Original Argentine flag from 1812
Current Argentine Flag. 1818
The history of the Argentine flag dates back to 1812. It originally was just a flag of independence, but in 1818, the flag was redone to add in Incan heritage; it has been the same.
One the surface, the flag as it is today, is merely just a tribal flag with 2 bands of light blue and a center white band. The only addition to the flag since its origins has been the Sun of May, a design engraved on the first approved coinage of Argentina back in 1813. The Sun of May gets its name from the first declaration of independence from the Spanish Empire on May 25, 1810. Legend has it that when the new government was founded, the sun broke through the clouds. The Sun of May was designed by Juan de Dios Tupac Amaru, a Peruvian descendant of Incan nobility. It is believed the Sun of May pays tribute to the Incan sun god, Inti.
While the story of the Sun of May and its origins are pretty set in stone, the meaning behind the colors of the bands are questionable. The blue bands are probably the less contested ones as it is mostly believed to represent the sky on the day the government was founded. Other ideas for what the blue represents could be the waters of Argentina’s Rio de la Plata, or the blue used on the coat of arms for the Spanish House of Bourbon.
The center white band is more disputed. Some say it represents the silver that early conquistadors expected to find in the region. Argentina actually derives its name from the latin word Argentinum, meaning silver. Others say the white represents the clouds that revealed the sky and the sun on the day the revolutionary government was founded. Both interpretations make much sense, but I tend to learn towards the white representing the clouds. It ties in well with the blue representing the sky, and the Sun of May representing the sun on the day of the founding.
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