The similarity in the designs of the Puerto Rican and Cuban flags is not coincidental. In fact, the relationship between the Puerto Rican poet Francisco González (Pachín) Marín and José Martí, along with the Cuban Revolutionary Party, was a significant factor in the nationalist group’s decision to adopt Cuba's flag, but with the colors inverted, as Puerto Rico's flag. While in New York City, the nerve center of independence activity in 1892, the Borinquen Club was founded by a group of Puerto Rican exiles also affiliated with the Cuban Revolutionary Party, the Cuban Revolutionary Party, established on January 3 of that same year, included among its goals the promotion of Puerto Rican independence: “To achieve, through the combined efforts of all men of goodwill, the absolute independence of Cuba and to foster and assist that of Puerto Rico.”
Later in 1895, a committee was formed as a preliminary step towards establishing the Puerto Rico Section within the Cuban Revolutionary Party. By the end of that year, on December 22, 1895, the martiano newspaper "Patria" called on Puerto Ricans who cherished independence to participate in the constituent meeting of the Puerto Rico Section. From this meeting, Ramón Emeterio Betances was elected as the General Delegate of the board, and the minutes recorded the idea for a new flag for Puerto Rico. Previously, Francisco González (Pachín) Marín had written from Jamaica to Juan de Mata Terreforte, the vice president of the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, suggesting the adoption of the Cuban flag with the colors reversed for the Puerto Rican version.
For a long time, many contested the authorship of the new Puerto Rican emblem; however, as Terreforte himself clarified, he had brought Pachín's proposal to the meeting in 1895, where it was unanimously approved.
As an interesting fact, it can be noted that both insignias were first seen on the battlefield: the Cuban one during the insurrection of the Venezuelan Narciso López in 1850—who created the Cuban banner—and the Puerto Rican one during the Yauco attempt on March 24, 1897. Furthermore, the proponent of the idea of Puerto Rico adopting the Cuban flag, Pachín, fought in the Cuban War of Independence alongside Máximo Gómez and crossed the Trocha de Júcaro to Morón, but later died on Cuban soil from malaria, as he had already foreshadowed in one of his poems: “wearing the emblem of the land of Martí.”
Cuba and Puerto Rico are
of a bird, the two wings,
receive flowers and bullets
on the same heart.
Lola Rodríguez de Tió
Frequently Asked Questions about the Flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico
¿Por qué las banderas de Cuba y Puerto Rico son tan similares?
The flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico are similar because the Puerto Rican independence group adopted the Cuban flag with the colors inverted. This decision was influenced by the close relationship between Puerto Rican poet Francisco González (Pachín) Marín, José Martí, and the Cuban Revolutionary Party. Both countries shared a desire for independence and a common history of struggle against colonialism, which is reflected in the design of their flags.
Who proposed the flag of Puerto Rico based on that of Cuba?
The proposal to adopt the Cuban flag with inverted colors for Puerto Rico was made by Francisco González (Pachín) Marín. He wrote a letter from Jamaica to Juan de Mata Terreforte suggesting this idea, which was presented at the 1895 meeting of the Cuban Revolutionary Party where it was unanimously approved.
What was the role of the Cuban Revolutionary Party in the adoption of the Puerto Rican flag?
The Cuban Revolutionary Party played a crucial role in the adoption of the Puerto Rican flag. This party, in addition to seeking absolute independence for Cuba, aimed to promote and support the independence of Puerto Rico. The relationship between Puerto Rican exiles and the party facilitated the adoption of the inverted Cuban flag as a symbol of their cause.
Filed under: