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Colima (Mexico)

Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima

Last modified: 2020-02-01 by juan manuel gabino villascán
Keywords: mexico | colima | coat of arms | flag (armorial) | armorial flag | arm | nahuatl | hieroglyph | jaguar | hibiscus | snake | helmet | volcano |
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Armorial flag of Colima 4:7
1 | 2 | 3
Armorial flag adopted: On 24 February 2018 by Decree No. 459 published on 23 February 2018
by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 23 December 2019


See also:

Presentation of Colima

  • Official name (Spanish): Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima
  • Official name (English): Free and Sovereign State of Colima
  • Short-form names: State of Colima; Colima
  • Location: Western of Mexico. It is surrounded by the States of Michoacán de Ocampo (SW), and Jalisco (N); and bathed by the Pacific Ocean (SW).
  • Area: 5 627 km2
  • Population: 715 095 inhabitants (2015)
  • Capital: Colima (Pop.: 146 904 [2010])
  • Statehood: 5 February 1857
  • Arms first adopted: By Decree number 43 published on 17 August 1968
  • Flag (armorial) adopted: On 24 February 2018 by Decree No. 459 published on 23 February 2018
  • Municipalities: 10 (in brackets [ ] the municipal seat)
    • 001 Armería [Ciudad de Armería]
      002 Colima [Colima]
      003 Comala [Comala]
      004 Coquimatlán [Coquimatlán]
      005 Cuauhtémoc [Cuauhtémoc
      006 Ixtlahuacán [Ixtlahuacán]
      007 Manzanillo [Manzanillo]
      008 Minatitlán [Minatitlá]
      009 Tecomán [Tecomán]
      010 Villa de Álvarez [Villa de Álvarez]

Armorial flag

Armorial flag of Colima 4:7
1 | 2 | 3
Armorial flag adopted: On 24 February 2018 by Decree No. 459 published on 23 February 2018
by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 23 December 2019

Decree 459 published on 23 February 2018, in force since 24 February states:

(...) it is considered necessary to clarify that the Official Coat of arms of the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, can be used in flag mode [armorial flag], to contribute to the awareness of belonging to a community with its own features that characterize it, while distinguishing it from the others, as an identity element, unity and sense of belonging to the Free and Sovereign State of Colima.

In this regard, there are laws in various states regulate the use of the relevant state flag, such as Jalisco and Querétaro to mention some examples, being consistent therefore in the legal frame the use of the official armorial flag be regulated.

EIGHTH. The official coat of arms of the State in its flag modality may be used. It consists of a white rectangle with a ratio between width and length of four to seven and in the center the State official coat of arms placed in such a way that occupies up to three quarter parts of the flag's width, whose reproduction shall faithfully correspond to that described in the Frist article of this Decree.

At the headquarters of the State Powers, and those of the Municipalities, the Official State armorial flag may be hoisted on the dates that do not match the solemn declared dates for the entire Nation, indicated in the Ley sobre el Escudo, Bandera e Himno Nacional.

The State Official armorial flag may be flown at the Official Offices of the State Powers, Public Offices of the State, as well as those of the Municipalities. The flags used in the aforementioned properties will have the appropriate dimensions and conservation for its use and dignity, conferring their care to the personnel designated for that purpose.

Reported by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 23 December 2019.


Coat of arms

[Colima coat of arms

Click on the image to see a larger image by Government of Colima
Posted by: Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 23 December 2019.

Decree 43 published on 13 August 2016 states:

In 1954 Professor Ricardo Guzmán Nava, Alfredo Ruiseco Avellaneda and Painter Jorge Chávez Carrillo, based on the well-known arms hieroglyphic, created a mordern and simple Hsipanic Shield, which began to be used since then in all kinds of documents and official representations of the State, with general acceptance without having been officially decreed its use.

It was in the State Official Gazette El Estdo de Colima, Number 33 of 17 August 1968, where Decree Number 43 was issued by the State Congress, which was adopted for the state the Official Coat of Arms of the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, created in 1954, by the Professors Ricardo Guzmán Nava, Alfredo Ruiseco Avellaneda and Painter Jorge Chávez Carrillo.

In the aforementioned Decree the Coat of Arms was described incompletely, which has resulted in the nonexistence of certainty about its original design, resulting in different versions of it.

Through official letter SGG 060/2016 dated on 22 February 2016, C. Marcela Chávez Ramírez, Painter Jorge Chávez Cariillo's daughter, was requested to grant the necessary facilities to photograph the original design of the State Coat of Arms, in order to rescue the original work.

C. Marcela Chávez Ramírez allow the access to her father's work, in order of knowing the original work and having the bases of it. Based on it, and in accordance with the revision made to this work, it is considered appropriate to propose amendments to the aforementioned Decree number 43, which adopts the Official coat of arms of the Free State and Sovereign of Colima, in order that it matches with such work. In this way, it seeks to rescue our roots and cultural essence from its origins, knowing the original professor's work who represents our Colima identity, which is described in detail in this Decree...

The decree provides a full description of the coat of arms, among other things, it establishes as silver the color of the shield and red the border. On the shield is the hieroglyph which represented in the past the region of Colliman. The plants in both sides of the shield are hibiscus. The snakes are black and correspond to those locally known as Alpalcuates or Tilcualtes (indigo snake). The supporters are jaguars standing over seashells above blue water waves. Bellow the shield is a landscape featuring the Volcan of Colima and the Volcan de Fuego behind a palm three. The scroll read El temple del brazo es vigor en la tierra which translated means: "The strength of the arms is energy on the land".

Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 13 December 2019.


    Pre-2016 version of the coat of arms

[Previous version of the Colima coat of arms
by: Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 6 October 2001

Argent (?) a mayan hieroglyph proper, bordure gules; helmet azure with penache sable; supporters (?) two pumas issuant and sitting on a [something] sable, each holding sinister a flowering branch with coiled snake and dexter a seashell (Murex?); compartment a vulcano sable with a dentalion flower (?); scroll or, reading in two lines of serif capitals sable "EL TEMPLE DEL BRAZO ES VIGOR EN LA TIERRA", with "DE" digraph and "O" reduced to superscript underscore.
António Martins, 01 Sep 1999


Some historians agree that the word Colima comes from Colliman, the name by which was known the old kingdom that dominated this coastal region. Colímotl was the name of the last King or Great Lord that ruled these fair lands. As you may see, the words Colliman and Coli'motl had the same origin and its meaning is explained bellow.

I think you noticed that in the coat of arms of Colima there is a hand and a shouldder. Well this very same hieroglyph appears in the nahualt script with a blue bracelet in the wrist, with the sign for water (some little bubbles) in the lower part of the arm. We all noticed that the hand and arm on this hieroglyph dont belong toghether [the thumb should be pointing upwards — AM]; however nobody has ever come up with a propper explanation.

Historians think this hieroglyph is correct and should be interpreted this way: Collima comes from "colli", meaning, hill, volcano or "abuelo" (?), plus "ma", from "maitl", hand, meaning place, dominium, etc., all toghether meaning "Place where the Fire God / Old God dominates, and which was conquered by our ancestors"." Recently was said that Colima comes from Acolliman, that means "The human group that settled in the important "recodo" (?) of the water". Of these the first is the best known and most accepted.

Colima was never granted a coat of arms, and so, recently, the state government adopted one, with the characteristics of our land.

Daniel Alejandro García Gauna, and Luis Havas


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