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Vazante, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Last modified: 2011-02-05 by ian macdonald
Keywords: minas gerais | vazante |
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[Flag of Vazante, Minas Gerais image by Dirk Schönberger, 2 October 2010
Source: http://www.vazante.mg.gov.br/index.php?mn=2&smn=17


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About the Flag

A white field with two rising red diagonals, and the municipal arms centred on a white rectangle.

Official website at http://www.vazante.mg.gov.br/
Dirk Schönberger, 2 October 2010

The municipality of Vazante (20,042 inhabitants in 2009; 1,909 sq. km) is located in northwestern Minas Gerais, 450 km of Belo Horizonte. The first settlement emerged near a chapel built after the apparition of a statue of the Virgin of Lapa - one of the most revered saints in Portugal - in a cave. Originally named Lapa, the settlement was made of the Vazante estate and the sanctuary of the Virgin of Lapa, which were separated in 1920. Vazante was made on 17 December 1938 a district by State Law No. 148, seceding from the district of Guarda-Mor, part of the municipality of Paracatu. In 1933, zinc was discovered by the Chilean engineer Ângelo Custódio Solis, a finding which was subsequently confirmed by the geologist Alberto Vellasca, employed by the Cia. Níquel Tocantins (Group Votorantim). Production started in 1969; today the mines are exploited by the Cia. Mineira de Metais (6,000 t / month) and the Mineração Areiense (3,500 t / month). After a long dispute with Guarda-Mor, Vazante was made on 12 December 1953 a municipality by State Law No. 1,039; the municipality is made of the districts of Vazante (seat), Guarda-Mor and Claro de Minas. Guarda-Mor was eventually made on 30 December 1962 an independent municipality by State Law No. 2,764.
http://www.vazante.mg.gov.br/index.php?mn=2&smn=16 - Municipal website, History section

The municipal flag obeys the norms prescribed by the Law on the municipal symbols in Brazil. The flag, in the official dimensions, is white with two red ascending diagonal stripes charged in the middle with the municipal arms. White represents the Virgin, therefore symbolizing peace, while the red stripes symbolize the intensity of love for the town's patron saint, the Virgin of Lapa.

The municipal coat of arms includes a Samnite shield, the first Portuguese shield style, of French origin, recalling that the Latin race was the colonist and the main builder of the Brazilian nationality [verbatim]. The mural crown surmounting the shield has seven towers, of which four are visible; therefore the arms belongs to a town of third rank, that is the seat of a municipality. The shield is "Per bend sinister azure a sun or vert a crucible proper a quarter of a gear wheel argent". Blue symbolizes justice, nobleness, perseverance, zeal and loyalty, as applied by the locals in their efficient work for the increase of the town. Green symbolizes the green fields and the rich pastures fed by the fertile soil. The white bend represents the local faith, expressed by the pilgrimage to the Virgin of Lapa, the town's patron saint. The stylized yellow sun represents the tourism potential of the municipality, via its charming caves and crystalline lakes. The crucible surrounded by the gear wheel represents the mining resources of the municipality, especially in zinc. The shield is surrounded dexter by a maize plant and sinister by a rice plant, the main local crops. A red scroll placed beneath the shield is charged with the name and foundation date (12-12-1953) of the municipality, in white letters.

It is worth being mentioned that the source shows a photo of the flag.

Ivan Sache, 6 October 2010