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Cuba - Historical Flags

Last modified: 2020-07-26 by rob raeside
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Cuban Historical Flags - Overview

I found at <www.autentico.org> some 7 historical flags entitled:

1. Flag used by Juaquín Infante, 1810. (see: Joaquín Infante Flag (1810))
2. The flag flown during the conspiration of the "Rayos" and "Soles" of Bolívar, 1823. (see: Bolívar Flag (1823))
3. Club of the Havana flag, 1847. (see: "Club de la Habana" Flag (1847))
4. Flag created by Narciso López on June 24, 1848 for the conspiration of the Mina de la Rosa Cubana (Mine of the Cuban Rose . (see: Conspiracy of La Mina de la Rosa Cubana Flags (1848))
5. This flag was also used at the conspirtation of the Mina de la
Rosa Cubana on June 24, 1848. (see: Conspiracy of La Mina de la Rosa Cubana Flags (1848))
6. Another flag used during the conspiration. (see: Conspiracy of La Mina de la Rosa Cubana Flags (1848))
7.Carlos Manuel Céspedes flag, raised on October 10, 1868. (see: Céspedes Flag (1868))
Jarig Bakker
, 21 December 1999 (translated by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán)

I've seen those flags before, in a book called "Banderas oficiales y revolucionarias de Cuba" by Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring edited back in 1950, in Havana by the Municipio de la Habana.
Guillermo Aveledo, 21 December 1999


Joaquín Infante Flag - 1810


image by Maikel Arista-Salado, 26 May 2005

This flag was created by D. Joaquín Infante in his project of Constitution in 1812. It was never adopted though.
Maikel Arista-Salado, 26 May 2005

Reported (Wrong?) Flags


image by Andy Weir, 11 January 2001

The other flag that claims to be Infante's is wrong. Correct flags is above.
Maikel Arista-Salado, 7 February 2006


Bolívar Flag (1823)


image by Jaume Ollé

Ratio 2:3. Design of Bolívar for the union of Cuba - 1823. Nickname: Sun's flag.
Jaume Ollé


image by Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000

Flag used by the conspiracy of the "Suns and Rays of Bolívar". Not led by the South American liberator, but inspired and supported by him, 1823. This image is based on <www.autentico.org> and the book "Banderas Oficiales y Revolucionarias de Cuba", written by Emilio Roig de Leuschering, and published in Havana, by the Municipio de la Habana publishing house, in 1950.
Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000


image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 29 April 2002

Pablo Acosta Ríos sent to Venezimbol the following flag: It was the first flag of Cuban independence, a Freemason society called "Suns and Rays of Bolívar", in 1823. The Flag of Suns and Rays of Bolívar was the flag of a conspiracy, led by the Liberator (the foreign policy of the Republic was behind another thing in 1823, already being the Republic of Colombia, with greater goals; the Antillean foreign policy of Bolívar was active one decade previous). The conspiracy, nevertheless, had the support and the inspiration of Bolívar. It comes out very well described in the book "Official and Revolutionary Flags Cuba" written by Emilio Roig de Leuschering, and published by editions of the Municipality of Havana, in 1950. This book is in the Central Library of the UCV. A Venezuelan member of Venezimbol have the impression (perhaps wrong, as he says) of having seen it like the command flag, or personal standard, used by Bolívar during the independence war.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 29 April 2002

From <www.nacion.cult.cu>:
"The conspiracy Soles y Rayos de Bolívar adopted its flag with deep blue center and in its medium point a shining silver sun within a crimson circumference.
In the year 1823, under general Vives command, the francmasonic lodge of the "Soles y Rayos de Bolívar", in full accordance with other secret societies of the Island, organized a conspiracy to overthrow the Spanish power and founding the Republic of Cubanacán.
According to the summary instructed against the frustrated conspiracy it is known that 395 red, yellow and blue badges were found, together with “three silk flags of plain taffeta, each one with two and a half yard long and one and a half width, center deep blue and in its center a big sun with rays, as enameled, silver colour and in its circumference a band crimson colour”.
There are disagreement between the description and the design found, because in it the sun is golden or yellow, and not silver as indicated."
Miles Li, 21 October 2006


"Club de la Habana" Flag (1847)


image by Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000


Conspiracy of La Mina de la Rosa Cubana Flags (1848)


image by Maikel Arista-Salado, 4 June 2005


image by Maikel Arista-Salado, 4 June 2005

The "Flag of the Mine Conspiracy of the Cuban Rose", being the national flag until 1849 when the Venezuelan General Narciso López created that very same year as his own flag which is considered today an official symbol of the Republic of Cuba. The flags are the same as the flag that was depicted on the Cuban Coat of Arms printed on government correspondence and Provisional Government bonds, together with the flag of the United States of America.
Maikel Arista-Salado (translated by Esteban Rivera), 4 June 2005



image by Olivier Touzeau, 13 March 2011

In the municipal museum of Trinidad, one can see a flag which, according to the caption in the museum, dates from 1848.
It is similar to the Flag of the Mine Conspiracy of the Cuban Rose, but with a 5-pointed star.
The flag is displayed vertically in a glass case.
Olivier Touzeau, 13 March 2011

Variant of flag


image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 19 March 2011

There is a different version of the flag. It seems that the white is four times as wide as the blue, and there's blue on the other side as well. So, that would make it 1:4:1. The star is quite big, so I used half the width of the flag. As some points are fat and others lean, it's really supposed to be regular; you might know whether it wasn't hung very straight, or whether it maybe wasn't done very expertly. As the star points towards the hoist, and the flag is hoisted vertically, it seems logical to assume that the flag is indeed meant to be vertical.
The height of the star on the flag is difficult to determine exactly, but half the size of the star, being a quarter of the width of the flag, doesn't seem to be all that far off.
The blue s very dark, but the red is quite bright, so it can't be the lack of light.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 19 March 2011


Reported (Wrong?) Flags

1)
image by Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000

2)
image by Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000

3)
image by Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000

Flags of the Conspiracy of La Mina de la Rosa Cubana, June 24th.
Guillermo Aveledo, 6 October 2000


Céspedes Flag (1868)

See: Cuba - Céspedes Flag (1868)


Autonomists Flag (1895)


image by Jaume Ollé

Adopted: unnoficial use after 10 February 1878. Abolished: c. 1899.
Jaume Ollé

This image is based on a book of the editorial Agualarga called BANDERA, HIMNO Y ESCUDO and is simply the spanish flag ussed untill 1927 by the merchan marine crossed over.
J. C. Castillon, 3 May 2003


image by Maikel Arista-Salado, 26 May 2005

The autonomic flag, hoisted in 1895 in Baire, as you can see is very similar to the spanish flag because of its meaning.
Maikel Arista-Salado, 26 May 2005

I guess that maybe the correct proportions of the horizontal stripes of the flag could have been the ones of the Spanish Merchant Flag (1785-1927). So: 1+1+2+1+1. Because that historical Cuban flag could have been made using a Spanish Merchant Flag with two diagonal stripes added.
Francisco Gregoric, 29 May 2005

The autonomic flag was hoisted in 1895 in Baire, according to D. Enrique Gay-Calbó in his magnificent book: "Los símbolos de la nación cubana. los escudos, las banderas y los himnos" (The symbols of the Cuban Nation. the coats of arms, the flags and the anthems) in page 85.
The proportions of the flag are correct according to our research; it was made for that specific day and it was a setup of Gen. Rabí.
Maikel Arista-Salado, 30 May 2005


Flag of 4 September 1933


image by Ivan Sache, 5 May 2000

'Das Grossen Flaggenbuch' [gfb39] describes the 'flag of the 4th September 1933'. It is a 2:1 flag made of five equal vertical bands: blue, white, red, yellow and green. It was hoisted along with the National flag by the Army, the Navy and the Police. The 4th September 1933 is the end of the dictatorship of Machado.

Some questions about that:

1. Is this flag still in used ? Comparing 'Das Grossen Flaggenbuch' with 'Album des Pavillons', I noticed that several Cuban flags were not changed by Castro (including the national flag. The presidential flag just received two additional stars.)

2. What is the origin of the 4th September flag ? I suppose it was inspired by the French tricolour, but the two additional colours are not 'Cuban'.
Ivan Sache, 3 July 1997

In answer to your question, the answer is no. It is not longuer ussed in Cuba since 1959. The "4 de septiembre mouvement" was the movement started by the sargeants and NCO's of the cuban army againts General Machado. This flag was ussed in a semioficial way during the time of General Batista influence.
Batista was a sargeant who toke command of the main garrison in Cuba on 4 September. He was named "coronel" and became head of the Army by the revolutionary center left government who took power, became the strong man of the island, with the help of the american Embassador and the army and againts both the traditional elittes and the leftist students and elected the "puppet" presidents before being elected himself president from 1940 to 1944. Contrary to popular belief, in his first times Batista was popular, made a series of structural reforms, kind to the American New Deal, legalized the Communist Party and allowed unions. In the 1940 elections, even Communist Party backed him. In 1944 a Social Democratic Party, the AUTENTICO party took power through elections and the 4 de septiembre flag did dissapear form public functions untill 1952, when Batista made a second "putsch" and get himself back into power from 1952 to 1959.
The flag in question is supossed to represent all teh branches of the Army, the police and, I think, la Guardia Rural, a sort of police for the countryside.
J. C. Castillon, 3 May 2003

I would like to inform you that what is said about about Batista overthrowing Machado is wrong. Machado resigned on August 12, 1933, yielding to the presion that Mr. Sumner Welles, the USA president's envoy in Havana, and a group of offcial of the army put on him. Machado left the country and went to live in Nassau.
A new goverment was set and Dr. Carlos M. de Cespedes was the president. Then, 3 week later, a group of soldiers protest about their pay and poor living conditiotions and with de support of  university students and some politician, that protest become a revolucionary movement that overthrew Cepedes' goverment.
That prostest srtarted under the leadership of Sargent Pablo Rodríguez, but by the end of the day Sargent Fulgencio Batista was the leader. It happened on 4th September 1933.
Eduardo Irueta, 26 April 2007


Boy Scouts 1950s


image located by Rob Raeside, 28 April 2012

1950s Boy Scouts of CUBA Troop #10 FLAG/BANNER http://www.ebay.com/itm/120902809277
The Boy Scouts of Cuba was founded by the Boy Scouts of America and was a branch of the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts of Cuba was abolished by Fidel Castro after the Cuban revolution of 1959...
Rob Raeside, 28 April 2012