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| |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,civil andstate ensign   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | August 3, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-08-03) by elected Puerto Rican government after issuing regulation identifying colors but not specifying color shades; medium blue replaced dark blue asde facto shade of triangle[1] |
| |
.svg) | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,civil andstate ensign |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | July 24, 1952; 73 years ago (1952-07-24) by elected Puerto Rican government with the establishment of thecommonwealth after issuing law identifying colors but not specifying color shades; dark blue becamede facto shade of triangle, replacing presumed original light blue[2][3] |
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.svg) | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,civil andstate ensign |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | December 22, 1895; 129 years ago (1895-12-22) by pro-independence members of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico exiled inNew 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 thelight blue flag of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt[4] |
| Design | Five equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blueequilateral triangle based on thehoist side bearing a large, sharp, upright,five-pointed white star in the center;see specifications inColors andDimensions |
| Designed by | Disputed between Puerto RicansFrancisco Gonzalo Marín in 1895 andAntonio Vélez Alvarado in 1892; based onCuban flag by VenezuelanNarciso López and CubanMiguel Teurbe Tolón in 1849 |
| Part ofa series on the |
| Culture of Puerto Rico |
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| Society |
| Topics |
| Symbols |
Theflag of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Bandera de Puerto Rico), officially theFlag 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] representsPuerto Rico andits people. It consists of five equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blueequilateral triangle based on thehoist side bearing a large, sharp, upright,five-pointed white star in the center. The white star stands for thearchipelago and island, the three sides of the triangle for the three branches of thegovernment, 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 ispopularly known as theMonoestrellada (Monostarred), meaning havingone star, a single star, or a lone star.[6][7] It is in theStars and Stripes flag family.
In September 1868, theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico launched theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt againstSpanish rule in themain island, intending to establish a free and independent "Republic of Puerto Rico" under theBandera del Grito de Lares (Grito de Lares Flag), commonly known as thebandera de Lares (Lares flag).[8] Marking the establishment of a national consciousness for the first time in Puerto Rico, it is recognized as the first flag of the archipelago and island.[9]
In December 1895, 27 years after the failed revolt in themunicipality ofLares, members of the committee, in partnership with fellowCuban rebels exiled inNew York City, replaced the Lares flag with the current design as the new revolutionary flag to represent an independent Puerto Rico. Based on theflag of Cuba, thestandard of theCuban War of Independence againstSpain, 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 theSpanish Empire in theAmericas since1825.[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 anongoing debate about the tonality of the color blue.[12] Contemporaneoussecondaryoral sources claimed that the light blue used on the Lares flag was retained.[4][13][11] However, the only Lares flag authenticated by a writtenprimary source from 1872 features a dark blue.[14][15][16] Moreover, primary sources from 1895 and 1897 have also established that the original color adopted and used by members of the committee was a dark blue.[17]
In March 1897, the flag was flown during theIntentona de Yauco (Attempted Coup of Yauco) revolt, the second and last assault against Spanish rule before the start of theinvasion, occupation, and annexation of Puerto Rico by theU.S. during theSpanish-American War in July 1898.[18][19] 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 thecurrent political status ofcommonwealth, after several failed attempts were made by theinsular elected government in the prior decades. The colors were identified by law as red, white, and blue, but the shades were not specified.[2][10][20] However, the newly formed administration ofGovernorLuis Muñoz Marín used a dark blue matching that of theAmerican flag as thede 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, anamendment bill was unsuccessfully introduced in thePuerto Rican Senate which would have established the medium blue on the current flag, a so-calledazul royal (royal blue), as the official shade.[21]
It is common to see theequilateral triangle of the flag with differentshades 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 thepolitical status, with light blue, presumably used by pro-independence rebels in 1868, representingindependence andsovereigntism, dark blue, widely used by the government since 1952, representingstatehood, and medium blue, most commonly used by the people since the 1995, representing thecurrent intermediary status ofunincorporated territory.
The flag of Puerto Rico ranked seventh out of 72 entries in a poll regarding flags of subdivisions of the U.S. andCanada conducted by theNorth American Vexillological Association in 2001.[22]
The introduction of a flag in Puerto Rico can be traced back to November 19, 1493, whenChristopher Columbus landed on the western shores of themain island, and with the flag appointed to him by theSpanish Crown, claimed the island, originally known by its nativeTaíno people asBorikén, in the name ofSpain, calling itSan Juan Bautista (Saint John Baptist) in honor of prophetJohn the Baptist, whobaptizedJesus Christ. Columbus wrote in his logbook that on 12 October 1492 his fleet carried the royal standard of theCrown of Castile, representing the Spanish Monarchy, andLa Capitana ("the captain"), the expeditionaryensign of the explorer, which featured, on a white background, a green cross in the center and a green 'F' and 'Y' crowned with golden, open royal crowns forFerdinand II of Aragon andYsabella I of Castille, theCatholic Monarchs of a unifiedSpain.[23][24]
Conquistadores under the command ofJuan Ponce de León, the first European explorer andgovernor of Puerto Rico, proceeded to conquer and settle theisland in 1508,displacing, enslaving, and killing the nativeTaíno people. They carried the royal standard of theCrown of Castile, the emblem representing theSpanish Monarchy, and theCross of Burgundy, the military standard representing theSpanish Empire, the latter of which continues to be flown on the Spanish-built fortifications in Puerto Rico, most notably onCastillo San Felipe del Morro andCastillo San Cristóbal.[25][26]
In 1868, Puerto Rican pro-independence leaderRamón Emeterio Betances urged Eduviges Beauchamp Sterling[27] to sew and embroider therevolutionary flag of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares), thestandard of the first oftwo short-lived revolts againstSpanish rule in the main island, using as design the quartered flag of theFirst Dominican Republic, which was inspired by theHaitian andFrench flags, and based on theregimental flags of theKingdom of France, and the lone star of theCuban flag of theGrito de Yara (Cry of Yara) revolt at thesugar plantation andmill ofLa Demajagua inCuba.
The fusion of the Dominican and Cuban flags to make theLares flag was aimed at promoting the union of the neighboringSpanish-speakingGreater Antilles—the single-nation islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic in the two-nation island ofHispaniola—into anAntillean Confederation for the protection and preservation of their sovereignty and interests.[28][29][30]
In 1868, after theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt,Francisco Ramírez Medina, having been sworn in as the first president of Puerto Rico by the revolutionaries, intended to proclaim theLares flag as the national flag of the free and independent "Republic of Puerto Rico." Marking the establishment of a national consciousness for the first time in Puerto Rico, it is recognized as the first flag of thearchipelago and island.[9][31]
Only one flag of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt and independent "Republic of Puerto Rico" has been authenticated as original by writtenprimary sources. The flag is quartered by a centered white cross, with two deep red squares on thefly side and two dark blue squares on thehoist side, the top of which bears a tiled, sharp, centered, five-pointed white star.[32][14]
In 1868, the flag was captured by the Spanish leader in charged of the repression against the revolutionaries,Colonel Manuel Iturriaga, after it was discovered buried in one of two wooden boxes alongside hundreds of cartridges for rifles on the coffee farm of a rebel named José Antonio Hernández in thePiedra Gordabarrio (then known as Palomar) ofCamuy, atown immediately to north ofLares.[15][33]
In 1872, Spanish telegrapher and journalist José Manuel Pérez Moris, a contemporary who had migrated to Puerto Rico from Cuba in 1869, described the flag in his chronicle about the revolt,Historia de la Insurrección de Lares (History of the Insurrection of Lares), as follows:[34]
"Es una bandera puertorriqueña de losindependientes de Lares…la bandera, aunque tiene los colores y la estrella de la llamada Cubana, se diferencia de aquella…el cuerpo de ella lo forma una cruz latina blanca que la atraviesa entera en su longitud y latitud…los cuatro ángulos rectos que deja la cruz blanca arriba y abajo, los ocupan otros tantos cuadriláteros de color azul los primeros, y de color punzó los segundos. En uno de los cuadriláteros azules, en el de la derecha, hay una magnifica estrella blanca, bordada…"
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
"It is a Puerto Rican flag of the independents of Lares…the flag, although it has the colors and the star of the so-called Cuban flag, differs from that one…its body is formed by a white Latin cross that crosses it entirely in length and width…the four right angles left by the white cross above and below are occupied by four quadrilaterals, the first ones blue, and the second ones crimson. In one of the blue quadrilaterals, on the right, there is a magnificent white star, embroidered…"
In 1908, after the death of Iturriaga inSpain, the flag was donated by his son to theMuseo de Artillería (Museum of the Artillery) inMadrid, alongside a copy ofHistoria de la Insurrección de Lares (History of the Insurrection of Lares) autographed by Pérez Moris, who had dedicated the book to Iturriaga. The flag was later transferred to theMuseo del Ejército (Museum of the Army) in Madrid.[32]
In 1931, Spanish-Puerto Rican historian Enrique Tomás Blanco Géigel described the flag in an article for the magazineAlma Latina titledLa Bandera de Puerto Rico (The Flag of Puerto Rico). A picture of the second graduating class of the law school at theUniversity of Puerto Rico holding a replica of the flag is featured in the publication.[32] Blanco’s description of the flag is as follows:
"La bandera de Lares… enterrada en el barrio del Palomar por Hernández…tuvo su origen en ladominicana y en la de laDemajagua de Cuba, semejante a la deChile, y en ella, los dos cuarteles azules iban colocados en el extremo inmediato al asta, con una estrella blanca de cinco puntas en el superior, y los dos cuarteles rojos en el extremo opuesto. Una cruz blanca la atravesaba en toda su longitud y latitud…"
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
"The flag of Lares…buried in the Palomar neighborhood by Hernández…had its origin in theDominican and in that of theDemajagua of Cuba, similar to that ofChile, and in it, the two blue quarters were placed at the end closest to the pole, with a five-pointed white star at the top, and the two red quarters at the opposite end. A white cross crossed it in all its length and width…"
In 1970, Puerto Rican scholar and head of theInstitute of Puerto Rican Culture at the University of Puerto Rico,Ricardo Alegría, requested and received pictures of the flag from Spanish historian Juan Manuel Zapatero at the (Museum of the Army) in Madrid. However, Alegría did not produce any official documentation of the flag.[32]
Since 2010, the flag has been exhibited inToledo, Spain, which is where theMuseum of the Army relocated. In 2020, Luis Sorando Muzás, expert invexilology and advisor to the Museum of the Army, published the flag as part of a catalog on the flags and banners in the museum.[14]
In 2023, Puerto Rican investigative historian and founder of theArchivo Digital Nacional de Puerto Rico (ADNPR) (National Digital Archive of Puerto Rico), Joseph Harrison Flores, described the flag as"la verdadera bandera de Lares" ("the real flag of Lares"). In his bookLa Indentidad de Brazo de Oro ("The Identity of the Golden Arm"), Harrison Flores identified the flag as the original one created by the revolutionary forces of the “Republic of Puerto Rico” that was to be born from theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt in 1868, as its authenticity is proven by written primary sources.[14][15][33]
A second flag claimed to have been used during theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt is in the possession of the University of Puerto Rico. While widely accepted as the original flag of the revolt and independent "Republic of Puerto Rico," the flag has not only never been authenticated by written primary sources, but it has also been discredited as a forgery. The flag is quartered by a centered white cross, with two bottom red rectangles and two top light blue rectangles, the left of which bears a tiled, centered, five-pointed white star.[13]
In 1954, the flag, a poster of the revolutionaries, and a map of the main island depicting military operational plans for the revolt were acquired by theMuseum of History, Anthropology and Art of the University of Puerto Rico inRío Piedras, Puerto Rico fromFordham University inNew York City. With the arrival of the flag and supporting documents, the director of the museum, scholarRicardo Alegría, prepared a press release, which is the only document available that explains the supposed origins of the flag. According to Alegría, the flag was taken from the altar of the San José Parish inLares byCabo Rojo mayor, Captain José de Perignat, who kept it until his family donated it to Fordham University.
In 1937, the flag was offered for sale to the government of theDominican Republic. After his evaluation of the flag,Robert H. Todd, Puerto Rican revolutionary leader who was a member ofRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, presented his findings in anEl Mundo article titled"Han intentado vender en Santo Domingo una supuesta bandera de Lares” ("They have tried to sell a supposed Lares flag in Santo Domingo"). Todd dismissed the flag as fake, labeling it"apócrifa" ("apocryphal"). The Dominican Academy of History agreed with Todd's conclusion that"la bandera obra de la incoerente tradición…no resiste una sola de las pruebas a que se le somete" ("The flag, the work of inconsistent tradition...does not withstand a single one of the tests to which it is subjected").
Since 1954, the content of the press release by Alegría has been popularly elevated to a historic fact by subsequent repetition in textbooks, essays, political speeches, and commemorative acts. However, in 2023, Puerto Rican investigative historian and founder of theArchivo Digital Nacional de Puerto Rico (ADNPR) (National Digital Archive of Puerto Rico), Joseph Harrison Flores, explained in his bookLa Indentidad de Brazo de Oro ("The Identity of the Golden Arm") that while the account presented by Alegría is preeminently established in thecollective memory of the people of Puerto Rico, there is no documentary evidence to authenticate the flag nor its history.[15]
Other historians claim that despite the absence ofprimary sources to validate the flag, there is a longoral tradition of testimonies that authenticate it.[35]
In 1873, following the abdication ofAmadeo I of Spain, and the overthrow ofMonarchy for aRepublic, the Spanish government issued a new flag for Puerto Rico. The provincial flag resembled the quarteredLares flag, with the difference that it featured the Spanish colors: all four squares in red, and the cross in yellow with thecoat of arms of Puerto Rico in its center. The flags of Spain once more flew over Puerto Rico with therestoration of the Spanish kingdom in 1874, until 1898, the year that the island became a possession of the United States under the terms of theTreaty of Paris (1898) in the aftermath of theSpanish–American War.[36]
Spanish-Puerto Ricans carried thewar flag of the 3rd Battalion of Puerto Rico in theisland, but most commonly inCuba during theCuban War of Independence againstSpain between 1895 and 1898. The flag is in the shape and colors of theSpanish flag, with two equal red stripes on either side and a larger yellow stripe in the center, which contains thecoat of arms of Spain with the textBATALLON PROVISIONAL DE PUERTO RICO N° 3(PROVISIONAL BATTALION OF PUERTO RICO No. 3) around it. Puerto Rico and Cuba became possessions of theUnited States as a result of theSpanish-American War of 1898, thus ending more than 400 years ofSpanish rule on both islands.
In December 1895, Juan de Mata Terreforte and other exiled Puerto Rican revolutionaries, many of them veterans of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt who fought alongside commanderManuel Rojas Luzardo, re-established theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico under the nameSección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano (Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party) as part of theCuban Revolutionary Party inNew York City, where they continued to advocate for Puerto Rican independence from Spain with the support of Cuban national heroJosé Martí and other Cuban exiles, who similarly began their struggle for self-determination in 1868 when theGrito deYara (Cry of Yara) revolt triggered theTen Years' War (Guerra de los Diez Años) for independence againstSpanish rule inCuba, which, along withPuerto Rico, represented all that remained from Spain’s once extensiveAmerican empire since1825.
Revolutionaries from Cuba and Puerto Rico not only shared their exile in camaraderie and solidarity, but they also honorably fought and died together in battlefields across Cuba during thewar of independence of the island, with approximately 2,000 Puerto Ricans falling in action, including CaptainFrancisco Gonzalo Marín Shaw. Puerto Ricans also made strategic contributions in battles led by GeneralsJuan Ríus Rivera andJosé Semidei Rodríguez, Colonels Juan Ortíz Quiñones and Epifanio Rivera, and dozens of other Puerto Rican officers and troops who served and fought in theCuban Liberation Army.[37]
Determined to affirm the absolute union of the Cuban and Puerto Rican struggle for nationalindependence into a single, common cause, on December 22, with the knowledge and approval of their fellow Cuban revolutionaries, Terreforte, vice-president of the committee, and forty-nine fellow members gathered at the no longer existentChimney Corner Hall inManhattan, unanimously adopted the Cuban flag with colors inverted as the new revolutionary flag to represent asovereign “Republic of Puerto Rico”, replacing theLares flag, which had been used by revolutionaries as the flag of a prospective independent Puerto Rico since their attempt at self-determination in1868, but was eventually rejected, as it represented a failed revolt, a sentiment strongly supported byLola Rodríguez de Tío, Puerto Rican poet, pro-independence leader, and committee member, who spent her later life exiled in liberated Cuba.[38][10][11]
Consecrated by the spilled blood of the thousands of Puerto Ricans who had fought and died in Cuba during thewar of independence, the new flag was described byBentances,Padre de la Patria (Father of the Homeland), as"la sagrada bandera de la patria" ("the sacred flag of the homeland"). Following not only Betances, but also national heroesMartí andRuís Rivera, both of whom approved of the flag, pro-independence leaders from Puerto Rico, includingLuis Muñoz Rivera,José De Diego, andPedro Albizu Campos, revered the flag as a precious symbol representing the ideal ofPatria y Libertad (Homeland and Liberty).[37][39]
.jpg)
InActa Tercera (Third Act) ofMemoria de los trabajos realizados por la Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano, 1895–1998 (Memoir of the works accomplished by the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, 1895–1898), a recollection on the activities of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico arranged by thePartido Revolucionario Cubano (Cuban Revolutionary Party), the unveiling of the new revolutionary Puerto Rican flag is described inSpanish as:
"Terreforte, uno de los supervivientes delGrito de Lares, presentó la nueva bandera que es de la misma forma que la Cubana, con la diferencia de haber sido invertidos los colores: franjas blancas y triángulo azul en vez de rojo, con la misma estrella blanca solitaria en el centro."
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
"Terreforte, one of the survivors of theCry of Lares, presented the new flag that is in the same way as the Cuban one, with the difference that the colors have been inverted: white stripes and blue triangle instead of red, with the same lone white star in the center."
The flag is mentioned inSpanish for a second time in the same memoir underMemoria de la Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano (Memoir of the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party), an account written by Puerto Rican senior committee member Roberto H. Todd and endorsed by fellow member José Julio Henna, president of the committee, at the end of the functions of thePuerto Rican Revolutionary Committee in 1898:
"Acordosé además por la Asamblea adoptar como bandera de Puerto Rico el mismo pabellón Cubano con los colores invertidos, esto es: listas blancas y rojas y el triángulo azul con la estrella solitaria blanca…"
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
"It was also agreed by the Assembly to adopt as the flag of Puerto Rico the same Cuban flag with the inverted colors, that is: white and red bands and the blue triangle with the white lone star..."
The name of the designer of the newly created Puerto Rican flag does not appear in the chronicle.
The origin of the design remains contested between exiled Puerto Rican revolutionariesFrancisco Gonzalo Marín Shaw andAntonio Vélez Alvarado.[12]
Terreforte attributes the design to Marín Shaw, a member of theCuban Liberation Army from Puerto Rico who died fighting for independence in Cuba in 1897. In May 1923, responding to a letter from fellow committee member Domingo Collazo asking him to clarify the origin of the design adopted in New York City after reading several different versions about its origin in the Puerto Rican newspapers, Terreforte, who presented the design to members of the committee in 1895, credits the idea of a design based on the Cuban flag with colors inverted toFrancisco Gonzalo Marín.
The original response of Terreforte inSpanish reads as:
"La adopción de la bandera Cubana con los colores invertidos me fue sugerida por el insigne patriota Francisco Gonzalo Marín en una carta que me escribió desde Jamaica. Yo hice la proposición a los patriotas puertorriqueños que asistieron al mitin de Chimney Hall y fue aprobada unánimemente."
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
“The adoption of the Cuban flag with the colors inverted was suggested by the distinguished patriot Francisco Gonzalo Marín in a letter he wrote me fromJamaica. I made the proposition to Puerto Rican patriots who assisted the meeting at Chimney Hall and it was unanimously approved."
For its part,La AsociaciónManatieña Amigos de la Bandera (Manatieña Association Friends of the Flag) credits fellow ManatieñoVélez Alvarado for the design based on the studies of Puerto Rican archeologist and historian Ovidio Dávila, most famously presented inEl Centenario de la Adopción de la Bandera de Puerto Rico (The Centenary of the Adoption of the Flag of Puerto Rico) in 1996. According to the scholar, the origin of the flag’s design traces back to June 1892 when Vélez Alvarado suffered a momentary "optical illusion... as if by a 'rare color blindness,’ in which he perceived that the red triangle of the Cuban flag had turned blue and the blue stripes red."
Inspired by this experience,Vélez Alvarado created a new flag design for Puerto Rico. A few days later, according to Dávila, Vélez Alvarado presented his new design to Cuban pro-independence leaderJosé Martí at dinner party attended by revolutionaries, includingMarín Shaw. Martí, says Dávila, gave Vélez Alvarado his approval, and "soon after" he published in his newspaper,Patria, "a chronicle in which he emotionally described" the evening.[43] As such, the historian asserts that the flag of Puerto Rico was known to revolutionaries a couple of years before it was formally adopted in 1895.
Puerto Rican professor of history Armando Martí Carvajal has refuted Davila’s findings based on the fact that none of his sources areprimary sources. Carvajal contends that Martí never actually confirmed any of the claims made by Davila, explaining that Martí did wrote on many occasions about the flag of Puerto Rico, but in these cases he was referring to theLares flag, not to the new flag.[12]
Unlike Carvajal, Cuban professor Avelino Víctor Couceiro Rodríguez supports Dávila’s findings, citing as evidence the samesecondary written accounts used by Dávila, including the assertions made by historianCayetano Coll Toste and lawyerJosé Coll Cuchí, respected contemporaries who identifiedVélez Alvarado as the original designer of the flag.[37]
In 1922,Coll Toste, the official historian of Puerto Rico between 1913 and 1927, wrote that it is said that the flag had been drawn by Antonio Vélez Alvarado.[44][37]
In 1923, lawyerJosé Coll Cuchí, son ofColl Toste, described the origins of the flag inEl Nacionalismo en Puerto Rico (Nationalism in Puerto Rico) as follows:
"Y cuando allá por 1890 se agitaban cubanos y puertorriqueños en New York, formando Partidos Revolucionarios, el Sr. Antonio Vélez Alvarado, Vice-presidente del 'Club Borinquen', trazó la bandera de Puerto Rico, y ésta se hizo a semejanza de la de Cuba, invirtiendo los colores…Más tarde, en 1895…a organizar la primera expedición a Puerto Rico, se adoptó en solemne asamblea la bandera del triángulo azul, y que fue presentada a la Asamblea por José de Matta Terreforte…"
— José Coll Cuchí, 1923[37]
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
"And when back in 1890 Cubans and Puerto Ricans were agitated in New York, forming Revolutionary Parties, Mr. Antonio Vélez Alvarado, Vice-president of the 'Club Borinquen', drew the flag of Puerto Rico, and it was made like that of Cuba, inverting the colors…Later, in 1895…to organize the first expedition to Puerto Rico, the flag of the blue triangle was adopted in a solemn assembly, and it was presented to the Assembly by José de Matta Terreforte..."
— José Coll Cuchí, 1923[37]
As alluded by historians Dávila and Couceiro Rodríguez, followers ofVélez Alvarado believe that he was the victim of a discrediting campaign aimed at undermining his reputation as the original designer of the flag.Vélez Alvarado had been commonly recognized as thePadre de la Bandera Puertorriqueña (Father of the Puerto Rican Flag) since the 1890s, but his status as the creator of the flag began to be questioned in the 1930s, after he became one of the founding members of theNationalist Party of Puerto Rico and main supporters of the violent and terrorizing pro-independence struggle advocated by militant leaderAlbizu Campos.[12]
Other historians have claimed that neitherMarín Shaw orVélez Alvarado designed the flag, attributing it instead to fellow Puerto Rican revolutionaries Manuel Besosa, whose daughter is claimed to have sown the flag presented at the adoption meeting, andLola Rodríguez de Tió,[12] prominent pro-independence Puerto Rican poet who composed the first version of the national anthem of Puerto Rico,La Borinqueña, in 1868 as the rallying cry for theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt, and who famously wroteA Cuba (To Cuba), in which she describes inSpanish the intertwined independence struggles of the two islands and the strong interrelationships between their exiled revolutionaries as:[10][12]
“Cuba y Puerto Rico son
de un pájaro las dos alas,
reciben flores o balas
sobre el mismo corazón...”
— Lola Rodríguez de Tió, 1893[45]
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
“Cuba and Puerto Rico are
As two wings of the same bird,
They receive flowers and bullets
Into the same heart...”
— Lola Rodríguez de Tió, 1893[46]
The new revolutionary flag of Puerto Rico was first flown on theisland in May 1896 during the funeral of pro-independence Puerto Rican leader andGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) veteranJosé Gualberto Padilla.[47][48] A year later, in 1897,Antonio Mattei Lluberas visited thePuerto Rican Revolutionary Committee inNew York City to plan a revolt in the municipality ofYauco. He returned to Puerto Rico with the new revolutionary flag representing a prospective independent Puerto Ricanrepublic. On March 24, 1897, a group of men led by Fidel Vélez and openly carrying the flag for the first time in Puerto Rico, unsuccessfully attacked the barracks of Spanish Civil Guard in Yauco. TheIntentona de Yauco (Attempted Coup of Yauco) revolt was the second and last major attempt against Spanish rule in the island, which wasinvaded, occupied, and annexed by the U.S. during theSpanish-American War in July 1898.[49][50]
As with theLares flag, the use and display of this second revolutionary flag was outlawed, as the only flags permitted to be flown in colonial Puerto Rico were theSpanish flag (1493 to 1898) and theAmerican flag (1898 to 1952). From December 10, 1898, the date of the annexation of Puerto Rico by the U.S., to July 25, 1952, the date of the establishment thecommonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico'), it was considered a felony to display the Puerto Rican flag in public, with theflag of the United States being the only flag permitted to be flown on the island.[51] However, the Puerto Rican flag was often used by the pro-independenceLiberal Party of Puerto Rico andNationalist Party of Puerto Rico at their assemblies.
In March 1948, the elected Puerto Rican Senate, controlled by thePartido Popular Democrático (PPD) and presided byLuis Muñoz Marín, who would become the first native Puerto Rican elected to colonial governorship in 1949 and the first governor of thecommonwealth of Puerto Rico in 1952, approved theGag Law 53 of 1948 (Ley de La Mordaza de 53 of 1948), which was signed into law in June by appointed governorJesús T. Piñero, who served from 1946 to 1949 as the first and only native Puerto Rican appointed to colonial governorship.
Similar to the anti-communist law passed in the U.S. in 1940, theSmith Act, which forbade any attempts to “advocate, abet, advise, or teach” the violent overthrow or destruction of the U.S. government, Puerto Rico’s gag law of 1948, made it a crime to own or display a Puerto Rican flag, to sing a patriotic tune, to speak or write of independence, or meet with anyone, or hold any assembly in favor of independence.[52] Carrying a sentence of up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to US $10,000 (equivalent to $131,000 in 2024), or both, the law aimed to discourage and suppress organized opposition against the elected American-allied government of Puerto Rico, specifically resistance fromarmed nationalist militant members of the radical pro-independenceNationalist Party of Puerto Rico, which in 1950, incited not only by the aforementioned gag order, but also by the approval of the creation of thecommonwealth byU.S. Congress andPresident Truman with the passing of thePuerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950, executed a coordinated series ofinsurrectionist attacks, which included the attempted assassinations of elected governorMuñoz Marín atLa Fortaleza inOld San Juan andPresident Truman atBlair House inWashington, D.C.[53][54]
Despite having been legalized with the establishment of the commonwealth in 1952, the display of the flag of Puerto Rico in the archipelago and island continued to be outlawed until 1957, when the gag law was ruled unconstitutional and was repealed on the basis that it violatedfreedom of speech withinArticle II of theConstitution of Puerto Rico and theFirst Amendment of theConstitution of the United States.
After several failed attempts by the colonial elected government of Puerto Rico in 1916, 1922, 1927 and 1932 to formalize the revolutionary flag of 1895 as the flag of Puerto Rico, in July 1952, with the establishment of thecommonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico'), the elected governorLuis Muñoz Marín and legislature finally adopted the flag of 1895 as the island’s standard, proclaiming it the official flag of Puerto Rico in theLey del 24 Julio de 1952 (Law of July 24, 1952) as follows:[10]
Law 1. Section 1. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be the one traditionally known heretofourth as the Puerto Rican Flag and which is rectangular in form, with five alternate horizontal stripes, three red and two white, and having next to the staff a blue equilateral triangle with a white five-pointed star. On the vertical side this triangle stretches along the entire width of the flag.
Some interpreted the adoption of the flag as a deliberate ploy by Muñoz Marín to neutralize the pro-independence movement within his own party.[55] For nationalist leaderPedro Albizu Campos, having the flag represent the new American-allied government was a desecration, while thePuerto Rican Independence Party accused the government of "corrupting beloved symbols."[56]
In 1995, the flag was proclaimed again as the flag of Puerto Rico in the Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of August 3, 1995 (Spanish:Reglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico del 3 de Agosto de 1995):
Regulation 5282. Article 3, B. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is what has traditionally been known until now as the Puerto Rican flag. Its shape is rectangular, with horizontal stripes, alternating, three red and two white, and it has next to thestaff a blue equilateral triangle with a white five-pointed star. This triangle, on the vertical side, covers the entire width of the flag.
In 1868, Puerto Rican pro-independence leaderRamón Emeterio Betances, urged Eduvigis Beauchamp Sterling to sew therevolutionary flag of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt, the emblem of the first of two short-lived revolts against Spanish rule in the island, using as design the quartered flag of theFirst Dominican Republic and the lone star of theCuban flag with the aim of promoting Betances’ idea of uniting the three neighboringSpanish-speaking Caribbean territories of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic into anAntillean Confederation for the protection and preservation of their sovereignty and interests.
According to Puerto Rican poetLuis Lloréns Torres, the white cross stands for the yearning of homeland redemption, the red rectangles for the blood poured by the heroes of the revolt, and the white star for liberty and freedom.[57][58] It’s assumed that like the blue triangle of the revolutionary flag of 1895, the blue rectangles of theLares flag stand for the sky and waters of the island.
In December 1895, around fifty exiled Puerto Rican revolutionaries, many of them veterans of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt, re-established theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico under the nameSección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano (Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party) as part of theCuban Revolutionary Party inNew York City, where they continued to advocate for Puerto Rican independence from Spain with the support of their Cuban companions, including Cuban national heroJosé Martí.[38]
Determined to affirm the strong bonds existing between Cuban and Puerto Rican revolutionaries, and the union of Cuban and Puerto Rican struggles for nationalindependence and fights against Spanishcolonialism, the committee, with the knowledge and approval of their fellow Cuban revolutionaries, unanimously adopted the Cuban flag with colors inverted as the new revolutionary flag to represent asovereign “Republic of Puerto Rico”, replacing theLares flag, which had been used by revolutionaries as the flag of a prospective independent Puerto Rico since their attempt at self-determination in1868, but was eventually rejected, as it represented a failed revolt.[10]
InMemoria de los trabajos realizados por la Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano, 1895–1998 (Memoir of the work accomplished by the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, 1895–1898), a memoir arranged by thePartido Revolucionario Cubano (Cuban Revolutionary Party) with a written account by members of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico Robert H. Todd and José Julio Henna, the new Puerto Rican flag is described as being the Cuban flag with inverted colors: white and red stripes and a blue triangle with a white star in the center.[12][40][41]
Consecrated by the spilled blood of the thousands of Puerto Ricans who had fought and died in Cuba during thewar of independence, the new flag was described byBentances,Padre de la Patria (Father of the Homeland), as"la sagrada bandera de la patria" ("the sacred flag of the homeland"). Following not only Betances, but also national heroesMartí andRuís Rivera, both of whom approved of the flag, pro-independence leaders from Puerto Rico, includingLuis Muñoz Rivera,José De Diego, andPedro Albizu Campos, revered the flag as a precious symbol representing the ideal ofPatria y Libertad (Homeland and Liberty).[59]
Revolutionary colors
There is no direct written account by members of thePuerto Rican Revolutionary Committee specially detailing the symbolism of the colors of the flag adopted in 1895. However, according to some historians, the committee proclaimed that the blue triangle stands for the sky and coastal waters, the three red stripes for the spilled blood of brave warriors, the two white stripes for victory and peace after gaining independence, and the white star for theisland of Puerto Rico.[5][60] In the absence of a direct explanation from the committee members, other historians have concluded that like the Cuban flag, the three colors of the flag and the three points of the triangle represent therepublican ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity proclaimed in theFrench Revolution.[10]
In August 1995, the commonwealth government of Puerto Rico, in accordance with theLey del 24 Julio de 1952 (Law of July 24, 1952), which stipulated the adoption of the flag of 1895 as the official flag of Puerto Rico, issued a regulation regarding the use of the flag titledReglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), in which it defined the symbolism inSpanish as:
Regulación 5282. Artículo 3, C. La estrella es símbolo del Estado Libre Asociado y reposa sobre un triángulo azul que en sus tres ángulos evoca la integridad de la forma republicana de gobierno representada por tres poderes: el legislativo, el ejecutivo y el judicial.
Las tres franjas rojas simbolizan la sangre vital que nutre a esos tres poderes de Gobierno, los cuales desempeñan funciones independientes y separadas. La libertad del individuo y los derechos del hombre mantienen en equilibrio a los poderes y su misión esencial la representan dos franjas blancas.
which, translated inEnglish, reads as:
Regulation 5282. Article 3, C. The star is symbol of the Commonwealth and rests on a blue triangle that in its three angles evokes the integrity of the republican form of government represented by three powers: the legislative, the executive and the judicial.
The three red stripes symbolize the vital blood that nourishes those three governing powers, which perform independent and separate functions. The freedom of the individual and the rights of men keep the powers in balance and their essential mission is represented by two white stripes.
The original symbolism of the flag, said to have been described by the pro-independencePuerto Rican Revolutionary Committee in 1895, is different from the one believed to have been in place since 1952 but only officially stipulated in the regulation of 1995. Whereas the original alludes to the revolutionary roots of the flag with references to “brave warriors” and “gaining independence,” the latest not only implies the dignity and nobility of the establishedcommonwealth government that adopted and retains the flag with references to “integrity,” “freedom,” “rights of men,” and “balance,” but it also implicates adherence and allegiance to said government when it mentions “the vital blood that nourishes those three governing powers.”
Among the many occasions in which the flag has been used as a symbol of pride was when the flag arrived inSouth Korea during theKorean War. On August 13, 1952, while the men of Puerto Rico's65th Infantry Regiment (United States) were being attacked by enemy forces on Hill 346, the regiment unfurled the flag of Puerto Rico for the first time in history in a foreign combat zone. During the ceremony Regimental Chaplain Daniel Wilson stated the following:[61][62]
"Grant us Thy Peace and Power in this conflict against aggression and tyranny. Show us in Thy purpose Peace for all the men in the world. We dedicate this flag of the Associated Free State of Puerto Rico in Thy name."
The Commanding Officer ColonelJuan César Cordero Dávila was quoted saying the following:[61][62]
"How beautiful is our flag, how it looks next to the stars and the stripes! Let thecommunists on the other side of the Yokkok River see it and listen to me those who understand Spanish if these words reach your trenches."
On March 15, 2009, several Puerto Rican flags were aboard theSpace ShuttleDiscovery during its flight intoouter space.Joseph M. Acabá, Puerto Rican astronaut who was assigned to the crew ofSTS-119 as a Mission Specialist Educator, carried on his person the flag as a symbol of his Puerto Rican heritage.[63] Acabá presented the185thGovernorLuis Fortuño andSecretary of StateKenneth McClintock with two of the flags during his visit in June 2009.[64][63][65]
The flag is also the subject of the well-known song"Qué Bonita Bandera" ("What a Beautiful Flag") written in 1968 and made popular by Puerto Rican folksingerFlorencio "Ramito" Morales Ramos. Astronaut Acabá requested that the crew be awakened on March 19, 2009 (Day 5 in space), with this song, as performed by José González and Banda Criolla. In 2012,Plena andBomba Puerto Rican singing group,Plena Libre, released a modern rendition of the song.[66]
On various occasions the flag has been used as a symbol of protest, defiance, or terror. In the 1954 armed attack of theUnited States House of Representatives, a violent, terrorizing protest against American rule of the island, Puerto Rican nationalist leaderLolita Lebrón and three other fellow members ofNationalist Party of Puerto Rico unfurled the flag of Puerto Rico as they shouted"¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!" ("Long live Free Puerto Rico!").[67]
On November 5, 2000, Alberto De Jesús Mercado, known asTito Kayak, and five other activists, protesting against the use of the island ofVieques as abombing range byUnited States Navy, stepped onto the top deck of theStatue of Liberty inNew York City and placed a large Puerto Rican flag on the statue's forehead, reenacting an earlier protest carried out on October 25, 1977 by Puerto Rican nationalists, who were demanding the release of four fellow nationalists serving time for their armed attack of theUnited States House of Representatives in 1954.[68]
In the law of Puerto Rico, the only two mentions of the dimensions of the flag are found in theLey del 24 Julio de 1952 (Law of July 24, 1952):
Law 1. Section 1. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be the one traditionally known heretofourth as the Puerto Rican Flag, and which is rectangular in form, with five alternate horizontal stripes, three red and two white, and having next to the staff a blue equilateral triangle with a white five-pointed star. On the vertical side this triangle stretches along the entire width of the flag.
and in the Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of August 3, 1995 (Spanish:Reglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico del 3 de Agosto de 1895):
Regulation 5282. Article 3, B. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is what has traditionally been known until now as the Puerto Rican flag. Its shape is rectangular, with horizontal stripes, alternating, three red and two white, and it has next to thestaff a blue equilateral triangle with a white five-pointed star. This triangle, on the vertical side, covers the entire width of the flag.
Both documents describe the basic design of the flag, but do not provide exact dimensions on the size of its rectangular shape, horizontal stripes, and upright five-pointed star. While the exact proportions of the flag have not been established by law, the most commonly used and accepted layout of the flag is as follows:
At a length-to-width ratio of 2:3, the shape of the flag is rectangular, one and a half times longer than wide, composed of five alternating horizontal stripes, three red and two white, each one being one-fifth of theflag width, and anequilateral blue triangle on thehoist side vertically covering the entire width of the flag and bearing a large, sharp, upright, centered,five-pointed white star of whichdiameter is at least one-third and at most half of the flag width.
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Most representations of the flag follow these specifications, with the only component likely to vary being the star, which is not unusual to be displayed bigger than the most commonly used sizes of one-third (1⁄3) and two-fifths (2⁄5) of the flag width.
In the law of Puerto Rico, the only two mentions of the colors of the flag are found in theLey del 24 Julio de 1952 (Law of July 24, 1952):
Law 1. Section 1. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be the one traditionally known heretofourth as the Puerto Rican Flag, and which is rectangular in form, with five alternate horizontal stripes, three red and two white, and having next to the staff a blue equilateral triangle with a white five-pointed star. On the vertical side this triangle stretches along the entire width of the flag.
and in the Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of August 3, 1995 (Spanish:Reglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico del 3 de Agosto de 1895):
Regulation 5282. Article 3, B. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is what has traditionally been known until now as the Puerto Rican flag. Its shape is rectangular, with horizontal stripes, alternating, three red and two white, and it has next to thestaff a blue equilateral triangle with a white five-pointed star. This triangle, on the vertical side, covers the entire width of the flag.
Both documents describe the flag as having “red” and “white” alternating horizontal stripes, a “blue” equilateral triangle, and a “white” five-pointed lone star, but do not specify any official color shades. While the exact colors of the Puerto Rican flag have not been established by law, below are the most commonly used color shades. The intensity of both blue and red color shades changes to keep them complementary to each other.
Medium blue, or royal blue, flag of Puerto Rico (1995) uses the following color shades:
Colors scheme | Blue | Red | White |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB | 8,68,255 | 237,0,0 | 255-255-255 |
| Hexadecimal | #0044ff | #ed0000 | #ffffff |
| CMYK | 100-73-0-0 | 0-100-100-7 | 0-0-0-0 |
| Pantone | 2387 C | 2347 C | 11-0601 TX Bright White |
Dark blue, or navy blue, flag of Puerto Rico (1952), matching the colors of the dark blueoriginal Lares flag, one of two original versions of the flag available today, uses the following color shades:
Colors scheme | Blue | Red | White |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB | 0,56,167 | 206,17,39 | 255-255-255 |
| Hexadecimal | #0038a7 | #ce1127 | #ffffff |
| CMYK | 100-66-0-35 | 0-92-81-19 | 0-0-0-0 |
| Pantone | 293 C | 186 C | 11-0601 TX Bright White |
The light blue flag of Puerto Rico has become increasingly popular in recent years. Today, most representations of the flag feature alight sky blue color shade, matching the color of the surviving rendition of theLares flag currently housed in theMuseum of History, Anthropology and Art of the University of Puerto Rico. The authenticity of this rendition has been called into question, though testimonies of oral tradition support its validity.[69][70] It uses the following color shades:
Colors scheme | Blue | Red | White |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB | 135-206-250 | 206-0-0 | 255-255-255 |
| Hexadecimal | #87cefa | #Ce0000 | #ffffff |
| CMYK | 46-18-0-2 | 0-100-100-19 | 0-0-0-0 |
| Pantone | 2905 U | 3517 C | 11-0601 TX Bright White |
In 1898, the first two descriptions of the design of the flag of Puerto Rico appeared inMemoria de los trabajos realizados por la Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano, 1895–1998 (Memoir of the work accomplished by the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, 1895–1898), a recollection on the activities of thePuerto Rican committee arranged by theCuban Revolutionary Party, in which not only a list of the acts carried out by the committee is provided by the Cuban party, but also an account of the committee’s actions written byRobert H. Todd, senior committee member, and endorsed by José Julio Henna, president of the committee, both of whom where present at the adoption of the flag in New York City in 1895, is included.[12][40][41]
Both mentions of the flag in the memoir describe it as being theCuban flag with inverted colors, identifying its alternating stripes as “red” and “white,” triangle as “blue,” and lone star as “white.” While the color shades were not specified in the memoir, two otherprimary sources, an oil painting paid for by the Cuban Revolutionary Party from 1895 and a bonus issued by the Betances Club (associated with the Puerto Rican committee) inHaiti from 1897, feature therevolutionary coat of arms and flag for an independent Puerto Rico in a dark blue.[17]
The onlyoriginal flag of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt authenticated by a writtenprimary source is the one mentioned inHistoria de la insurrección de Lares (History of the Lares insurrection), written by José Pérez Moris in 1872.[16][34] Currently exhibited in theMuseum of the Army inToledo,Spain, the flag features a dark blue shade.
Presented by Puerto Rican investigative historian Joseph Harrison Flores in his book“La historia de la bandera de Puerto Rico: Del conflicto a la certeza” ("The History of the Puerto Rican Flag: From conflict to certainty"), two primary sources, an oil painting paid for by the Cuban Revolutionary Party from 1895 and a bonus issued by the Betances Club (associated with the Puerto Rican committee) inHaiti from 1897, feature therevolutionary coat of arms and flag for an independent Puerto Rico in a dark blue.[17] It appears that most flags displayed in Puerto Rico during the first half of the 20th century featured a dark blue, including one used in the manifestations that resulted in thePonce Massacre of 1937.[71]
In 1952, when the newly established, electedcommonwealth government adopted the revolutionary flag of 1895 as the island’s official standard, it identified by law its horizontal stripes as “red” and “white,” triangle as “blue,” and lone star as “white,” but it did not specify any official color shades. However,Luis Muñoz Marín, the architect and first governor of the commonwealth, and his administration, used adark shade of blue, most commonly known as navy blue (Spanish:azul marino), matching that of theAmerican flag, establishing it as thede facto shade.[2]
Some historians have argued that the dark blue unveiled by the American-alliedcommonwealth government in 1952 was deliberately chosen to distance the flag from itspro-independence revolutionary originators, who are claimed to have used light blue for theLares flag in 1868 and the current flag in 1895, and link it to thesimilarly striped American flag through a shared shade of blue, with the aim of conveying a message of harmony between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Others have argued that the use of an American-derived dark blue instead of a medium or light blue arose from practical and economical needs, as it was the shade most widely and readily available.[4]
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One of the oldest known color depictions of the revolutionary flag of 1895, appearing on a postcard in circulation between 1910 and 1920, features a medium shade of blue.[72]
In 1995, the commonwealthgovernment of Puerto Rico issued a regulation regarding the use of the flag,Reglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), in which it once again identified the flag as having red, and white horizontal stripes, a blue triangle, and a white lone star but did not specify any official color shade.[1] Since the regulation’s promulgation, the people have most commonly used amedium blue shade, widely known as royal blue (Spanish:azul real), as thede facto shade of blue. This shade has replaced dark blue as the most used color.
In August 2022, anamendment bill was unsuccessfully introduced in thePuerto Rican Senate which would have established the current medium blue, a so-called“azul royal” ("royal blue"), as the official color of the flag.[21]
In early 2000s, a selected group of Puerto Rican historians gathered at theAteneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum), one of the island’s principal cultural institutions, proclaimedlight blue, most commonly known as sky blue (Spanish:azul celeste), as the original shade of blue adopted by members of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico in 1895, citing as evidence contemporaneous butsecondaryoral sources identifying light blue as the original color shade, which their sources claim was the same shade used on theLares flag, the revolutionary flag many of said same members rallied around during theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt in 1868.[4]
However, the only authenticated original color shade used on theLares flag is a dark blue. The dark blue flag of the revolt, which is exhibited at theMuseum of the Army inToledo, Spain, is mentioned inHistoria de la insurrección de Lares (History of the Lares insurrection), a written primary source from 1872 by José Pérez Moris.[16][34] The originality of the light blue flag of the revolt, which is exhibited at theMuseum of History, Anthropology and Art of the University of Puerto Rico, is in dispute, as there is no written primary source to authenticate it, with most historians recognizing it as a forgery, possibly made by theNationalist Party of Puerto Rico in the 1930s based on contemporaneous butsecondaryoral sources.[13][35]
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Some historians have added that the shade of blue originally adopted in 1895 was light to medium blue, as that was the contemporaneous shade of the stripes of the Cuban flag during theCuban War of Independence. However, there is disagreement among historians as to what was the original shade of blue of theCuban flag, with some claiming it was light to medium blue, while others say it was the current”azul turquí” (navy blue), which is based on the navy blue of theAmerican andFrench flags, the flags of the two countries whichrepublicanpolitical revolutions in the late 18th century inspired in great part theLatin American independence movements of the 19th century, starting withHaiti in 1791.[12]
In August 2022, anamendment bill was unsuccessfully introduced in thePuerto Rican Senate which would have established the current medium blue, identified in the legislation as “azul royal” ("royal blue"), as the official shade.[21] Recognizing royal blue as the most used throughout time, the bill aimed to declare it the formal shade to settle the uncertainty and debate that has persisted inPuerto Rico due to a lack of specificity inLey del 24 Julio de 1952 (Law of July 24, 1952), the law that formally established the standard as the official flag. According to the bill, the ongoing issue over the tonality of the color blue has the international community confused as to what is the correct shade of blue to be used on the flag representing Puerto Rico abroad.
To this day, thecolor shades of the flag of Puerto Rico have never been officially determined by law in Puerto Rico. Therefore, it is common to see the triangle of the flag with different colorshades of blue, ranging from thelighter sky blues to themedium azure blues anddarker navy blues. Occasionally, the shade of blue displayed on the flag is used to show preference on the issue of thepolitical status, with light blue, the shade presumably used by pro-independence revolutionaries in 1868 and 1895, representing completeindependence from theU.S. andsovereigntism or independence as asovereignfreely associated state with the U.S., dark blue, the shade widely used by government since 1952, representingstatehood or integration into the U.S. as astate, and medium blue, the shade in-between pro-independence light blue and pro-statehood dark blue most commonly used by the people since the 1990s, representing thecurrent intermediary status ofunincorporated and organized territory of the U.S.
According to thelaw ofPuerto Rico,[1] all people present when the flag is raised, lowered, or passed in a parade, must stand up, look at the flag, and stay as such until it is completely raised, lowered, or carried away in passing. Men must take off their hat, and hold it with their right hand placed near the left shoulder with the right hand on the heart. Men without a hat and women must greet the flag by putting their right hand on the heart. The personnel of the armed forces mustgreet militarily.
The official salute to the flag must be recited on the following occasions:
• In those official and civic activities that, due to their character, warrant it.
• In any act of an official or civic nature in which thePledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States is recited.
• On those occasions when theGovernor of Puerto Rico so determines.
• The official salute to the flag must be recited after the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States.
The text of the official salute to the flag of Puerto Rico is as follows:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Juro ante la bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, honrar la patria que simboliza, el pueblo que representa y a los ideales que encarna de libertad, justicia y dignidad. (Con la mano derecha sobre el corazón) | I swear before the flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to honor the homeland it symbolizes, the people it represents, and the ideals it embodies of freedom, justice, and dignity. (With the right hand over the heart) |
| Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of August 3, 1995[1] | |
The use of flag of Puerto Rico is regulated byReglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico del 3 de Agosto de 1995 (Regulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of August 3, 1995).[1] The regulation stipulates the proper use of the flag from the fourth to the twenty-eighth article, which are as follows:
• When the flag is raised outdoors, a flagpole must be used which length is no less than two and a half times the length of the flag.
• The flag must not be raised outdoors before sunrise or after sunset, except on those occasions when, for special reasons, the Governor of Puerto Rico provides otherwise. The flag may be hoisted at night on special occasions to produce a patriotic effect.
• If weather conditions allow it, the flag must be raised in or near public buildings during working days and in those commemorative activities of the following holidays:
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1st |
| Three Kings Day | January 6th |
| Eugenio María de Hostos Day | Second Monday of January |
| Martin Luther King Day | Third Monday of January |
| Presidents’ Day | Third Monday of February |
| Abolition of Slavery in Puerto Rico | March 22nd |
| José de Diego Day | Third Monday of April |
| Memorial Day | Last Monday of May |
| Independence of the United States | July 4th |
| Luis Muñoz Rivera Day | Third Monday of July |
| Constitution Day of Puerto Rico | July 25th |
| José Celso Barbosa Day | Fourth Monday of July, except in years when the celebration coincides with another holiday, in which case it will be observed on July 27th |
| Labor Day | First Monday of September |
| Columbus Day | October 12th |
| Veterans Day | November 11th |
| Discovery of Puerto Rico | November 19th |
| Thanksgiving | Fourth Thursday of November |
| Christmas | December 25th |
Note: Good Friday is not considered a public holiday.
• The flag must be hoisted in or near the premises intended for voting during the days of general or special elections.
• During the school season, the flag must be raised on or near the schools.
• The flag may be raised in the private residence of any citizen who so wishes.
• Flags may be hoisted by private institutions, as long as they comply with the provisions of this title.
• When raised next to flags of another nations, all flags and flagpoles must be equal in size and height.
• The flag must be raised speedily, but in a considerate, ceremonial, and respectful manner.
• The flag must be raised on a flagpole next to the flagpole where the flag of the United States has been raised. Both flags should be at the same height. The flag must be hoisted after the flag of the United States is hoisted, and it should be lowered before the flag of the United States is lowered. When the flag is raised, it should always be to the left of the flag of the United States, and no other flag will be placed between the two.
• The Flag must begin to be hoisted at the first note of the anthem of Puerto Rico and will continue to be raised until it reaches the top of the flagpole with the last notes of the anthem. This must also be done, but in reverse order, when the flag is lowered to the chords of the Anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• The flag must not be displayed with the upper tip of its five-pointed star down except in cases of emergency, such as in boats that are adrift or in serious danger of sinking, as this is the traditional naval way of asking for help.
• When the flag is carried in a parade, it must always be carried to the left of the flag of the United States, taking care that both are kept at the same height and at the same angle.
• Any other flag, banner, or emblem of state, municipal or private agencies that is also carried in the parade, must be carried immediately behind the flags, or to the left of them.
• When a flagpole is used to carry the flag, it must measure at least one and a half times the length of the flag.
• The flag must not be tilted when hymns of other nations are played or when the flags of other nations are displayed.
• The flag must not be displayed on the hood, roof, sides, or back of a vehicle, be it a car, train, or any other transport vehicle.
• When the flag is displayed on a vehicle, a flagpole firmly secured to it must be used.
• When the flag, the flag of the United States, and that of any foreign nation or nations are displayed at the same time, all flags must be of the same size and must be hoisted on separate flagpoles of equal height.
• The flag must be to the left of the flag of the United States. The foreign flag or flags will be placed to the left of the flag of Puerto Rico, following the alphabetical order in Spanish of the countries they represent.
• In the case of the flags of Latin American nations, they will be placed in the alphabetical order of countries used by theOrganization of American States, according to its Manual of Inter-American Conferences. This is: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.
• When the flag is hoisted on the front of a building, be it on the sill of a window or balcony, the blue equilateral triangle must be at the top of the flagpole unless the flag is hoisted at half-mast.
• The flag must be displayed extended flat, either vertically or horizontally, falling freely and without folds. When displayed horizontally, the blue equilateral triangle must be to the right of the flag, that is, to the left of the observer in front of it.
• When displayed on a street, the flag must be suspended vertically with the base of the blue equilateral triangle facing up.
• In the public grandstand, the flag should never be hoisted for decorative purposes or to cover the stand.
• When it is raised in front of a public tribune or platform, it must be placed at a higher level than that occupied by the speaker.
• When it is held on a public tribune together with that of the United States, the flag must be to the left of the speaker, and the flag of the United States to the right of the speaker.
• The flag must be hoisted in all official ceremonies of unveiling statues or public monuments honoring the memory of illustrious people, but it should never be used to cover the statue or monument that is going to be unveiled.
• The flag must be displayed at all ceremonies or stops in which the National Guard participates.
• When the flag is used to cover a coffin, it must be placed in such a way that the blue equilateral triangle is in the head end. The flag must be five feet by nine and a half feet. The flag must not descend to the grave, nor should it touch the earth.
• When the flag and that of the United States are used to cover a coffin, the flag of the United States will first be placed on the coffin so that the union or blue field of that flag is at the head to the left side of the coffin. The flag of Puerto Rico will be placed on the coffin, with the triangle towards the feet of the coffin with the apex of the triangle pointing towards the head.
• The flag will be raised or displayed at all public ceremonies in which the Governor of Puerto Rico is present.
• If the flag is placed horizontally on the wall, its colors must be completely displayed, with the triangle towards the right of it, that is, to the left of the person who observes it from the front. The flag will go to the left of the flag of the United States, that is, to the right of the observer.
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• When the flag of the United States and the flag of Puerto Rico are crossed against a wall, flagpole, or other place, the flag of Puerto Rico will be to the left of the flag of the United States. The flagpole of the United States, in accordance with its regulations, will be crossed over the flagpole of Puerto Rico. When looking at the flags thus arranged, the flag of the United States will be to the left of the observer, and that of Puerto Rico to the right of the observer.
• On the occasion when the flag must be raised at half-mast, it must first be hoisted to the top of the pole and then lowered to the half-mast position. When the flag is to be lowered from the half-mast position, it must first be raised to the top, and then be completely lowered.
• The use of black crepes on the flagpole is prohibited unless it is by order of the Governor of Puerto Rico.
• The flag must be hoisted at half-mast whenever the flag of the United States is hoisted at half-mast by presidential order.
• The flag must also be raised at half-mast when authorized or ordered by the Governor of Puerto Rico, by proclamation or executive order. In this case, the flag of the United States will also be hoisted at half-mast.
• The flag must be folded following the military system accustomed to the flag of the United States, that is, in the form of a triangle. The folds will be made so that the star in the triangle of the flag is shown at the top of it, once folded.
• During the ceremony of hoisting or lowing the flag, or when it passes in a parade, all the people present must stand up, look at the flag and stay that way until it passes. Men must take off their hat and hold it with their right hand placed near the left shoulder so that the right hand is on the heart. Men without a hat and women will greet the flag by putting their right hand on the heart. The personnel of the armed forces will greet militarily.
• The text of the Official salute to the flag of Puerto Rico will be as follows: I swear before the flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to honor the homeland it symbolizes, the people it represents, and the ideals it embodies of freedom, justice, and dignity.
• The official salute to the flag must be recited on the following occasions:
• In those official and civic activities that, due to their character, warrant it.
• In any act of an official or civic nature in which thePledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States is recited.
• On those occasions when the Governor of Puerto Rico so determines.
• The official salute to the flag must be recited after the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States.
• No person shall mutilate, damage, desecrate, trample, insult or belittle with words or works the flag.
• The flag should not be allowed to touch the ground or the floor, or to crawl through the water.
• Nor should it be held, unfolded, used or stored in such a way that it is torn, stained, or easily exposed to damage.
• The flag should not be used to cover the ceiling or the roof of a place.
• When the conditions of the flag are such that it can no longer be used, it must be destroyed in private, respectful way, preferably through incineration.
• For no reason should a flag in a state of deterioration be used, that is, frayed or with faded colors.
• In cases where it is absolutely necessary to wash the flag, such washing must be done privately and in a respectful manner.
• In sporting events that take place in Puerto Rico, it will be the responsibility of the organizers of the activity and/or the administrators of the premises, to ensure at all times that due decorum and respect for the flags are given.
• The flag must not be weaved or embroidered on cushions, handkerchiefs or similar items; nor should it be printed or engraved on napkins, whether of any material, or in boxes, or in any item that must be disposed of as unusable.
• The use of the flag as an emblem or badge of political parties or candidates listed on the ballot is prohibited.
• It is also forbidden to use it as an emblem or badge in relation to primary elections, plebiscite elections, referendum, or any other type of consultation that is made to the people by electoral means.
• The following practices are prohibited:
• Stamp, print or in any way make appear any word or words, number, mark, engraving, design, or advertisement of any kind on the flag.
• Unfold, or display in public view a flag on which a word, number, mark, engraving, design, painting, or advertisement of any kind has been printed, printed or added.
• Unfold to the public, sell, offer for sale or use any item or object that serves as a packaging for merchandise, in which the flag has been printed, printed, engraved or fixed in order to draw attention, decorate, mark or distinguish the item or object on which the flag has been printed, painted, fixed or stamped.
• No person shall use the flag in any type of commercial propaganda or for the purpose of attracting the attention of the consumer.
• The flag will not be used as part of, nor will it be printed on a suit, uniform, or dress, under any circumstances.
• It is forbidden to use the flag to cover, cover, dress or decorate animals, athletes or participants in public shows.
• The prohibitions will not be applicable to the press, nor to books, brochures, certificates, diplomas, appointments to public office, notebooks, jewelry or stationery for correspondence, in which the flag is printed, painted or stamped, detached from advertisements of all kinds.
The historical progression of flags in Puerto Rico is as follows:
| Historical Progression of Flags in Puerto Rico | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | Name | Date | Use |
| Captain's Ensign ofChristopher Columbus | 1493 | La Capitana expeditionary flag ofChristopher Columbus carried by his fleet when theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico, known to its nativeTaíno people asBorikén, was claimed bySpaniards asSan Juan Bautista (SaintJohn Baptist) during thesecond voyage of Columbus on 19 November 1493. The letter "F" representsKing Ferdinand and the "Y" represents the Spanish rendering forQueen Isabella, theCatholic Monarchs of a unified Spain. |
 | Royal Standard of theCrown of Castile | 1493–1715 | Royal emblem of theCrown of Castile, representing theSpanish Crown, flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico since its discovery asSan Juan Bautista (SaintJohn Baptist) through the administrative division of theCaptaincy General of Puerto Rico. |
| Flag ofCross of Burgundy | 1506–1898 | Military ensign of theSpanish Empire, used in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico since its colonization asSan Juan Bautista (SaintJohn Baptist) byJuan Ponce de León through the administrative division of theCaptaincy General of Puerto Rico. The banner continues to be flown on the fortresses ofCastillo San Felipe del Morro andCastillo San Cristóbal. |
.svg) | Flag ofSpain | 1785–1873, 1874–1898 | Naval ensign andnational flag of Spain flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico during the administrative divisions of theCaptaincy General of Puerto Rico and theProvince of Puerto Rico. |
.svg) | Flag ofGrito de Lares | 1868 | Revolutionary standard of theGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt carried by members and followers of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, who proclaimed it as the national flag of a prospective independentPuerto Rico. Mentioned in 1872 by a writtenprimary source, the originality of the flag is authenticated. |
 | Flag of theFirst Spanish Republic | 1873–1874 | National flag of Spain, representing the country as afederal republic, flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico during the administrative division of theProvince of Puerto Rico. |
.svg) | Flag of theProvince of Puerto Rico | 1873–1874 | Provincial flag of theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico during the administrative division of theProvince of Puerto Rico. |
| Flag ofIntentona de Yauco | 1897–present | Revolutionary standard of theIntentona de Yauco (Attempted Coup of Yauco) revolt carried by members and followers of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, who proclaimed it as the national flag of a prospective independentPuerto Rico in 1895, replacing theLares flag. The original shade of blue of the flag was a dark blue as established byprimary sources from 1895 and 1897. |
 | Flag of the 3rd Battalion of Puerto Rico | 1898 | War flag of the 3rd Battalion of Puerto Rico flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico, but most commonly inCuba by Spanish-Puerto Rican soldiers during theCuban War of Independence againstSpain between 1895 and 1898. Puerto Rico and Cuba became possessions of theUnited States as a result of theSpanish-American War of 1898, thus ending more than 400 years ofSpanish rule on both islands. |
.svg) | Flag of theUnited States | 1898–1908 | National flag of theUnited States flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico as theProvince of Puerto Rico during itsinvasion and occupation in theSpanish-American War, and its annexation as anAmerican overseas territory through theTreaty of Paris, starting under amilitary government from 1898 to 1900 and continuing under aninsular government from 1900 to 1952, which oversaw the establishment of acivil government andAmerican nationality through theForaker Act of 1900, and the expansion of the civil government and the establishment ofAmerican citizenship through theJones–Shafroth Act of 1917. The flag features 45 stars, representing the 45states of theAmerican union at the time. |
.svg) | Flag of theUnited States | 1908–1912 | National flag of theUnited States flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico as anAmerican overseas territory under aninsular government from 1900 to 1952, which oversaw the establishment of acivil government andAmerican nationality through theForaker Act of 1900, and the expansion of the civil government and the establishment ofAmerican citizenship through theJones–Shafroth Act of 1917. The flag features 46 stars, representing the 46states of theAmerican union at the time. |
.svg) | Flag of theUnited States | 1912–1959 | National flag of theUnited States flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico as anAmerican overseas territory under aninsular government from 1900 to 1952, which oversaw the establishment of acivil government andAmerican nationality through theForaker Act of 1900, and the expansion of the civil government and the establishment ofAmerican citizenship through theJones–Shafroth Act of 1917. The flag features 48 stars, representing the 48states of theAmerican union at the time. |
| Flag ofPuerto Rico | 1952–present | Subnational flag ofPuerto Rico flown in theisland of present-day Puerto Rico as anunincorporated and organized American territory with autonomous local, democratic government, officially named theCommonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico') upon itsestablishment in 1952. With its proclamation as the flag of the commonwealth through theLey del 24 Julio de 1952 (Law of July 24, 1952), the first commonwealth governor,Luis Muñoz Marín, used a dark blue shade matching theflag of the United States as thede facto color of the equilateral triangle of the flag. The dark blue shade of the flag used by Muñoz Marín government also matches the shade of blue featured on the original, authenticatedLares flag of 1868 exhibited in Spain and the flag of Puerto Rico adopted in 1895. |
 | Flag of theUnited States | 1959-1960 | National flag of theUnited States flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico as anunincorporated and organized American territory with autonomous local, democratic government, officially named theCommonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico') upon itsestablishment in 1952. The flag features 49 stars, representing the 49states of theAmerican union at the time. |
.svg) | Flag of theUnited States | 1960–present | National flag of theUnited States flown in theisland of present-dayPuerto Rico as anunincorporated and organized American territory with autonomous local, democratic government, officially named theCommonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico') uponestablishment in 1952. The flag features 50 stars, representing the 50states of theAmerican union at this time. |
| Flag ofPuerto Rico | 1995–present | Subnational flag ofPuerto Rico flown in theisland of present-day Puerto Rico as anunincorporated and organized American territory with autonomous local, democratic government, officially named theCommonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish:Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico') upon itsestablishment in 1952. With its redeclaration as the flag of the commonwealth through theRegulation on the Use in Puerto Rico of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico of August 3, 1995, the government and people began using a medium blue shade in between the pro-independence light blue and the pro-statehood dark blue, establishing medium blue as the current,de facto color shade of the equilateral triangle of the flag. |
Each of the78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, including the islands ofCulebra andVieques, have adopted a flag which represents the region and its people. The flags containcoat of arms or images associated with the region, including birds, animals, or crops. Many pay tribute to the indigenousTaíno people of Puerto Rico, who ruled theisland before the European colonization. For example the flag ofUtuado, features a Taino sun in honor of CaciqueAgüeybaná orThe Great Sun.[73] Others honor the Spanish political, ancestral, and cultural roots of the island. For example, the flag ofSan Germán, honorsSpain with aSpanish coat of arms.[74]
Since 2016, an all-black rendition of the flag of Puerto Rico has been a symbol ofPuerto Rican independence, resistance, and civil disobedience. The origin of the flag traces back to the early morning of July 4, 2016, when a group of female members ofArtistas Solidarixs y en Resistencia (Artists in Solidarity and Resistance) repainted a popular and well-known mural of the original red, white, and light blue (presumed by historians) flag, on the door of 55 Calle San José inOld San Juan, with stark black and white to symbolize that the flag is inmourning over the passing of the law Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), which had just been signed into law by PresidentBarack Obama.
The Act established theFinancial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico to manage the island's chronic, crippling debt. The Board, infamously known by protesting Puerto Ricans as “La Junta” ("The Board"), has been heavily criticized by many as an act of blatantcolonialism, as it claims to be at the service of the Puerto Rican people, but it is not based in Puerto Rico, and it is not electorally accountable to the voters of Puerto Rico. The black flag has become a common symbol of protest and defiance in Puerto Rico.[75][76]
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At theSummer Olympics 1948, the Puerto Rican team marched behind a white flag which had theGreat Seal of Puerto Rico in the center and the legend "PUERTO RICO" in red above it. The current flag of Puerto Rico was legalized during the1952 Summer Olympics, and the Puerto Rican team began to use it immediately.[77][78][79][80] However, as a result of theGag Law of 1948, which outlawed the display of the current flag of Puerto Rico in the archipelago and island, the Olympics flag continued to be use by the government in Puerto Rico until the law was repealed in 1957.
In the 1950s, Puerto Rico contacted Norway's Foreign Ministry in an attempt to have Norwegian transport and shipping companyDet Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap (DSD) stop using a flag that has a significant likeness to Puerto Rico's flag. The company has claimed that their flag has been in use since at least 1903, and that although the design of the Puerto Rican flag is eight years older than their flag, it was not officially approved by the Puerto Rican government as a national flag until 1952. Norway has not legally challenged the shipping company's position that their flag is older than Puerto Rico's. The shipping company's flag is currently in use.[81]
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