National Flag of Cuba, 20th Century.
This small Cuban national flag was acquired in the Cuban countryside from Guajiros. The Cuban National Flag did not change after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, which brought Fidel Castro to power. This flag's origins were during the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain.
Clearly based on the Stars & Stripes, the three blue stripes of the flag were chosen to represent the Caribbean Sea, which surrounds Cuba, and the white was chosen to symbolize the purity of the cause. The flags' five stripes allude to the five provinces into which Cuba was divided under Spanish rule. The triangle, a Masonic symbol, is red to represent the bloodshed in battle for freedom, and was a design element the Cubans shares with the Philippine Insurrectos, whose flag also bore a triangle, see ZFC0200 and ZFC0206. The 5 point white star stands for an independent Cuba, with the hope that someday this star would be added to the U.S. flag.
This was the Cuban Flag during both the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban missile crisis, two of the seminal events of the Cold War.
The Guajiros, the Cuban people of the countryside and the mountains, are the backbone of the Cuban nation.
See ZFC1516 for a similar, earlier Cuban flag.
Provenance: Gifted to the Zaricor Flag Collection by Perry Krevat.
ZFC Noteworthy Flag
Sources:
Cuba, Flags of the World, 22 May 2012, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/cu.html
Flag of Cuba, Wikipedia, 22 May 2012, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cuba
Wayuu people (Guajiros), Wikipedia, 22 May 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guajiros
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
