Thanks a lot for your votes in the previous polls. The three cities with the highest amount of votes are Caracas, Bogota and La Habana (actually La Habana tied with Manila and San Juan but being the oldest I broke the tie that way)

It would be great to get your valuable opinion about which has the best heraldic design. The renditions I am posting are quite different in quality ans style but I have no skills to design any of those and be fair with all of them.

As promised I am posting a shor rationale of each and a new poll

San Cristóbal de La Habana, founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar 1515. Arms confirmed by Mariana of Austria, widow Queen of Philip IV. It’s arms began to be used short after the city’s foundation and the Queen just confirmed those arms.

Arms: Azure 3 towers silver and a key or.

No order of the charges is stated so in different occasions the arms are depicted in different fashion. The most common is three towers Argent per fess at the base a key Or.

The three towers represent the first three fortress of the city: “Real Fuerza”, “ Tres Santos Reyes Magos del Morro” and “San Salvador de la Punta” and the key make a clear reference to the city’s nickname the “The Key of the Gulf”. Azure represents here the ocean around the island.

Note:

I am sorry if the artistic quality is not at the same level foe each of the COA but I tried to ‘play’ with my graphic software and the results weren’t pretty. Actually it was scary. So I am keeping these and bring them to your consideration.

This one was tough: I liked Habana and Bogota about equally well from a design perspective. But Habana’s arms are very much like the arms of Manila (Azure, 3 towers Argent a key Or), just arranged differently. I voted Bogota, but only because I think it epitomizes the principles of Iberian design.

Something similar happend to me.

In the other hand I find very intresting the use of a oversized scallop to balance the composition in Caraca’s one. But that is artistic achievment more than a heraldic design merit since the size of the scallop is not described in the blazon.

"Argent a rampant Lion holding a scallop or charged with a “Cruz de Santiago” (Santiago’s Cross) Gules"

Of course something may have gotten lost in translation, but the blazon, to me, says that the lion should be gold.  Or is the convention diofferent in SPanish practice?

No. The problem is that as far as I know the blazon never established the lion’s tincture and as a convention the coat of arms has been depicted with a Lion proper.

Patrick Williams wrote:

This one was tough: I liked Habana and Bogota about equally well from a design perspective. But Habana’s arms are very much like the arms of Manila (Azure, 3 towers Argent a key Or), just arranged differently. I voted Bogota, but only because I think it epitomizes the principles of Iberian design.

As far as I know there are no key in the Manila arms, just a Castle and a Sealion holding a sword, perhaps you thought of a different City?

Markus

Actually the original blazon reads: "Azur half lion and half dolphin argent…"

Is a heraldic sealion the heraldic combination of a lion and a dolphin? or a heraldic sealion is half lion half fish (as a mairmaid and other sea beasts) and Manila heraldic beast is a particular chimera?

Marcus K wrote:

As far as I know there are no key in the Manila arms, just a Castle and a Sealion holding a sword, perhaps you thought of a different City?

As it turns out I was thinking of another enblazonment of Habanas arms-the one here: http://forums.heraldrysociety.us/showthread.php?t=2337 which looks very different from the one above.

Yes Patrick I got it.

The problem is that the order of the charges was not established in the original blazon so ther are diferent versions of La Habana CoA.

XVI century Spainsh blazons are kinda nightmare and it’s the beginign of the decadence of the Spanish heraldry. (IMO Colon’s arms are the tipping point)

Colon’s arms are particularly troublesome. I was surprised to read that he did the things he did with them and that the King didn’t object.

It was the tendency in that time. Colon discover the new Islands (at that moment they thought they arrived to some islands instead of a whole new continent) then the add some actual ilands to his CoA. Horrible.

In the XIX century something similar happened with English heraldry. The example I can remember right now is Nelson’s arms. As augmentation they granted him a wrecked ship and a city port (midle eastrern architecture) remembering the battle of El Cairo. Nelson never use this augmentation.

It so important not to get so gimmicky in heraldic design since we have plenty of symbolism to play with. Just my opinion.

I’ll post a good example of conquistador’s CoA of some of my ascendants (horrible heraldic design I have to say)

AVD wrote:

In the XIX century somethin similar happened with english heraldry. The example I can remember right now is Nelson’s arms. As augmentation they granted him a wrecke ship and a city port (midle eartern architectur) rememberin the battle of El Cairo. Nelson never use this augmentation.

I don’t know that he never used this augmentation, as he’d have to go to the College of Arms to pay the fees (unless they were done posthumously).

In my one visit to the College of Arms, they mentioned that he had made multiple visits to the College for augmentations.  (I specifically remember the comment because someone made a quip about him needing new arms because he was running out of limbs.)

Darren

I am afraid you might be right. In 1798 after the Battle of The Nile he was given an additional augmentation. Chief a ship disables ship, a ruined fort asnd a palm tree (actually the palm tree emerges dire3ctly from the water) a motto and a turkish "schelengk". This is the CoA that the National Maritime Museum keeps in it archives.

Since one of my wife’s ancestors (indirect ascendant) is Lord Jervis (my wife’s maiden name is Cristina Cervetto Jervis), earl of Saint Vincent who fought with Nelson in Cape Saint Vincent, Nelson era is a constant subject in my inlaws ‘soirees’ and I saw the reference in some book about him not using the augmentation. I’ll ask my inlaws.

A week from now the poll will be closed.

I am thinking in commission the winner and sen it to the country’s embassy as a personal present.

I can send it as a AHS present too but since everything started as a poll in the M.B. probably the officials of the Society won’t like the idea. I’ll p.m. Griffith to ask.

Anyway don’t forget to cast your vote.

I am commissioning the rendering of Santa Fe de Bogota COA with Denny. I’ll keep you posted guys.