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# San Luis Province (Argentina)

## Provincia de San Luis

Last modified: 2026-04-18 by rob raeside
Keywords: san luis | provincia de san luis | puntano | deer | sun: face | mountain | wreath | plan de inclusión social | chequy (white-blue) | chequy 4×7 | rodríguez saá |
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image by Jorge Candeias, 06 September 2003
(from the Rapiarte website)

- Description of the flag
  - Flag law
- Provincial coat of arms
- Social Inclusion Plan flag

See also:

- Subdivisions of San Luis Province
- Argentina
- Argentine subdivisions (clickable map)

Other sites:

- Province of San Luis Government official website
  Reported by Francisco Gregoric, 31 July 2006

## Description of the flag

The flag of the Province of San Luis is a white field flag, with the provincial coat of arms at center.
Francisco Gregoric, 31 July 2006

### Flag law

The provincial flag was originally adopted by Law No. 4810 of June 22, 1988. However in 2004 all the provincial laws were re-numbered and re-ordered by the Legislative Power.
The new 2004 law text is almost the same than the 1988 original one. The new law number is No. II-0030-2004 (5439). The new law text derogates the law No. 4810. The flag did not suffer any modification at all.
The present legislation of the San Luis flag appears below, first in Spanish, then the English version:

Ley Nº II-0030-2004 (5439)
El Senado y la Cámara de Diputados de la Provincia
de San Luis, sancionan con fuerza de
Ley
BANDERA DE LA PROVINCIA DE SAN LUIS
ARTICULO 1º.- Crear la BANDERA DE LA PROVINCIA DE SAN LUIS, que será de color blanco y contendrá en su centro el Escudo Provincial.-
ARTICULO 2º.- Autorizar al Poder Ejecutivo a reglamentar esta Ley y a ordenar la confección artística del símbolo y la reproducción de ejemplares para su distribución.-
ARTICULO 3°.- Derogar la Ley N° 4810.-
ARTICULO 4º.- Regístrese, comuníquese al Poder Ejecutivo y archívese.-
RECINTO DE SESIONES de la Honorable Legislatura de la Provincia de San Luis, a los tres días del mes de Marzo del año dos mil cuatro.

SERGNESE CARLOS JOSE ANTONIO
Presidente Cámara de Diputados - San Luis
BLANCA RENEE PEREYRA
Presidenta Honorable Cámara de Senadores Provincia de San Luis
JOSE NICOLAS MARTINEZ
Secretario Legislativo H.Cámara de Diputados - San Luis
Esc. JUAN FERNANDO VERGES
Secretario Legislativo H. Senado Prov. de San Luis

English translation:

Law No. II-0030-2004 (5439)
The Senate and the Representatives Chamber of the Province
of San Luis, establish with power of
Law
FLAG OF THE PROVINCE OF SAN LUIS
ARTICLE No.1.- The creation of the FLAG OF THE PROVINCE OF SAN LUIS, will be of white color with the Provincial Coat of Arms at the center.-
ARTICLE No.2.- Executive Power is authorized to regulate this Law, and to order the artistic manufacture of the symbol and reproduction of copies for its distribution.-
ARTICLE No.3.- Derogate Law No. 4810.-
ARTICLE No.4.- Record, notify the Executive Power and filed.-
HALL OF SESIONS of the Honorable Legislature of the Province of de San Luis, being May the third of the year two thousand and four.

SERGNESE CARLOS JOSE ANTONIO
President Representatives Chamber - San Luis
BLANCA RENEE PEREYRA
President Honorable Senators Chamber Province of San Luis
JOSE NICOLAS MARTINEZ
Legislative Secretary H. Representatives Chamber - San Luis
Esc. JUAN FERNANDO VERGES
Legislative Secretary H. Senate Prov. of San Luis

Law translated by Francisco Gregoric and Gus Tracchia, 31 July 2006

Other sites:

- Jaume Ollé’s page about San Luis flags with the original law text (in Spanish)
  Reported by Jaume Ollé
- Flag law of the Province of San Luis at the local Legislature official website. (in Spanish)
  Reported by Francisco Gregoric, 31 July 2006

## Provincial coat of arms

The provincial coat of arms appears at center of the provincial flag. It is older than the flag, as it was legally adopted by Law No.1640 of October 27, 1939.
The origins of the coat of arms are traced to 1836 when the first model of a seal appeared showing a deer and a mountain behind. The deer was a very common animal of the area. However nowadays is almost extinct. The complete original name of the City of San Luis (that later gave its name to the province) was Ciudad de San Luis de la Punta de los Venados (City of Saint Louis of the Deer’s Range).
Variations of seals and coats of arms with one or two deer have been used for decades, since the original one.
In 1939 it was decided to have an official legally regulated model, to put an end to the many variants in circulation or previously used.
The coat of arms has an elliptical shape, surrounded by two laurel branches tied at the bottom by an Argentine ribbon that stand for Argentine Liberty traditions and the relation of San Luis with the rest of Argentina.
The four mountains recall the landscape of San Luis, while the deer represent the autochthonous fauna and recalls the original full name of the City of San Luis.
Finally a sun with 32 rays is the sun of Liberty
Although the design of the coat of arms was precisely defined by the 1939 law, differences in colors continued to exist. Therefore in 1978 an official color cart was established as follows:
Sky: light blue
Sun: light yellow
Mountains: golden sienna
Valley: intermediate green
Deer: pale ocher
Horns: chalky white
Laurels: bright dark green
Fruits: crimson
Finally it must be said that, as it happened with the flag law, the law of the provincial coat of arms was re-numbered and re-ordered by the local legislature in 2004, with the adding of an article that derogates Law No.1640. The coat of arms has not suffered any modifications at all. The present number of that law is No. II-0031-2004 (5441).
Francisco Gregoric, 31 July 2006

Other sites:

- San Luis coat of arms at the official government website. (in English)
- Coat of Arms law of the Province of San Luis at the local Legislature official website. (in Spanish)
- History of the coat of arms of the Province and City of San Luis (in Spanish)
- The coat of arms of the Province of San Luis at the website of www.intertournet.com.ar (in Spanish)
  Reported by Francisco Gregoric, 31 July 2006

## Social Inclusion Plan flag

### Plan de Inclusión Social

4:7 by Francisco Gregoric, 01 August 2006

In 2004, the news of a different model of flag in the Province of San Luis reached the vexillological community. However this new flag was neither a new provincial flag, nor a replacement for the plain white provincial flag with coat of arms at the center.
This flag is the Bandera del Plan de Inclusión Social (Social Inclusion Plan Flag). This is a plan of public employment made by the provincial government of San Luis of Governor Alberto Rodríguez Saá.
Approximately 40,000 previous unemployed people are part of the plan. They have to perform different types of jobs for the province, as road construction, cleaning, maintenance, farming, etc. The State’s pays them a salary for those services.
This plan is considered as a good way to fight unemployment by the local government, but it is criticized by the local opposition [whether such plan is positive or not depends on one’s political views.]
The flag of the plan has a chequered design with 28 squares of white and light blue. Four horizontal rows of seven squares on each row. Starting with a white square on the first row the official provincial coat of arms is placed on the second white square of the second row. The Governor Alberto Rodríguez Saá designed the flag himself. The meaning of the flag is described in a book published by the government of the province:
"The chequered design means to have planning, direction and one big defined idea as the Inclusion Plan has. The flag reflects the work and effort of the people who become part of the program"
The opposition members criticize the flag claiming that the chequered design is similar to the Rodríguez Saá family Coat of Arms. Others say that the design was chosen because Governor Rodríguez Saá is a big fan of Chess.
In 2004 there were some demonstrations against the provincial government and a flag of this kind was even burnt because the province’s political opposition associated the flag to Rodríguez Saá’s government. After that a plebiscite was held to choose for the continuity or not of the plan. For the continuation of the plan won the plebiscite for a big majority, with abstention of the opposition political parties.
Although the flag does not represent an area or region, but an employment plan, it has a “semi-official status” since it has the official provincial coat of arms, and it is flown from the provincial government building’s balconies and from the building of the local legislature. It was also painted on San Luis police cars. The chequered flag of the plan also appears at the governor's office next to the Argentine and Provincial flags.
The use of flags to represent a social plan seems to be a new way of expressing ideas in Latin America. In Uruguay there is a flag of the Mano con Mano, Plan de Emergencia (Hand with Hand Emergency Plan).

Francisco Gregoric, 21 May 2004 and 01 August 2006

Other sites:

- The flag of the Plan for Social Inclusion at the website www.cuyonoticias.com.ar (in Spanish)
- Plan for Social Inclusion official website at the government website (in Spanish)
- E-book about the plan at the official government website: the flag explanation appears in Chapter IV (in Spanish)
  Reported by Francisco Gregoric, 01 August 2006