20-1572) was named Admiral of the
Indies and renounced all other rights for a perpetual annuity of 10,000
ducats, the island of Jamaica as a fief, an estate of 25 Í 25 leagues on the Isthmus of Panama, and the
titles of Duke de Veragua and Marquis de Jamaica. The arms of the House of Veragua were: Arms: Tierced per point embowed, the first Gules a castle Or, the second
Argent, a lion Gules; the third barry wavy Argent and Azure, five islands
[and an Orb] Or. The arms are documented by: Gonçalo
Argote de Molina, Nobleza del Andaluzia, en Sevilla, por Fernando
Diaz, año 1588 (1), Livro II, pp. 245-246.[2] The relevant quote from this book reads: Y don Christoval Colon
primer Conquistador de el nuevo mundo de las Indias, que como escrive Paulo
Iovio en sus Elogios, fue natural de
Albizolo cerca de Saona de aquesta Señoria, de quien deciende la Casa
del Duque de// Página 246 // de Veragua Almirãte de las Indias, y Marques de Xamayca. Cuyas Armas son un Escudo en Mantel, en el primero un Castillo de oro en
campo roxo, y en el segundo un Leo(n) Roxo en campo de plata, y en lo baxo
unas Ondas de plata y azul con cinco islas de oro, con una letra q(ue) dize. A Castilla, y a Leon mundo nuevo dio Colon. (...) |
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1855-1903 |
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In the
time when Panama was a part of the successors of the Kingdom of New Granada,
the emblems of these states were also valid in Panama. In 1855 the Provincia del Istmo became the
Sovereign State of Panama (Estado
Soberano de Panama). This state lasted until 1886 when it became the
Departamento del Panama. At first,
the Sovereign State used the crested arms and seal of the Republic of New
Granada adopted 1834 and the name of the state below:
Fiscal paper
of 25 centavos, 1859 [3] When the
Republic changed its name to Confederación Granadina in 1858 the achievement
of 1834 came within a red oval ring inscribed í CONFEDERACION GRANADINA í ESTADO SOBERANO
DE PANAMA. When the
name of the state was changed into Estados Unidos de Nueva Granada in 1861
the name on the ring was changed accordingly but the achievement remained the
same. [4]
The oval
rings with the achievement were also on the flag of the sovereign state which
was at first of three vertcal stripes red, blue and yellow and later of three
horizontal stripes yellow, blue and red, the first twice as wide as the other
two. After1886
the achievement of the Republic of Colombia was used without any additions
for the department.
Achievement of Colombia on a fiscal paper of 1 peso,
1893-‘94 For use in the Department of
Panama The flags
being the merchant flag with a five-pointed star within a red oval ring in
the middle. |
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03.11.1903- present |
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After the
proclamation of the independent republic the Provisional Government called
for a contest to make a design for the
coat of arms for the new republic. From the
one hundred and thirty designs presented the one signed N.V. (for Nicanor
Villalaz) was chosen by the jury. The motto PAZ. LIBERTAD. UNIÓN.
PROGRESSO chosen by Villalaz, caused some discussion in the
Constitutional Convention. Dr. Luis de Roux of the Convention proposed to
change the motto into the motto of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the initiator of the
canal: APERIRE TERRAM GENTIBUS (To Open the World to All People). In a
second debate some changes in the arms and another change of the motto into PRO MUNDI
BENEFICIO (For the Benefit of the World) were suggested by Juan A. Henriquez
and Rafael Neira. |
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Achievement of Panama Original drawing of Nicanor
Villalaz, 1903 The motto PAZ. LIBERTAD.
UNIÓN. PROGRESSO, and a railway with a railway train in the fourth quarter The changed version was adopted by Law 64 of 4 June
1904. |
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The achievement
is depicted on a green background. It is: Arms: Quarterly: 1.Argent, a sabre an a rifle in
saltire proper; 2. Gules, a spade an a hoe in saltire, proper; 3. A
cornucopia mouth downwards discharging gold coins, Or; 4. Argent, a winged
wheel Or. And on a fess a landscape of the isthmus of Panama with a rising
moon and a setting sun, all proper. Crest: An eagle sejant, above its head a
semi-circle of seven five-pointed stars Or, in its beak a ribbon with the
motto PRO
MUNDI BENFICIO, in
black lettering. Supporters: Four national flags being quarterly: the
first and fourth white, the second red, the third blue, a blue five-pointed
star in the first and a red five-pointed star in the fourth, in saltire.
Achievement of Panamá in a European publication 1906
ca. (private collection) The law
reads: Descansa
sobre campo verde, simbolo de la vegetación; es de forma comunmente
denominada ojival y es terciado en cuanto a la división. El centro o punto de
honor del Escudo, muestra el Istmo con sus mares y su cielo, en el cual se
destacan la luina que comienza a elevarse sobre las ondas y el sol que
comienza a esconderse tras el monte, marcando asi la hora solemne del grito
de nuestra independencia. El jefe está dividio en dos quarteles: en el de la
diestra, en el campo de plata, se ven colgados una espada y und fusil en son
e abandono para significar adios para siempre a las guerras civiles, causa de
nuestra ruina; en el de la siniestra y sobre campo de gules, se contemplan
relucientes una pala y un azadón cruzados para simbolizar el trabajo. “La
punta del Esuco también se subdivide en dos cantones: el de diestro, en campo
azul, nuestra una cornucopia, emblema de la riqueza; y el de la siniestra, en
campo de plata, la rueda alado, símbolo del progreso. “Detras
dfel Escudo y cubiéndolo con sus alas abiertas, está el águila, emblema de la
soberania, la cabeza vuelta hacia la izquierda, y lleva en el pico una cinta
de plata cuos cantos cuelgan de derecha a izquierda. Sobre la cinta va
estampado el siguiente lema: “PRO MUNDI BENEFICIO.” “Sobre el aquila, en forma de arco, van siete estrellas
de oro en representación de la sprovincias en que está dividida la República.
Como accesarios decorativos, a cada lado del Escudo
van dos pabellones nacionales recogidos por su parte inferior. |
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Law N°48 of 10 March 1925, approved by President
Rodolfo Chiari left the arms unchanged but augmented the number of stars
above the head of the eagle to nine, as the Republic had been divided into
nine provinces.
Achievement of Panama as by Law of 10.03.1925 Picture H.d.V. |
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After the
adoption of a new constitution on 2 January1941 the achievement was adapted
by Law N° 28 about the arms. The sabre and rifle came to symbolize the
“vigilance to defend our sovereignty” instead of “a farewell to civil war”.
The motto on the ribbon was changed, after a lively debate, into HONOR JUSTICIA Y
LIBERTAD. This achievement was used until 1 March 1946 when
Art. 6 of the new constitution approved on that date stipulated that “the
symbols of the Nation are: The Hymn, the Flag and the Arms adopted before
1941.” This meant that the achievement with the nine stars and the motto PRO MUNDI
BENEFICIO of 1925 were restored. [5] The Law
N° 34 of 15 December 1949 Art. 4 about the achievment is literally the same
as the Law n° 64 of 4 June 1904. It
reads: |
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Ley numéro 34 de 15 de diciembre 1949 Artículo 4º.- El Escudo de Armas de la República tiene
la descripción siguiente: descansa sobre campo verde, símbolo de vegetación,
de forma ojival terciada en cuanto a la división. El
centro o punto de honor del Escudo muestra al Istmo con sus mares y su cielo,
en el cual se destacan la luna que comienza a elevarse sobre las ondas y el
sol que comienza a esconderse tras el monte, marcando así la hora solemne de
nuestra separación de Colombia. El Jefe está subdividido en dos cuarteles: en
el de la diestra, en campo de plata, se ven un sable y un fusil relucientes,
para significar actitud de alerta en defensa de nuestra soberanía; y en el de
la siniestra, y sobre un campo de gules, se contempla un pico y una pala como
símbolo de trabajoLa punta del Escudo también se subdivide en dos cantones: el diestro en
campo azul, muestra una cornucopia, emblema de riqueza; y el siniestro, en
campo de plata, la rueda alada, símbolo de Progreso. Sobre el Escudo y cubriéndolo
con sus alas abiertas, está el águila, emblema de soberanía, la cabeza vuelta
hacia su izquierda y en el pico una cinta de plata,
cuyos cantos cuelgan a derecha e izquierda. Sobre
la cinta va estampado el siguiente lema: “Pro Mundi Beneficio”. Las estrellas
que hacen arco sobre el Águila serán tantas cuantas Provincias tenga la
República. |
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By Law n° 18 of 2002 it was provided that the Harpy
eagle (Harpia harpyja -
Accipitridae), a bird of prey with a two meter wingspan and a body length to one
meter, would be the national bird. Consequently the eagle of the crest of the
national achievement was made an Águila
Harpia by Law N° 50 of 17 May 2006.
Æ See
illustration in the head of this essay. Å Harpia
harpyja - Accipitridæ |
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President |
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Presidential Flag |
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National Assembly |
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Seal of the National Assembly |
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National Police |
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Panama's first army was formed in 1903, when the
commander of a brigade of the
Colombian army defected to the pro-independence side during
Panama's fight for
independence. His brigade became the Panamanian army. In 1904, the
army tried to overthrow the government, but failed. The United States
persuaded Panama that a standing army could threaten the security of the
Panama Canal Zone. Instead, the country set up a National Police. For 48 years, this was the only armed force
in Panama.
1920-1953 However, starting in the late 1930s, the National Police attracted several new recruits who had attended military academies in other Latin American countries. Combined with increased spending on the police, this began a process of militarization. The process sped up under José Remón, who became the Police's commanding officer in 1947. He gave the police a more military character. |
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National Guard |
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1953-1970 After helping
to overthrow two presidents, José Remón resigned and became president himself
in 1952. His first act was to reorganize the National Police along military
lines with a new name, the National Guard. The new organisation retained
police functions as well. [6] |
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Army |
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Emblem 1970-1983 In 1968, the National
Guard overthrew President Arnulfo Arias in a coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Omar
Torrijos and Major
Boris Martínez. They
completed the process of converting the Guard into a full-fledged army. Torrijos
thrust Martínez aside in 1969, promoted himself to brigadier general, and was
de facto ruler of the country until his death in a 1981 plane crash.
Panama army officer hat badge, 1970-’80. [7] |
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Panamanian Defense
Forces |
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1983-1990 Torrijos was
eventually replaced by Manuel Noriega, who merged all of Panama's armed
forces under his command as the Panamanian Defense Forces. He built the PDF into
a structured force, and further consolidated the dictatorship. Under Noriega,
the PDF was a feared tool of repression. Having set up a commando style group
called the Dobermans he was able to survive various attempted coups. Outside
of the inner core of the PDF Noriega did not have strong support similar to
the civilian population. For this reason he formed the civilian paramilitary Dignity Battalions in 1988. The majority of
the PDF surrendered quickly when the United States invaded Panama and
overthrew Noriega in 1989.
Emblem of the Doberman Commando [8] |
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Panamanian Public
Forces |
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On February 10,
1990 the government of President Guillermo
Endara abolished Panama's military and created the Panamanian Public
Forces. In October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a
constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military
force, but allowing the establishment of a special temporary military to
counter acts of "external aggression." The PDF was replaced with
the Panamanian Public Forces. The PPF
consists of the
The PPF has also
limited military duties. In contrast to
the former PDF, the Panamanian Public Forces is on public record and under
control of the executive. |
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Navy |
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Cap Badge |
Arms |
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The emblem of
the National Maritime Service of Panama consists of two golden foul anchors
in saltire, charged with the achievement of Panama The NMS merged
with the National Air Service in November 2008. |
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Air Force |
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Fuerza Aérea de Panama (until 1990) |
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1st class Pilot Wings |
Pilot Wings |
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Servicio Aéreo Nacional (1990-2008)
Emblem
Roundel |
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Joined Navy & Air Force |
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In November
2008, the Servicio Aéreo Nacional
(National Air Service) merged with the Servicio
Maritimo Nacional (National Maritime Service) to become the Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (National
Aeronaval Service)
Emblem |
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Judicial and Technical Police |
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Until 1990 |
1990-present |
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The Policia Tecnica Judicial (PTJP),
formerly the Departamento Nacional de Investigaciones, is for forensic
investigations and for that reason its emblem shows a balance, a microscope
and a magnifying glass. |
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Institutional Protection Service |
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The SPI is for the
protection of public buildings |
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National Police |
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1990-2007 |
2007-present |
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The 1990 police emblem shows the ancient tower of Panama City. The new
emblem shows the map of Panama and a head of a Harpy eagle as a crest |
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Border Service |
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In November 2008,
the new Servicio Nacional de Fronteras
(National Border Service) as a force independent from the National Police,
was created.
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© Hubert de Vries 2013-03-06
Heraldry of the World