Texas and Chile both have very similar flags, so it’s not really a surprise that some people may believe that one of them is derivative of the other, especially if one of these flags was designed significantly earlier than the other. But is that the case? Which flag was designed first, and did the flag designed later borrow inspiration from it?
The Chilean Flag Came First
Between the two, the Chilean flag was adopted before the Texan one, though not by a very large margin. Well, at least as far as the current Chilean flag is concerned. There have been older variants of national flags for Chile, but the one Chile sports today was first adopted in October 1817. At the time, it had a coat of arms in the center of it.
That coat of arms was removed in 1934, which is an important thing to keep in mind as we talk about the Texan flag. The flag of Texas was adopted in January 1839, a little more than two decades after the Chilean flag. Today, these two flags look very similar, but remember that Chile once had a coat of arms on its flag.
That coat of arms added an extra layer of difference between the two flags, which do have a few small differences already. So when Chile elected to remove that coat of arms, the two flags became even more similar to one another. Still, the Chilean flag was adopted first.
Who Designed the Flags?
Unfortunately, when it comes to anecdotal history, it can be kind of difficult to say with absolute certainty who did something like design a flag. However, there are a few things that are known. For instance, it is known that an early version of the Texas flag was drawn up by Charles B. Stewart. But nobody knows who designed the current flag that is actually used.
As for the Chilean flag, its design is often credited to a Spanish soldier named Antonio Cross. However, there is some debate on whether or not this is actually true, as some people feel that credit should actually go to Gregorio de Andía y Varela. Suffice to say, no one is exactly sure who designed either flag.
Why Are the Flags Similar?
There’s no denying that the Chilean and Texan flags look quite similar, but while it may come as a surprise to many people, this is entirely a coincidence. The shades of color on the flags are a little different, and the blue sections that house the white star are different shapes. On top of that, the symbolic meaning is different across the board.
For instance, the white star of the Chilean flag represents the power of the government and its reach, while the white star of the Texas flag symbolizes the five ideal traits of a typical Texas citizen. All of the symbolism from both flags is different: they just share some common design elements seen in flags worldwide.
