The Flag of Puerto Rico

The flag of Puerto Rico is one of the most recognizable symbols in the Caribbean. Five horizontal stripes of alternating red and white, an equilateral triangle on the left in blue, and a white five-pointed star at its center. Simple in design; profound in meaning.

Despite popular misconceptions, the Puerto Rican flag was not based on the United Stated flag. The design of The Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico reflects the close ties that bound the Cuban and Puerto Rico patriots in the 19th century for the flag which waves over the Capital of San Juan is the Cuban flag color reversed. First created in 1895 by Puerto Rican nationalists fighting for independence, it has outlasted the movement that made it and become the defining emblem of Puerto Rican identity worldwide.

Origin of the Flag

The Puerto Rican flag's history run deep with pro-independence sentiments from Spanish dominion, and later United States rule - a symbol of pride, defiance, and protest.

To understand the flag's past, we need to go back to the 19th century when the first major Puerto Rican revolt in 1868, known as El Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares). The rebellion took place in 1868, when Puerto Rico's pro-independence movement, frustrated by the lack of political and economic freedom and angered by ongoing repression on the island, staged an armed uprising against Spanish rule.

The flag used during the uprising, known as the Lares flag, was inspired by the flag of the Dominican Republic and was created by Mariana Bracetti, a leader in the independence movement. Its design reflected the revolutionary ideals shared by Puerto Rican patriots and Caribbean independence movements of the time. Today, it is known as the Flag of Lares and remains an enduring symbol of Puerto Rico's struggle for freedom and self-determination. It continues to be displayed each year during the Grito de Lares commemorations on September 23 and is recognized as one of Puerto Rico's most important historical flags.

The rebellion broke out on September 23, 1868. It was planned by a group led by Dr. Ramon Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis, from their exile in the Dominican Republic. Betances authored several proclamas, or statements, attacking the exploitation of the Puerto Ricans by the Spanish colonial system and called for immediate insurrection. The revolts bagun in Lares, and spread out to San Sebastian, but the insurgents soon encountered strong resistance from the Puerto Rican militia and retreated back to Lares. Under orders from Governor Julián Pavía, the militia rounded up many of the participants, and the insurrection came to an end. Many local leaders and participants were arrested, and some were executed. Those who survived their prison terms were later released, while others went into exile, especially in New York City.

Although the revolt failed to achieve its main objective, it became a defining moment in Puerto Rican history. The Lares flag remains an important symbol of Puerto Rico's struggle for self-determination. Following the uprising, Spain gradually introduced political reforms that granted Puerto Rico greater autonomy.

Creation of the Flag

Twenty-four years later, in 1892 the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee was founded in New York, a political group affiliated to the Cuban Revolutionary Party, which advocated independence for Puerto Rico and Cuba from Spanish rule.

Dr. Jose Julio Henna was appointed President, along Juan de Mata Terreforte, vice president; Manuel Besosa and Sotero Figueroa, vowels; Gumersindo Rivas, secretary of minutes (later replaced by Roberto H Todd) and Gerardo Forrest, secretary of correspondence.

As part of their activities, a flag was created to rally support for independence from Spain. The flag was first used on December 22, 1895, when a group of 59 Puerto Ricans led by Dr. Jose Julio Henna, gathered at "Chimney Corner Hall" in Manhattan, New York City to promote the ideal of Puerto Rican independence from Spain. Other members of included participants of El Grito de Lares: Ramon Emiterio Betances, Juan Ruiz Rivera, Juan de Mata Terreforte and Aurelio Mendez Martinez. The flag was soon adopted as a national symbol.

On March 24, 1897, the Puerto Rican flag was used in the Intentona de Yauco (the Attempted Coup of Yauco), the second and final major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, staged by the island's pro-independence movement in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Spanish-American War

In 1898, the flag also became the mark of resistance to the US invasion; and in the 1930s it was adopted by the Nationalist Party. Blanca Canales proclaimed the Republic of Puerto Rico in Jayuya in 1950 using this flag and Lolita Lebrón deployed it during the attack on Congress in 1954. Soon after the Cuban Revolution (1953-1958) US officials in the island became suspicious of those who displayed the flag, considering them subversives. Police used to arrest anyone displaying the flag on charges of insubordination against the United States.

Symbolism of the Flag

The Puerto Rican flag consists of 5 alternate red and white stripes. On the left of the flag is a single white five-pointed star resting in a blue triangle.

Three Red Stripes
The blood shed by Puerto Rican patriots and warriors throughout the island's history of resistance — from the 1868 Grito de Lares uprising to the struggle for self-determination in the twentieth century. Red also represents the valor and sacrifice of the Puerto Rican people.

Two White Stripes
Victory, peace, and the purity of the Puerto Rican people's aspirations. The white stripes represent the quest for independence and the hope of a sovereign homeland. Together with the red, the stripes echo the colors of the Cuban flag — a deliberate act of solidarity between two liberation movements.

The Blue Triangle
The equilateral triangle symbolizes the three branches of republican government — executive, legislative, and judicial — as envisioned by the revolutionaries of 1895. Its precise shade of blue is also the most contested element of the flag, discussed in detail below.

The White Star
The lone white star at the center of the triangle represents the island of Puerto Rico itself. La Monoestrellada — the lone-starred one — is the flag's unofficial name. The star's solitude within the triangle speaks to the island's singular identity and its aspiration for self-determination.

Colonial Goverment

From 1948 to 1957, displaying the Puerto Rican flag was a felony offense under Law 53 — the so-called Gag Law (Ley de la Mordaza) enacted by the colonial government. Anyone who displayed the flag, sang the national anthem, or spoke in favor of independence could be sentenced to ten years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

The law was used to arrest nationalists, suppress the independence movement, and intimidate the Puerto Rican population. For those years, carrying the blue-and-red flag was not an act of patriotism — it was an act of resistance at serious personal risk. The memory of that prohibition gives the flag's colors — and the specific shade of blue — a weight that goes far beyond aesthetics.

Commonwealth & Dark Blue Adopted

It was not until July 25, 1952, when Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth that the flag was officially adopted as the national flag, but it symbolism was altered to distance the flag from its history, along the blue, it was changed to a darker tone to make it similar to the American flag.

The symbolism is explained thus. The white star stands for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico while the three sides of the equilateral triangle together represent the three branches of the Republican government (executive, legislative and judicial branches). The three red strips symbolize the blood that feeds those parts of the government. The two white stripes symbolizing the rights of man and the freedom of the individual, are a perpetual reminder of the need for vigilance of a democratic government is to be preserved.

The flag is not flown except in company of the U.S. flag. It should always stay to the left of the U.S. flag and both are to be flown at the same height. The Puerto Rican flag should be raised after the United States' flag is risen and put down before the United States' flag.

In 1995 the triangle color was changed again to sky blue. Therefore, there still circulating two versions for the flag, one with the darker blue and another with the lighter blue.

Light Blue or Dark Blue?

The color of the triangle on Puerto Rico's flag is not just a design question — it is a political, historical, and cultural flashpoint that has divided Puerto Ricans for over seventy years.

Why the Color Matters Beyond Design

The 1952 standardization to navy blue did not happen in a political vacuum. It happened when Puerto Rico's Popular Democratic Party, under Governor Luis Muñoz Marín, chose Commonwealth status over independence — and critics argued that changing the flag's blue was part of that repositioning: a visual alignment with the United States at the expense of the original revolutionary identity.

Since then, the shade of blue on a Puerto Rican flag has functioned as an informal political signal. Independence and nationalist organizations tend toward sky blue. Government and statehood contexts more commonly use navy. Many Puerto Ricans use both without attaching political meaning — which is itself a kind of statement about how much Puerto Rico has moved beyond the polarities of the mid-twentieth century.

Hurricane Maria's devastation in 2017 and the inadequate federal response reinvigorated the conversation. As the flag exploded across walls, protests, and social media worldwide, a new generation of Puerto Ricans encountered its history for the first time. The sky blue version, for many of them, became the flag of resistance — the original, the authentic, the one that had been suppressed and reclaimed. The navy blue version, for others, was simply their flag — the one they grew up with, the one that required no explanation.

Both are right. Both flags are Puerto Rico. The debate continues because the question it encodes — what kind of political future should Puerto Rico have? — has not been resolved. It will not be resolved by standardizing a color. The two blues will coexist, as they have for over seventy years, until the political question is answered.

The Swing Back: Recognizing the Original Light Blue

In more recent decades, Puerto Rico has seen a gradual official reappraisal of the original light blue. Scholarly research into the flag's 1895 origins clarified that the founding designers always intended the sky blue version. Cultural organizations, artists, and historians argued for restoration of the original. By the early 2000s, usage of the lighter shade had grown significantly even in official and semi-official contexts.

Today, both versions are widely used and both are widely understood as representing Puerto Rico. Government buildings often fly the dark blue; murals and community spaces often display the light blue. Neither has fully displaced the other. The coexistence of both flags is itself a kind of statement — an unresolved conversation about what Puerto Rico is and what it wants to be.

Flag Day

Flag Day is celebrated on December 22. It commemorates when the flag was first raised. On December 22, 1895, a group of 59 Puerto Ricans, gathered at "Chimney Corner Hall" in Manhattan, New York City to promote the ideal of Puerto Rican independence from Spain. The city of Manati also celebrated Flag Day on June 11, the date when the flag was created.

The Puerto Rico flag was voted 7th best out of 71 flags ranked by the North American Vexillological Association in 2001.

Flag Specifications

The flag proportions is 2:3 (width to length is 1.5 times the height). Standard flag size is 3 feet x 4.5 feet.

The 3 main colors in the Puerto Rico flag are Red, White, and Blue.

Red
HEX #CE1126 (approximate)
Pantone 193 C

Flag of the United States

The flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag or U.S. flag, is the national flag of the United States. It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S.

The current design of the U.S. flag is its 27th; the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777.

Flag of Spain

The "Cross of Burgundy," the Spanish military flag used from the 16th to the 18th century to identify warships, forts, and regiments of troops loyal to the king of Spain is still flies alongside the U.S. and Puerto Rican Flags at El Morro and San Cristobal as a tribute to the local infantry regiment that saw action during the British invasion of Puerto Rico in 1798, the Franco-Spanish war of 1809 and the war of 1812 in Louisiana. The regiment was later disbanded in 1815 by King Fernando VII.

More About Flags

• Puerto Rican Etiquette, Rules, and Guidelines
• Historical Flags of Puerto Rico
• Municipal Flags

Other Resources

• Construction Sheet (Proportion: 2:3)
• The First Puerto Rican Flag