Last modified: 2013-03-02 by ian macdonald
Keywords: sao paulo | piquete | stripes | triangle (gold) | mountain |
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image by Blas Delgado Ortiz
Official description: The Flag of Piquete, designed by the heraldist Arcinoé Antônio Peixoto
de Faria, is described as "quartered per fess, the quarter stripes being blue, each
being 2.7 units wide, formed by three yellow bands of one unit in width, surcharged
with green bands of one-third of a unit, issuing from a yellow isosceles triangle with
its base at the hoist, on which the municipal coat of arms is applied."
The coat of arms represents the municipal government and the yellow isosceles triangle
on which it is placed represents the city proper, seat of the municipality. The
yellow color symbolizes glory, splendor, greatness, wealth, sovereignty.
The yellow stripes charged with green overstripes, which issue from the triangle to
divide the flag into quarters, represent the radiation of the Municipal Power, extending to
all areas of its territory. The green color is a symbol of honor, civility, courtesy,
abundance, joy--it is the symbolic color of hope, recalling the verdant fields in the
spring in anticipation of a copious harvest. The blue quarters represent the agricultural
areas existing in the municipal territory. The blue color is symbolic of justice, nobility,
perseverance, zeal, and loyalty. Following the heraldic rules, the
flag will have the official dimensions adopted for the national flag, that is,
14 modules of height of the hoist for 20 modules of length of the rectangle.
When the municipal Flag is displayed together with the national flag, it will be
placed on the left. If the state flag is also displayed, the national will be in the center,
the municipal to the left, and the state to the right. The national flag is always placed
at the highest level.
Source: http://www.piquete.sp.gov.br/simbolos.php.
The municipality of Piquete (14,107 inhabitants in 2010; 17,588 ha) is located in the Paraíba Valley, 180 km of São Paulo.
Piquete was originally known as São Miguel. In 1828, it was the most important of the villages belonging to Lorena, with 303 free inhabitants and 123 slaves in the village. In 1842, the revolt of São Paulo and Minas Gerais against the central administration caused the establishment of a cavalry squad ("piquete") near the village to prevent the union between the insurgents from the two states. It is therefore believed that the today's name of the town refers to this event, but Paulo Pereira de Reis and José Geraldo Evangelista proved that the name of Piquete was used long before 1842. The district of Piquete was established by Provincial Law No. 10 of 22 March 1875.
The municipality of Vila Vieira do Piquete was established by State Decree-Law No. 166 of 7 May 1891, seceding from Lorena, and inaugurated on 15 June 1891. The name of the municipality is said to be a tribute to Major Joaquim Vieira Teixeira Pinto, a local coffee grower who was elected Mayor of Lorena on 7 January 1884. Other historians claim that the district was named for Commander Custódio Vieira, who funded the increase of the chapel to a church - which was required to establish the district. The name of the municipality was shortened to Piquete by State Law No. 1,470 of 29 October 1915.
Following the coffee bust, a commission was appointed in 1905 to purchase the Sertão, Estral do Norte and Limeira estates and to establish there the national ammunition industry. The "Fábrica de Pólvora Sem Fumaça", subsequently renamed "Fábrica Presidente Vargas", was inaugurated in March 1909
http://www.piquete.sp.gov.br - Municipal website
The symbols of Piquete are prescribed in Article 2 of the Municipal Constitution, adopted on 28 April 1990, as "the flag, the coat of arms and the anthem, established by Municipal Law". Article 3 prescribes the official colours of the municipality as "blue, yellow and green".
http://www.camarapiquete.com.br/downloads/LEI%20ORGANICA_DO_MUNICIPIO_DE_PIQUET\ E_28_ABRIL_1990_IMPRIMIR.pdf > - Municipal Constitution
The flag is blue with three horizontal stripes green stripes, bordered yellow, and a yellow triangle extending from the hoist bearing the municipal arms - http://www.piquete.sp.gov.br/simbolos.php - Municipal website
Photos of the flag
http://www.jornalatos.com/noticia.php?idNoticia=1200
http://www.mauxhomepage.net/piquete/historia/camara_municipal.htm
The coat of arms of Piquete, designed by Gastão Dal Farra and Arcinoé Antônio Peixoto de Faria, is prescribed by Municipal Law No. 387 of 4 April 1962. "Rounded-off, Portuguese shield surmounted by a four-towered mural crown or, per fess, 1. Azure the silhouette of Serra da Mantiqueira, 2a. Vert an armoured arm over an escutcheon charged with a Cross of Lorraine all argent except the cross or, 2b. Gules a cogwheel over a cannon all or. The shield supported by two branches of coffee fructed proper. Beneath the shield a scroll gules inscribed with the motto 'LABOR PRO TUENDA PATRIA' in letters argent."
The Portuguese shield, traditionally used by Brazilian municipalities, recalls our Lusitanian origin. The mural crown is a symbol of municipal autonomy. Azure is the symbol of the serenity of people and of the excellent local weather. The town was built at the foot of the main geographical feature of the region, Pico dos Marins, part of Serra da Mantiqueira. Or represents the pioneers who crossed the mountains in the Minas Gerais gold rush. Vert is the symbol of the hope into a great future for the town. The escutcheon represents St. Michael, the town's patron saint, as well as the religious feelings of the people. Gules is a symbol of audacity, intrepidity and courage. The cogwheel and the cannon represent the main industry of the municipality, the Presidente Vargas ammunition factory, the biggest ammunition factory in South America. The coffee branches recall the former main crop in the region, when the municipal territory was covered with coffee plantations. The Latin motto reads "The Work To Defend The Country").
The coat of arms in today's use, including on the flag, is a simplified version of the original described above, although the municipal website still gives the description of the original arms [therefore not matching the nearby image!]. The mural crown is argent ports gules. The field is "reduced" to the mountain under a blue sky. The escutcheon is placed in the chief, while the cogwheel and cannon are placed in base. The writing on the scroll is now "PIQUETE / (TRABALHO EM DEFESA DA PÁTRIA) [the Portuguese translation of the Latin motto]".
http://www.piquete.sp.gov.br/simbolos.php - Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 3 February 2013