The coat of arms of Medellín is the heraldic emblem that represents the Colombian city of Medellín, capital of the department of Antioquia. It has its origin in the concession of its use by King Charles II of Spain by means of the Royal Decree given in Madrid on March 31, 1678. The escutcheon also recalled in some of its elements the ancient coat of arms of the Spanish town of Medellín, in Extremadura, from which the city takes its name.
The coat of arms, together with the flag and the anthem, are recognized as official symbols of the municipality of Medellín according to Decree No. 151 of February 20, 2002. In addition, the escutcheon as a symbol of the city is part of the institutional image of the municipal administration, which is why it is present in ceremonial acts, on official stationery, in street furniture or in public works, although there are different stylistic versions between the City Hall and the Municipal council.
The escutcheon was also adopted by other entities such as the Archdiocese of Medellín, differentiated by the archbishop's cross on the seal and the name of the archdiocese as the motto. Likewise, the arms of the city are also present in the first quarter of the emblem of the University of Medellín.
History
On March 2, 1616, the visitor Francisco de Herrera Campuzano established the "Poblado de San Lorenzo" (Spanish for "Village of San Lorenzo") in the south of the Aburrá Valley, where El Poblado Park is today, with the function of serving as a shelter for the indigenous people. Over time, the Aburrá Valley became a pantry to supply the workers of the gold mines located in the northeast of the Antioquia Province. In addition, due to its strategic position, between the mining region and the city of Antioquia, which at that time was the capital of the province, and due to the increase in population, the construction of a new town was arranged, since the indigenous reservation of San Lorenzo was discarded.
Finally, in 1646, the new settlement was established in the angle formed by the Medellín River (formerly Aburrá) and the Santa Elena stream, a place called Sitio de Aná by the natives and Aguasal by the Spaniards. In 1649, the new hamlet began to be called Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Aná (Spanish for "Our Lady of Candle of Aná"), a name that arose after the construction of the first church of walls and tiles consecrated to the Virgin of Candelaria.
Since 1670, the inhabitants of the town of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Aná began to want a town council, which implied administrative autonomy from the city of Antioquia. On March 20, 1671, Francisco de Montoya y Salazar, governor of the province, decreed the foundation of the town in the Sitio de Aná. This foundation did not have the effect that a royal decree could have, and the inhabitants of the city of Antioquia opposed it, as they sensed that their preponderant role would be diminished with the establishment of that village as a town, for which reason they sought confirmation of the foundation through a royal concession. After overcoming various vicissitudes, finally in 1675 came the Royal Certificate of Foundation signed by the Queen Regent, Doña Mariana of Austria on behalf of her son, Charles II, and dated November 22, 1674. On November 2, 1675, the governor and captain general of the Province of Antioquia, Miguel de Aguinaga y Mendigoitía, formally proclaimed the creation of the Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín (Spanish for "Town of Our Lady of Candles of Medellín"). The name Medellín was given in homage to Don Pedro Portocarrero y Aragón, Count of Medellín in Extremadura, and then president of the Council of the Indies, for the interest he took in approving the erection of the new Town.
On June 25, 1676, Governor Miguel de Aguinaga informed the crown about the compliance with the Royal Decree and how the erection was carried out. Likewise, on June 24, 1676, the town council of the new town sent a report to His Majesty on the same subject, and after submitting several reports and making several requests, they referred to the coat of arms in the following terms:
The document continues with a detailed description of the sanitation of the land, the mention of the Aburrá River (today the Medellín River), the richness of its minerals, the abundance of livestock and fruits of the land, the population at that time of approximately 4,000 souls and commerce. Later on about the Planta de Villa where they inform and describe the characteristics of the town, they say:
And further on they say;
Thus, the deep-rootedness and fervor that they had for this Marian devotion became evident.