San Germán de Puerto Rico, a municipality with Catalan heritage

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Just take a look at the historic coat of arms of the American town of San Germán de Puerto Rico to detect the omnipresent influence of the Catalan-Aragonese crown.

The current town of San Germán is a municipality located in the southwestern region of Puerto Rico. It is one of the oldest cities on the island and has a rich history that dates back to the early days of Hispanic colonization.

The city was founded in 1570 by Diego de Torres y Velasco, becoming the second oldest city in Puerto Rico (the first was Caparra, where Juan Ponce de León had his residence). However, this point is not clear, as the town's website also states that it was founded on August 12, 1573, by Governor Juan de Céspedes.

The confusion is understandable when considering a curious anomaly: this town changed locations and was refounded many times. Its original territory was so extensive (Partida de San Germán) that from its fragmentation, 22 towns were created, which is why it is known as "the founder of towns."

It was consecrated in honor of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, from whom it is said the name is derived. However, the town has no connection to the Gallic saint. And when the natives themselves analyze and describe their historic coat of arms, full of catalan flags, they themselves discover that, in reality, the name has another, more coherent origin, directly related to the Catalan monarchy.

Let's analyze in detail the different parts of the coat of arms of the town of San Germán (see image above).

First quadrant: Saint Germanus of Auxerre and the Colom (Colombus) family.

On the municipality's website, it is stated that the coat of arms of San Germán de Puerto Rico represents the beginning of the Catholic religion in Puerto Rico, and therefore, in the first quarter, a gold miter and crozier with a green background are represented as a symbol of papal authority. However, other sources state that the miter and crozier represent Saint Germanus of Auxerre. And indeed, this is the case. The crozier and miter are representative elements of the Gallic saint.



[Part of a stained glass window in Truro Cathedral depicting Saint Germanus of Auxerre with miter and crosier.]



Additionally, there is another interesting detail in this first quadrant: on the town's website, it is stated that the gold color represents the first governor of the Indies, Jaume Colom (Diego Columbus), son of the Catalan admiral and discoverer of America, Cristòfol Colom (Christopher Columbus). However, other sources assert that it is the green background that represents the color of the coat of arms of Cristòfol Colom and his son, Viceroy of America. Also, the green in the town's flag would refer to the heraldic symbol of the Colom family.

Second quadrant: the arms of Ferran II of Catalonia (Ferdinand II of Aragon)

In the second quadrant, we find the coat of arms of King Ferran II of Catalonia (Ferdinand II of Aragon), lord of the Indies. Indeed, there is the royal emblem, with the four bars of the Aragonese crown, and next to it is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sicily or the Two Sicilies, imperial possessions of Ferdinand.

Third quadrant: the arms of Germana de Foix

The third quadrant is the most interesting. We find the arms of Queen Germana de Foix, second wife of Ferran II. And on the municipality's website of San Germán, it is explained that, precisely, it was in honor of his young second wife that the king named the town after her. Here we find, therefore, a second much more coherent version of the origin of the name San Germán. And who knows if, in its beginnings, the town was directly called Germana de Puerto Rico. In any case, we have no record of it.

Fourth quadrant: the coat of arms of Juan Ponce de León

In the lower right part of the shield, we find the arms of Juan Ponce de León, the first governor of Puerto Rico. This Ponce de León, of noble descent, was closely linked to the Catalan court, as he was a page of King Ferran II at the court of King Joan el Sense Fe (John II of Aragon), and he participated in the Catalan conquest of the Kingdom of Granada. He was always a trusted man of King Ferran II and an adversary of the Colom family.

He led the first European expedition to Florida, to which he gave a distinctly Catalan name (in Spanish it would be "La Florecida"). Florida was discovered on Easter Sunday, called in Catalonia "Pascua Florida," as it always coincides with early spring.

It is uncertain whether Ponce de León's first voyage to America was with Colom in 1493 or with Nicolás de Ovando in 1502. Despite the opposition of Jaume Colom, Ponce de León managed to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico in 1510. It is said that he was the one who, in 1513, found the "Gulf Stream," which from then on allowed a quick maritime route back to Europe from North America.

Ponce de León treated the Taíno Indians harshly, exploiting them in the gold mines, and Jaume Colom wanted to remove him from office. However, Ponce de León had the confidence of King Ferran II. On July 10, 1509, Jaume Colom arrived in Hispaniola as viceroy, replacing Nicolás de Ovando. The legal battle between the Colom family and Ferran II was already active.

Although the king's courts had ordered Ponce de León to continue in his position, Jaume Colom bypassed this directive on October 28, 1509, by appointing Juan Cerón as chief justice and Miguel Díaz as sheriff of the island, which effectively nullified the governor's authority. This situation persisted until March 2, 1510, when King Fernando issued orders reaffirming Ponce de León's position as governor. Ponce de León had arrested and sent Cerón and Díaz to the Iberian Peninsula.

The political struggle between Colom and Ponce de León continued for several more years. Ponce de León had influential supporters in Castile, and Ferran II considered him a loyal servant. Despite everything, over time, Ponce de León's position on the island became untenable, and on November 28, 1511, Cerón officially returned to the island as governor. Ferran II sent Ponce de León to discover new lands for the crown, away from the authority of the Colom family, to the northeast. And it was thus that he discovered "La Florida."



[Historical coat of arms of the catalans-occitans counts of Foix]


Germana de Foix gives her name to the town of San Germán in Puerto Rico. 

Therefore, we find that a Catalan queen, Germana de Foix, gives her name and part of the coat of arms to this historic town of San Germán in Puerto Rico, by the will of her husband, Ferran II, King of Catalonia, Emperor of the Mediterranean, and Lord of the Indies. Somehow, tradition has preserved this fact which, miraculously, has survived the colonial censorship that strives to erase any aspect that might suggest the Catalan presence in America and the discovery of the new continent by this nation.



[The historical coat of arms at Plaza Fundadora de Pueblos in San Germán.]

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