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Cayambe Canton (Pichincha, Ecuador)

Cantón Cayambe

Last modified: 2009-07-26 by dov gutterman
Keywords: pichincha | cayambe |
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image by Jens Pattke, 29 October 2002



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Overview

Based on image from provincial website.
Falko Schmidt, 29 October 2002

The canton was formed on 25 June 1824.
The descriptions of the symbols at provincial website
"The flag is of rectangular shape, with a yellow stripe between two green stripes and with the canton's coat of arms in the yellow stripe."
"The coat of arms is surrounded by a green and yellow orle. The orle is ringed in four parts forming a cross and is charged with six silver castles, representing the parishes merged to form the canton of Cayambe in 1883 [However, the canton was formed on 25 June 1824, according to the data provided by the Association of Ecuadorian Municipalities. I.S]: Tabacundo, Cangahua, Guayllabamba, Otón, Malchinguí and Tocachi.
The red ribbon means the active contribution of the inhabitants to the overthrowing of President General Ignacio de Veintimilla [I can't see any red ribbon on the coat of arms. Ignacio de Veintimilla (1829-1908) ruled Ecuador as a dictator from 1878 to 1882, when he was overthrown and exiled to Peru. See his biography on the Ecuadorian presidential website. I.S.].
The golden castle in the middle represents the village of Cayambe. The golden cross surmonting the castle represents the Catholic religion. On a dark blue field is placed the majestuous Mount Cayamburo, today known as Cayambe, covered with snow and reaching 5,790 m asl. An earth's sphere crowning the mountain represents its location on the equator line.
The golden and emerald colours of the fields and hills represent the valley's fertility and resources.
In the base of the shields flows a blue river representing the Ewes' River, today known as Granobles; a white lily represents St. Mary Ann of Jesus, known as 'The White Lily of Quito'. [Mariana de Jesús Paredes Flórez (1618-1645), awarded the title of "National Heroin" in 1946 by the Congress of Ecuador and canonized by Pope Pius XII. See her biography on the EWTN website. I.S.]
Two golden spikes flanking the shield symbolize the wheat fields and ripe grain provided by the valley during harvest.
A golden sun surmonts the upper part of the canton's shiled as a representation of the rubicund Phoebus [A byname used by the Latin classic writers (for instance, Ovid) for the sun god. I.S.], which generates vegetal and animal life by its warmth, movement and light."
The same information can be retrieved much more easily from the Cayambe municipal website, but the image of the coat of arms here has weird colours (the castles are yellow and the river is white, while prescribed as silver and blue, respectively).
Ivan Sache, 20 October 2008


Coat of Arms


image from <www.pichincha.gov.ec>, located by Falko Schmidt, 29 October 2002