Last modified: 2015-05-07 by francisco gregoric
Keywords: mercedes | zarate (gabriel “cani”) | tree: ñandubay | river | paiubre | rock | itá pucú | high rock | curuzú cuatiá | belgrano (manuel) |
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The Province of Corrientes is administratively divided in 25 departments. These departments are divided into a different number of municipalities. There are a total of 71 municipalities in the province.
Francisco Gregoric, 24 Oct 2014
![[Curuzú Cuatiá flag]](../images/a/ar-w-cc.gif)
Curuzú Cuatiá (Argentina) is located in Corrientes.
Flag adopted 7 April 1988.
J. J. Andersson, 04 Feb 2002
The town of Curuzú Cuatiá (36,390 inhabitants in 2001) is the capital of the Department of Curuzú Cuatiá (42,075 inhabitants in 2001; 8,911 sq. km. It is located in the south of the Province of Corrientes.
Curuzú Cuatiá is a Guarani name, which translates in Spanish as "Posta de Cruz" (The Cross' Post), a name used by the Spanish colonists and the Jesuits. The place was indeed a main road intersection, marked by a big cross surrounded by nine American carob trees, and a significant place of trade and exchange between Lower Paraná, Buenos Aires and Santa Fe.
The increase of the population around the crossroads caused a quarrel on the jurisdiction over the place between the administrations of Corrientes and Yapeyú, that started in 1797 when a chapel was built, attracting even more population.
On 14 November 1810, General Manuel Belgrano, Chief of the North Army, on his way to Paraguay, allocated the jurisdiction to Corrientes. Two days later, he proclaimed the Decree founding the town, arguing that the inhabitants deserved the erection of an independent parish as a reward to their merits, collaboration and service. The Decree fixed the limits of the town and the places where the school, the church and the administrative buildings were to be built. Respecting the local faith, Belgrano granted the name of "Nuestra Señora de Pilar de Curuzú Cuatiá" to the new settlement, which was granted on 9 October 1852 the title of "villa" and on 25 October 1888 the title of "ciudad". "Born with the Fatherland", Curuzú Cuatiá was proclaimed on 4 February 1942 an Historical Place (Decree No. 112.765).
The Municipal Decree prescribing the flag translates as follows:
![[Mercedes flag]](../images/a/ar-w-me.gif)
The flag is vertically divided white hoist and dark blue fly, with an
emblem on the centre of the white part.
Olivier Touzeau, 09 Dec 2001
The flag was elected and adopted after a contest in 1995. The winning
flag was designed by Gabriel “Cani” Zarate a very important
plastic artist from Mercedes. The emblem was designed
exclusively for the flag.
Francisco Gregoric, 08 Jan 2004 and 10 Jan 2004
![[Mercedes flag detail]](../images/a/ar-w-me).gif)
The emblem on the Mercedes flag was designed exclusively for it. (The
municipal emblem of Mercedes is different.) It has the shape of a famous
rock of the zone known as Itá Pucú (something like
«ee-tah poo-koo»), that means "high rock" in guarani.
Inside the emblem, there are a stream, the Paiubre
(a small river in Mercedes Municipality) and a tree that is a
Ñandubay (a tree from the region).
Francisco Gregoric, 08 Jan 2004 and 10 Jan 2004
The flag of Mercedes is prescribed by Ordinance No. 324/95.
The flag is vertically divided white-blue, the national colours, with
an emblem in the centre of the white part.
The same source gives additional details to the description of the
emblem.
The branches of the tree reach the libertarian sky, while its roots
deeply stuck in the original soil keep the heritage of our ancestors.
The river is guitar-shaped, symbolizing culture and dreams; the green
field represents rice cultivation.
The shade of the blue part of the flag seems to vary between light (as
on the national flag) and dark blue, as originally reported by Olivier Touzeau.
Ivan Sache, 14 apr 2013
The municipality of Pasos de los Libres (43,805 inhabitants in 2001)
is located 360 km of Corrientes, on the border with Brazil, here river
Uruguay. Pasos de los Libres is joined to the Brazilian border town of Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul) by the road and railway international bridge "Getúlio Vargas-Agustín Pedro Justo".
Pasos de los Libres was established on the territory of the old St. George's Estate, located near the confluence of rivers Yatay and Uruguay. The estate was named for a mission's chapel consecrated on 23 April (St. George's Day) 1742 by the Jesuit Father José Gómez. After the suppression of the Jesuits missions, the region was reorganized in 1803 as the "Gobernación de Guaraníes y Tapes". In 1810, the territory, known as Patriolengas, was incorporated to the Misiones government, depending on Buenos Aires, and, subsequently, to the Corrientes Province. Provincial Decree of 2 September 1834 allowed the sale of the old St. George's Estate; the new owner of the domain, Blas Marquez, renamed the place San Jorge.
The name of Paso de los Libres ("Passage of the Freemen") recalls an historical event of the struggle that opposed the Corrientes patriots to Juan Manuel de Rosas, Governor - some say, Dictator - of Buenos Aires. On 31 March 1843, Joaquín Madariaga (1799-1848), exiled in Brazil since the defeat of Arroyo Grande (6 December 1842), crossed back river Uruguay with 108 patriots; joined by other troops, the "Freemen" eventually seized Corrientes on 13 April 1843. After the
victory of Laguna Brava (6 May 1843), Madariaga was appointed governor of the Corrientes Province on 1 August 1843. The governor officially founded the town of Paso de los Libres on 12 September 1843. Madariaga was expelled by Rosas' partisans in 1847; the new provincial government renamed the town Restauración on 27 January 1848. Governor
Miguel Ignacio Lagraña eventually re-established the town's original name on 28 February 1864.
The flag of Paso de los Libres is celeste blue with a shield-shaped emblem in the middle.
The flag of was unveiled on 12 September 2012, during the celebration of the 169th anniversary of the foundation of the town.
The organization of a public contest to design the flag was suggested by members of the local branch of Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (SADE - Argentine Writers' Society) and approved by the Municipal Council.
The contest was announced on 24 August 2012. Article 3 of the contest's rules prohibits the use of "alphanumeric typography and irreversible objects"; it further recommends to use symbols "representing the local and foreign ethnic races, cultural events, the town's border location and its contribution to the provincial and national history". The flag should have a white or celeste blue background, and should not include more than five colours. The
dimensions of the flag should be the same as for the Corrientes Province flag [2:3]. The deadline for proposal submission was fixed to 24 August 2012.
The jury was made of the Director of Culture of the municipal administration, a history teacher, an heraldry specialist, a
representative of SADE, and a visual arts professor.
Eight proposals were submitted. The jury selected the design proposed by San José College, which was subsequently validated by the Municipal Council.
The shield has a thin red-yellow-white-green-blue border. These colours represent the main countries of origin of the foreign settlers: Spain, Italy, France, Lebanon and Brazil
In the base is placed a plant with green alternated leaves, growing from a red mound, representing the locals. Behind the plant are two arms touching each other in the middle of the shield; the left arm is red and yellow, while the right arms is celeste blue and white. The two joint arms, in the colours of Brazil and Argentina, respectively, represent the international bridge, the first mark of material union between American peoples.
Over the bridge is a rising sun made of 108 red stylized birds. The 108 birds represent the 108 freemen for whom the town was named.
Ivan Sache, 05 Aug 2013
![[Pedro Ramon Fernandez municipal flag]](../images/a/ar-w-pf.gif)
The municipality of Pedro R. Fernández (1,329 inhabitants in 2001) islocated in the west of the Corrientes Province.
The place is named for Pedro Ramón Fernández, Deputy and Vice Governor of the Corrientes Province, who offered in 1889 plots from the San Diego estate to build the railway line between Monte Caseros and Corrientes. The San Diego railway station was inaugurated in February 1911. The Pedro R. Fernández colony, then part of the 1st Section of the San Roque Department, was founded on 28 July 1929 by Mercedes Gomez de Fernández and her son Eduardo Fernández, with the support of Benjamín González, Governor of Corrientes. The San Diego station was renamed Manuel Florencio Mantilla on 28 July 1925. Accordingly, Pedro R. Fernández is better known as Estación Manuel Florencio Mantilla, Estación Mantilla, or, simply, Mantilla. Official documents often call the place Pedro R. Fernández - Estación Mantilla. The Corrientes politician Manuel Florencio Mantilla (1853-1909; Deputy, 1894-1898; Senator, 1898-1909) was a firm supporter of provincial autonomy and of the development of railway.
The flag Pedro R. Fernández is, in its upper part, horizontally divided white - sky blue, the blue stripe forming a triangle reaching the upper corner of the flag. The lower part of the flag is vertically divided green-brown by a curvy line. A black railway is placed on the right border of the green stripe; two black palm trees stand on the left of the railway. A yellow rising sun bordered by a black gear wheel emerges from the blue stripe.
The flag was unveiled for the celebration of the 83rd anniversary of the foundation of the town.
The flag was selected among 39 proposals submitted to the public contest "Todos Por Nuestra Bandera" (All for Our Flag), organized by the municipality. The winning proposal was designed by Roberto Carlos Meza Niella, born in Mantilla and currently living in Florianópolis (Brazil), and submitted by his niece Melani Ferrari, from Colegio San Diego.
White represents the permanent quest of peace by men.
Sky blue represents the firmament, whose splendour and munificence are celebrated in the "chámame" song "El cielo de Mantilla" [Mantilla Sky] by the Chamamé composer and singer Teresa Parodi.
Green represents the vegetation, as the symbol of the natural environment of the settlement.
Brown represents the cloak of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of the town.
The railways recalls the origin of the settlement, built close to the Mantilla station; they also represent emigration of the youth in search of work and higher studies.
The sun / gear wheel is the symbol of the young history of the settlement.
The yataí palm tree* represents the vegetation, as seen by those entering the town by train. It is characteristic of the area, on the side of Road No. 12, forming a fragrant and unmistakable, cordon** welcoming the locals and the foreigners.
*_Butia yatay_ (Mart.) Becc. is a palm tree species native to northern Argentina (Corrientes, Entre Ríos,, Misiones and Santa Fe Provinces), Paraguay, and Uruguay, also cultivated. Pedro R. Fernández - Estación Mantilla was established the permanent seat of the Yataí Provincial Festival, scheduled to the first week of February, by Provincial Law No. 5885 of 11 July 2009, published on 30 July 2009 in the official gazette.
** "El Litoral", 8 June 1898, announced the inauguration of the San Diego railway station in "a place located near a small lake and surrounded by thick palm tree woods".
Ivan Sache, 04 Jan 2014
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.
