User:Bleff/sandboxsol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sun of May (Spanish: Sol de Mayo) is one of the national symbols of the Platine countries of Argentina and Uruguay, featured in their respective flags and coats of arms.[1][2] It is named after the May Revolution of 1810, the event that kickstarted the Argentine War of Independence. It is also known as the Inca sun (Spanish: "sol incaico"),[3][4] since the most widespread explanation of its meaning is that it represents Inti, the solar god of the Incas.[1][5] The Sun of May is heir to the long previous use of the sun in European heraldry.[5][6] It consists of a golden disc with a face from which rays emerge, alternating between flaming ones rotating clockwise and straight ones; in the Argentine case being 32 rays,[7] while in the Uruguayan case it conforms to the convention of the European heraldry of 16 rays.[6] However, the original lack of regulation regarding the sun's design led to a great variety of different styles over time, until they were definitively standardized by law in the middle of the 20th century.[1][6]
The first official use of the sun as a national symbol was in 1813 with the Constituent Assembly of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata,[1] appearing on its seal (which would later become Argentina's national coat of arms) and on its first national coins.[5]