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Flag of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico
  • Monostarred
  • Monoestrellada (Spanish)
  • Current Flag of Puerto Rico (1995)
    • Medium Blue
    • Azul Medio (Spanish)
UseCivil and state flag, civil and state ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
AdoptedAugust 3, 1995 (1995-08-03) by elected Puerto Rican government after issuing regulation identifying colors but not specifying color shades; medium blue replaced dark blue as de facto shade of triangle[1]
  • Flag of Puerto Rico (1952)
    • Dark Blue
    • Azul Oscuro (Spanish)
UseCivil and state flag, civil and state ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
AdoptedJuly 24, 1952 (1952-07-24) by elected Puerto Rican government with the establishment of the commonwealth after issuing law identifying colors but not specifying color shades; dark blue became de facto shade of triangle, replacing presumed original light blue[2][3]
  • Flag of Puerto Rico (1895)
    • Light Blue
    • Azul Claro (Spanish)
UseCivil and state flag, civil and state ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
AdoptedDecember 22, 1895 (1895-12-22) by pro-independence members of the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico exiled in New York City; members identified colors as red, white, and blue but did not specify color shades; some historians have presumed members adopted light blue shade based on the light blue flag of the Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt[4]
DesignFive equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blue equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bearing a large, sharp, upright, five-pointed white star in the center; see specifications in Colors and Dimensions
Designed byDisputed between Puerto Ricans Francisco Gonzalo Marín in 1895 and Antonio Vélez Alvarado in 1892; based on Cuban flag by Venezuelan Narciso López and Cuban Miguel Teurbe Tolón in 1849
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The flag of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Bandera de Puerto Rico), officially the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit. 'Flag of the Free Associated State of Puerto Rico'),[1] represents Puerto Rico and its people. It consists of five equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blue equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bearing a large, sharp, upright, five-pointed white star in the center. The white star stands for the archipelago and island, the three sides of the triangle for the three branches of the government, the blue for the sky and coastal waters, the red for the blood shed by warriors, and the white for liberty, victory, and peace.[5] The flag is popularly known as the Monoestrellada (Monostarred), meaning having one star, a single star, or a lone star.[6][7] It is in the Stars and Stripes flag family.

In September 1868, the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico launched the Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt against Spanish rule in the main island, carrying as their standard the Bandera del Grito de Lares (Grito de Lares Flag), commonly known as the bandera de Lares (Lares flag).[8] Marking the establishment of a national consciousness for the first time, it is recognized as the first flag of Puerto Rico.[9]

In December 1895, 27 years after the failed revolt in the municipality of Lares, members of the committee, in partnership with fellow Cuban rebels exiled in New York City, replaced the Lares flag with the current design as the new revolutionary flag to represent an independent Puerto Rico. Based on the flag of Cuba, the standard of the Cuban War of Independence against Spain, its adoption symbolized the strong bonds existing between Cuban and Puerto Rican revolutionaries and the united independence struggles of Cuba and Puerto Rico as the last two remaining territories of the Spanish Empire in the Americas since 1825.[10][11]

The Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico identified the colors of the flag as red, white, and blue but failed to specify any shade, leading to an ongoing debate about the tonality of the color blue.[12] Contemporaneous secondary oral sources claimed the light blue used on the Lares Flag was retained.[4][13][11] However, there were several renditions of said flag made, with the only one authenticated by a written primary source featuring a dark blue.[14][15][16]

In March 1897, the flag was flown during the Intentona de Yauco (Attempted Coup of Yauco) revolt, the second and last assault against Spanish rule before the start of the invasion, occupation, and annexation of Puerto Rico by the U.S. during the Spanish-American War in July 1898.[17][18] The public display of the flag was outlawed throughout the first half of the 20th century.

In July 1952, it was adopted as the official flag of Puerto Rico with the establishment of the current political status of commonwealth, after several failed attempts were made by the insular elected government in the prior decades. The colors were identified as red, white, and blue by law, but the shades were not specified.[2][10][19] However, the newly formed administration of Governor Luis Muñoz Marín used a dark blue matching that of the American flag as the de facto shade.

In August 1995, a regulation confirmed the colors but did not specified any shade.[1] With its promulgation, medium blue began to be used by the people as the de facto shade, replacing dark blue. In August 2022, an amendment bill was unsuccessfully introduced in the Puerto Rican Senate which would have established the medium blue on the current flag, a so-called azul royal (royal blue), as the official shade.[20]

It is common to see the equilateral triangle of the flag with different shades of blue, as no specific one has been made official by law. Occasionally, the shade displayed is used to show preference on the issue of the political status, with light blue, presumably used by pro-independence rebels in 1868 and 1895, representing independence and sovereigntism, dark blue, widely used by government since 1952, representing statehood, and medium blue, most commonly used by the people since the 1995, representing the current intermediary status of unincorporated territory.

The flag of Puerto Rico ranked seventh out of 72 entries in a poll regarding flags of subdivisions of the U.S. and Canada conducted by the North American Vexillological Association in 2001.[21]

Current Monoestrellada with its medium blue shade in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2021
Celebrating in 2019, Boricuas raise the Monoestrellada, which appears with various shades of blue
  1. ^ a b c "Reglamento de Puerto Rico 1995". www.lexjuris.com. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  2. ^ a b "Ley del 24 de julio de 1952" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-19.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference reglamento2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PH2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Puerto Rico". flagspot.net. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ^ ASALE (2023-10-13). "monoestrellada | Diccionario de americanismos". «Diccionario de americanismos» (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  7. ^ "La Monoestrellada ya ondea en la plaza de las banderas de los Juegos Panamericanos". Primera Hora (in Spanish). October 18, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Historical Flags of Puerto Rico". welcome.topuertorico.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  9. ^ "Puerto Rico - Cinco Siglos de Historia"; por: Francisco Sacrano; editor: McGraw Hill Interamericana, SA, 1993; pág. 533
  10. ^ a b "Historia de Nuestra Bandera". Ateneo Puertorriqueño. September 16, 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  11. ^ a b "El origen y los colores de nuestra bandera". eladoquintimes.com. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference pachin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Laresflag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Laresflag2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Laresflag22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference hdl.loc.gov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Sabia Usted? Archived 2000-12-08 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish), Sabana Grande, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2009
  18. ^ The Flag, Flags of the World, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2009
  19. ^ Flags of the World; Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Flags of the World, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2009
  20. ^ "Para enmendar la Sección 1 y la Sección 2 de la Ley Núm. 1 de 24 de julio de 1952" (PDF). senado.pr.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  21. ^ Kaye, Edward B. (June 10, 2001). "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey" (PDF). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
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