Last modified: 2013-03-02 by ian macdonald
Keywords: sao paulo | terra roxa |
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16 February 2013
Based on: http://www.terraroxa.sp.gov.br/bandeira.php
An ascending diagonal triband, purple-white-purple, bearing the municipal arms in the centre and a blue fleur-de-lys in the upper fly and lower hoist on the white bend.
Official website at
Dirk Schönberger, 16 February 2013
Terra Roxa is named for the colour of the soil. The expression "terra roxa" was derived by the Portuguese-speaking people from the Italian expression "terra rossa" (red soil) brought by the Italian immigrants of the coffee boom era. This kind of soil is called "latosol" or "oxisol". Following the disbanding in 1918 of "Companhia Agrícola Pastoril do Banharão", originally set up to colonize the area, the Santa Carolina Estate, owned by Prudente Rosa Corrêa and Mário Rollin Telles, was divided into plots, one of them being used to establish a new settlement. In September 1918, the "Companhia Ferroviária São Paulo - Goiás" inaugurated a narrow gauge railway linking the new settlement to Viradoura. The new station was named Terra Roxa, a name subsequently adopted by the new town. On 10 June 1927, the railway was transferred to "Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro", now linking Terra Roxa to Ibitiúva. The district of Terra Roxa was established by State Law No. 2,099 of 26 December 1925. The name of the new district was debated in the State Assembly: the first proposed name, Ibiacy, was superseded by the name of the railway station. The municipality of Terra Roxa was established by State Law No. 233 of 24 December 1948, seceding from Viradoura, and inaugurated on 26 March 1949.
The flag of Terra Roxa, designed by Lauro Escobar, is prescribed by Municipal Law No. 155 of 6 July 1974. The flag is purple with a white diagonal bend sinister charged [in the middle] with the municipal coat of arms surrounded [in chief and in base] by two blue fleurs-de-lis.
The flag has for dimensions 14 units x 20 units. The coat of arms has for dimensions 3.5 units x 6 units.
http://www.terraroxa.sp.gov.br/bandeira.php - Municipal website
The coat of arms of Terra Roxa, designed by Lauro Escobar, is prescribed by Municipal Law No. 131 of 17 September 1973. "Stylized shield as usual, [argent] a sun gules cantoned with four fleurs-de-lis azure a base purpure. The shield surmounted by an eight- towered mural crown argent ports sable. The shield supported dexter by a branch of coffee and sinister by a branch of cotton the two proper. Beneath the shield a scroll argent inscribed with the municipality's name in letter gules."
The rounded-off, or Iberic shield, used in Portugal at the time of discovery of Brazil, is a tribute to the first colonizers and builders of the country. Argent is a symbol of felicity, purity, temperance, truth, beauty, frankness, integrity and friendship. The sun is a symbol of eternity, greatness, power, providence, magnificence, fame, unity and truth, as a source of fertility for the land. Gules is a symbol of audacity, valour, courage, nobleness, valiance, intrepidity, triumph and honour. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin, evoking the patron saint of Terra Roxa. Azure is a symbol of justice, beauty sweetness, nobleness, recreation, vigilance, serenity, constancy, incorruptible firmness, dignity, zeal and loyalty. The base purpure symbolizes the name of the municipality. Purpure is a symbol of temperance, dedication, nobleness, greatness, sovereignty, gravity; abundance, tranquillity, wealth, dignity, authority and liberty. The mural crown is a symbol of municipal emancipation. The open ports are a symbol of hospitality. The branch of coffee and the branch of cotton emphasize the fertility of the generous soil of Terra Roxa. Coffee was once the main crop in the municipality, while cotton is today its main source of income.
The coat of arms currently used by the municipality has different shades: the shield is silver with a yellow sun and white fleurs-de-lis. The plants supporting the shield are very stylized, definitely not Escobar's style. The scroll is silver with the writing in white letters. However, the image of the flag shown on the municipal website has the coat of arms matching the legal description, not the current one. A photo of the flag, with the coffee branch and the scroll partially visible, confirms that the "modernized" version of the coat of arms is not used on the flag.