Heraldry of Chile
Today we will review the coat of arms of the Republic of Chile. The current arms of Chile are those displayed above and the blazon of the shield is: Per fess Azure and Gules overall a mullet of 5 points Argent.
The supporters of the shield are to the dexter (heraldic left) a huemul and to the sinister (heraldic right) an Andean condor. Both being the national animals of Chile. Additionally, both are crowned with naval crowns.
The condor is the most significant bird of prey in the Andean region and the largest flying bird of the western hemisphere. The condor plays a significant role in many of the local myths and traditions and is inextricably linked to the history of the Andean countries.
The huemul is another native species of the region however it is extremely rare. It belongs to the deer family and the specific huemul is the “Patagonian Huemul”, also known as the “South Andean Deer”.
The huemul is so rare that very few know of it and has caused artists to make mistakes as the one shown above. In this emblazonment, we see the dexter supporter being a horse because the artist had never before seen or heard of the South Andean Deer and mistook it for a horse!
This coat of arms was designed by Charles Wood Taylor and adopted on June 26, 1834 during the administration of President José Joaquín Prieto. However, it was first officially defined as the National Coat of Arms in the Decreto Supremo Nº 1.534 of the Ministry of Interior in 1967. Interestingly, it had been previously defined in the Decreto N° 2.271 of the Ministry of War on September 4, 1920.
The motto Por la razón o la fuerza (“By reason or force”) is modern Spanish version of the ancient Latin phrase Aut consiliis aut ense (“by counsel or by the sword”), attributed to Rome. This concept is foundational in a state of law (or Rechsstaat). Reasoning representing judicial process and rights of the citizenry. Force representing the power of the state.
Chile was first sighted by Ferdinand Magellan when he crossed the Magellan Straight in 1520 however, Diego de Almagro is credited with the discovery in 1537. De Almagro organized an expedition and reached central Chile but, when compared to the riches found in Peru, determined that the lands and peoples were poor and not worth the effort.
It was Pedro de Valdivia who explored further south wanting to expand the lands of the crown. With only a few hundred men he managed to subdue the native populace and in 1541 he founded Santiago de Nueva Extremadura, present day Santiago de Chile and was first Royal Governor of Chile.
In 1553, De Valdivia dies at the Battle of Tucapel by a Mapuche toqui (war chief) named Lautaro. His banner, as displayed in the art of Fray Pedro Subercaseaux, is presented above.
The series of battles between the Spanish and the natives, mainly the Mapuche, known as the Arauco War went on for many years. However, the Spanish conquest was a foretold event.
The Spanish crown had divided the colonies in the Americas into two Viceroyalties, that of New Spain (containing the lands in Central and North America) and that of Peru (containing South America). Hence, Chile was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The arms displayed above are those used during the Spanish Empire (specifically of Charles I).
The Viceroyalty of Peru was founded in 1542 and lasted, even after losing territory to new viceroyalties and independence movements, until 1824. The capital was Lima (present day capital of the Republic of Peru) and was the most powerful of the Spanish American Viceroyalties for the largest part of its history.
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