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# Chaco Province (Argentina)

## Provincia del Chaco

Last modified: 2026-04-18 by rob raeside
Keywords: chaco | provincia del chaco | el chaco | competition | gadotti (mario orlando) | esquível (jorge alberto) |
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2:3 image by Francisco Gregoric, 18 September 2007

- Flag description
  - Flag Law
  - About the contest
- Flag variant
- Provincial coat of arms
- 1995 never adopted flag design
- Emblem in 1955 (as Presidente Perón province)

See also:

- Subdivisions of Chaco Province
- Province of Chaco Police
- Argentina
- Argentine subdivisions (clickable map)

Other sites:

- Province of Chaco Government official website
  reported by Francisco Gregoric, 17 July 2007

## Flag description

The provincial flag of Chaco was chosen on 29 October 2007 by a jury commissioned by Governor Roy Nikisch. The winner of the contest set up by Provincial Law 4892 and Decree 1160 is Mario Orlando Gadotti, from the City of Resistencia, the capital of the province.
The flag is vertically divided green-white-celeste blue. The central white stripe has a plough inscribed in a circle made of 25 stars and surmounted by the Argentine sun, all in yellow.
The vexillologist Alberto Perazzo, founder and member of the Argentine Vexillological Association, explained the flag as follows:

- Celeste blue and white recall the national flag, white symbolizing also cotton, a main production in Chaco, while green symbolizes the fertility of the local soil.

- The sun with 32 rays is the sun of the national flag, recalling that Chaco is part of Argentina.

- The plough symbolizes work; a today [almost] obsolete [tool], it was a main agriculture tool in the past. The flag of Chaco is the only one in the world with a plough as its main symbol.

- The 25 stars represent the 25 Departments forming the Province of Chaco.

The flag shall be officially hoisted on 19 September.
Ivan Sache, 30 August 2007

The flag has an official ratio of 2:3
The plow is based on the one shown in the provincial coat of arms. However the one on the flag has been modified.
After the contest, the provincial flag was adopted by Provincial Decree No. 1795. It was first hoisted by Governor Roy Nikisch on September 19, 2007. The first flag presented was blessed by Bishop José Lorenzo Sartori of the Archdiocese of San Roque.
Francisco Gregoric, 8 March 2008

### Flag law

On June 13, 2001 the provincial Law No. 4892 decreed the creation of a flag for the province of Chaco: it would be elected in a contest. The text of the law appears below, first in Spanish, then translated to English:

LA CAMARA DE DIPUTADOS DE LA PROVINCIA DEL CHACO
SANCIONA CON FUERZA DE LEY N.4892
Artículo 1.-Créase la Bandera Oficial de la Provincia del Chaco como símbolo que contiene la idiosincrasia y raigambre de hombres y mujeres de esta tierra.
Artículo 2.- Facúltase al Poder Ejecutivo, a convocara concurso público provincial para el diseño de la Bandera Oficial, garantizando que el mismo se efectúe conforme con las disciplinas historiográficas correspondientes, cuyas especificaciones forman parte de la presente como anexo.
Artículo 3.- Establécese que el Poder Ejecutivo deberá instrumentar los medios convenientes para la confección, difusión y reglamentación del uso en edificios y organismos públicos de la provincia de la nueva enseña.
Artículo 4.- Regístrese y comuníquese al Poder Ejecutivo.-
DADA EN LA SALA DE SESIONES DE CAMARA DE DIPUTADOS DE LA PROVINCIA DEL CHACO, A LOS TRECE DIAS DEL MES DE JUNIO DEL AÑO DOS MIL UNO.
PABLO L. D. BOSCH
SECRETARIO
EDUARDO ANIBAL MORO
PRESIDENTE

English translation:

THE DEPUTIES (REPRESENTATIVES) CHAMBER OF THE PROVINCE OF CHACO
ESTABLISHES WITH POWER OF LAW NO.4892
Article No.1.-The Official Flag of the Province of Chaco will be created as symbol representing the roots and idiosyncrasy of the men and women of this land.
Article No.2.- Authority is given to the Executive Power to call for a provincial public contest for the design of the official flag, providing that the contest will be held in accordance with historiography parameters delineated in the annex which is part of the present text law.
Article No.3.- The Executive Power will be instrumental in providing the means for the manufacturing of the new flag as well as its dissemination and regulations of its usage in organizations and publics buildings of the province.
Article No.4- To be registered and Executive Power to be notiffied.-
GIVEN IN THE SESSION CHAMBERS OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PROVINCE OF CHACO AT THIRTEEN DAY OF THE MONTH OF JUNE OF TWO THOUSAND ONE.
PABLO L. D. BOSCH
SECRETARY
EDUARDO ANIBAL MORO
PRESIDENT

Law translated by Francisco Gregoric and Gus Tracchia, 8 March 2008.

### About the contest

The process for the organization of the contest lasted six years. On June 20, 2007 the governor of the Province of Chaco Governor Roy Nikisch passed Provincial Decree No.1160 calling and regulating the flag contest for the province.
Francisco Gregoric, 8 March 2008

According to "Noticias del Chaco", 27 June 2007, the Executive of the province has launched a contest for the design of the official flag of Chaco ( (the source does not even mention the previous decreed flag as if it had never existed, therefore confirming Francisco Gregoric and Gustavo Tracchia previous statements about the former flag).
The deadline for the proposal submission is the 20 of August; the winning design will be elected by the jury on 29 August and proclaimed on 19 September.
The Secretary General of the Government, Luis Martinez, said that any person, of legal age and resident in the province for at least five years, could submit a proposal.
The jury shall be made of five members appointed by the Undersecretary of Culture: a representative of the Government, two specialists of regional history, an art designer and a specialist in heraldry and vexillology.
Ivan Sache, 1 July 2007

Alberto Rubén Perazzo, founder and president of the Asociación Argentina de Vexilología (AAV) was the Vexillology expert that was part of the jury.
Francisco Gregoric, 8 March 2008

Other sites:

- News about the contest and election of the provincial flag for Chaco at datachaco.com
  reported by Ivan Sache, 1 Jul & 30 Aug 2007
- Information about the contest, election and presentation of the provincial flag in the website www.chacodiapordia.com from June 20, June 29, July 16, August 29 and September 19, 2007.
- News about the presentation of the provincial flag at the official government website.
- News about the election and presentation of the provincial flag at the website www.diarionorte.com.
- News about the contest and presentation of the provincial flag at the website www.nordestealdia.com.
- News about the presentation of the provincial flag at the website www.datachaco.com.
- News about the presentation of the provincial flag at the website www.chacoonline.com.ar.
  reported by Francisco Gregoric, 8 Mar 2008

## Flag variant

2:3 image by Francisco Gregoric, 18 September 2007 and António Martins-Tuválkin, 10 July 2024

A variant design is in use at https://www.diarionorte.com/content/bucket/7/344867w750h509c.jpg, where the plough is filled white, not brown; the context for this photo is a late 2023 protocol event held by the municipal government: https://www.diarionorte.com/246261-hoy-sesionaran-en-el-concejo-de-resistencia-con-la-nueva-composicion. This seems to be a variant in official use, maybe only as a single copy - it seems to be a hand sewn, embroidered flag. See file [ar-h!wpl.gif]
attached, with co-credit to Francisco Gregoric.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 10 July 2024

## Provincial coat of arms

image by Francisco Gregoric, 8 March 2008

#### Decreto 1006, del 20/12/1955

Artículo 1º: Declárese escudo oficial de la provincia del Chaco, el proyecto presentado por el señor Carlos López Piacentini, y cuyas características son las siguientes: reune los atributos clásicos del escudo nacional, la guirnalda del laurel, el sol meridiano y el lazo ondulado de cinta celeste y blanco. Los laureles son emblemas de victoria y de gloria; el sol meridiano que asoma es de veintitrés (23) rayas, uno flamígero y otro recto alternadamente y el moño o cinta que ata los laureles, es el distintivo histórico de los revolucionarios de 1810. Todo ello, en forma de Augusto marco, incluye como atributos históricos esencialmente chaqueños, la palmera y el arado.

English translation:

#### Decreto 1006, del 20/12/1955

Article No.1: The official coat of arms of the Province of Chaco will be the project presented by Mr. Carlos López Piacentini, that has the following characteristics: it has the classic attributes of the national coat of arms, the laurel crown, the raising sun and the wavy sky blue and white ribbon. The laurels are emblems of victory and glory; the raising sun has twenty three (23) rays, wavy and straights alternative and the ribbon joining the branch of laurels is the historical insignia of the 1810 revolutionaries. The whole, displayed in august form, includes scenically historical Chaco attributes, the palm tree and the plow.

quoted by Jaume Ollé, 18 August 2000, and translated by Francisco Gregoric and Gus Tracchia, 8 March 2008

Other sites:

- History of the Chaco Province coat of arms at the website of www.tyhturismo.com
- Chaco Province coat of arms at the website of www.redargentina.com
- Chaco Province coat of arms at the website of www.elchenque.com.ar
  reported by Francisco Gregoric, 8 Mar 2008.
- Jaume Ollé’s page about Chaco flags
  reported by Jaume Ollé

## 1995 never adopted flag design

image by Jaume Ollé, 18 August 2000

Decree n.o 707/95 Sep. 2nd, 1995 [established a flag contest]. From 120 presented proposals, 40 were refused. The winner was Jorge Alberto Esquível.
The critics were harsh in most cases — as I told you, the designer is a graphical artist. «This flag is a painting, not a symbol» said the headline of one of the provincial daily papers. No later law abolished it, however it is not used, not shown, not talked about. It’s like it never existed.
Gustavo Tracchia, 07 February 2000 and 19 February 2000

Since late 1980s there has been discussion at the Chaco Legislature about creating a local flag.
On May 11, 1995, provincial Decree No. 707 legislated the call of a flag contest for choosing provincial flag and anthem. The flag contest was preformed and on September 2, 1995 the jury chose the design proposed by Mr. Jorge Alberto Esquível.
The chosen winning design was very much criticized by the local media and ceremonial experts. As a consequence of the harsh criticisms the flag was not used at all.
Almost a year later on August 2, 1996, the local Dirección de Ceremonial y Protocolo de la Provincia (Direction of Ceremonial and Protocol) ask for the opinion of the Asociación de Profesionales de Ceremonial de la República Argentina or APCRA (Association of Ceremonial Professionals of the Argentine Republic). Information about the decrees, elected flag design and media articles were sent to APCRA for their review.
On May 9, 1997, APCRA reported the flag design was "non-apt for use". Finally on April 8, 1999, the Secretary of Culture of the Province adopted APCRA opinion by official Resolution No.65, which said mainly that the flag is “Not suitable for usage”. Therefore the design made by Mr. Jorge Alberto Esquível has never been used as provincial flag of Chaco. As a direct result of all of this, the 2001, provincial Law No. 4892 was passed for the adoption of a new flag, as we have seen above.
Francisco Gregoric, 8 March 2008

Other sites:

- Jaume Ollé’s page about Chaco flags
  reported by Jaume Ollé

## Emblem in 1955 (as Presidente Perón Province)

In 1951, the Territory of Chaco was upgraded to Province under name of Province Presidente Perón. [Two years later] the province adopted the Justicialist Party emblem as coat of arms, but with the portrait of Juan D. Perón [added] at center. In 1955, September 4th, Peron falls, and the military take the power ending the process.
Jaume Ollé, 30 November 2002

This coat of arms was derogated in 1955.
Francisco Gregoric, 03 December 2007