On either side of the Coat of Arms are the Pillars of Hercules, an ancient name given to the Straits of Gibraltar. The motto plus ultra means 'further beyond' in Latin, and in this context it means beyond the Straits of Gibraltar, referring to America and the former Spanish territories. (Before the voyages of Christopher Columbus, the motto was Ne plus ultra, nothing more beyond, because the Pillars marked a limit of the known world.) Over the pillars, an Imperial Crown on the left and a Royal Crown on the right. The symbol of the Pillars was first used by King Charles I of Spain who was also Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, which explains the presence of the Imperial Crown. The coat of arms is crowned with a crown of the same metal and precious stones, with eight rosettes, five visible, and eight pearls interspersed, closed at the top by eight diadems also adorned with pearls and surmounted by a cross on a globe, which is the royal crown of Spain.
The present design is regulated by:
Act 33/1981, dated 5th October, on the Coat of Arms of Spain (Official Gazette nº 250, dated 19th October)
Royal Decree 2964/1981, dated 18th December, approving the official Coat of Arms of Spain (Official Gazette nº 221, dated 15th September)
Royal Decree 2267/1982, dated 3rd September, technically specifying the colours of the Coat of Arms of Spain (Official Gazette nº 221, dated 15th September)
Relevant quality search results and fast easy navigation throughout the
different sections of the site, make Americola.com
a great entertainment
search engine offering
celebrity biographies, high resolution
celebrity photos, videos and more.