Spanish South America was part of the vast Spanish Empire from the 16th to the 19th century. It stretches along the geographical spine of the continent from the northern coast along the Caribbean Sea to the very southern tip at Tierra del Fuego and from the western fringe of the Amazonian jungle to the Pacific coast. It was from this region that the wealth of the Spanish Empire was extracted at the cost of all of the indigenous cultures subjugated to Spanish rule, including the Incas and Mayans. After three centuries of domination by the Spanish, the countries of the Empire could take no more, and open rebellion led to revolution.
There are two flag families in Spanish South America: The flags descended from the flag of Grand Colombia in the north and the flags descended from the Argentine flag in the south. The leader of the rebellion in the northern part of South America was Simon Bolivar, the Great Liberator of the North. The flag that Bolivar carried, designed by Gen. Francisco de Miranda, was the basis for the flags of the three states (Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuardor) that emerged from Gran Colombia, the federation that emerged from Bolivar's success.
In the southern part of Spanish South America, Argentina was the leader of struggle against Spain. It's first flag is the archevellium of not only Argentina and neighboring Uruguay, but also the flag of the Central American Federation, ironically not in South American at all but on the southern tip of North America. The Central American Federation flag in turn became the archivellium of the five states that emerged after its collapse. Therefore, the Argentinian flag may be said to be the "archevellium of archevellium."
The flags of the remaining Spanish South American states are completely unrelated to one another. Because Peru did not belong to the Gran Colombian federation, its flag is not descended from the Colombian archevellium. It was designed by the Liberator of the South, José de San Martín with further influence from Simon Bolivar. Bolivia's flag is also unique, using colors that were used during its own struggle for independence. Chile's flag is a member of the U.S. flag family, and Paraguay's flag is a member of the French Tricolor's flag family. |
