The granting in 1817 of the title of city to Villa de Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe by King Fernando the Seventh was accompanied by the possibility of using the Coat of Arms and Ceremonial Maces.
The Ceremonial Maces, pieces cast in silver, were awarded to cities with government structures at the service of the crown, such as the City Hall of Puerto Príncipe. The originals are in the Ignacio Agramonte Provincial Museum, while some replicas are located in the headquarters of the Municipal Government and for a time they were exhibited in the history room of that place. In addition, during the reading of the proclamation that kicks off the celebrations of the San Juan Camagüeyano and the Week of Culture, that are carried out by personalities of the territory.
The coat of arms was redesigned by the chronicler of the Spanish crown Francisco Doroteo de la Carrera, adjusting to the codes of Hispanic heraldry. In this way he eliminated elements of sketches presented by principeños such as José Agustín Arango Ramírez and José de la Cruz Castellanos y Mojarrieta.
Two silver doves would be represented on the shield, each one with a torch lit in its beak as a symbol of peace, castles, lions and a hound dog that denoted the bravery and fidelity of the villagers.
Also a ducal crown, which was only granted to cities located in royal territory or overseas provinces. On each side were lambrequins representing the branches that protected weapons in ancient times.
This bestowal was a royal gift, with the claim that the Creoles would never take up arms against the kingdom.
Unlike the shield of the province approved in 1926, the one granted by King Ferdinand the Seventh to the city did not have any representative symbol of the territory to which it was conferred.
The redesign of Francisco Doroteo de la Carrera was a sign of the inability of the Spanish metropolis to recognize and understand a different culture that came from a land that, despite being a colony, aspired to have independence.
Currently the first official coat of arms, the one awarded in 1817, is displayed in two important buildings in the city, the Santa Cecilia Convention Center and the Municipal Government, as well as in gardens in the main streets of the city center.
The title of city, beyond its historical context, constitutes today an event with a marked cultural character in which the coming of age of the region and the gradual consolidation of its social, economic and artistic development are celebrated.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
