{"id":328707,"date":"2025-09-22T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=328707"},"modified":"2025-09-30T11:49:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:49:19","slug":"the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/","title":{"rendered":"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d This poetic truth, expressed by the patriot Lola Rodr\u00edguez de Ti\u00f3, evokes an air of freedom; a legend forged in struggle, shared longings and the certainty of two islands that, despite the miles and political contexts that separate them, have had closely intertwined destinies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The history that unites and distinguishes both banners \u2014 from their earliest days to their final assumptions \u2014 is as beautiful and eventful as a weather vane at the mercy of the winds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although it dates back much longer, the origin of the Cuban flag has been better clarified and documented. According to a story written in 1873 by Cirilo Villaverde, celebrated author of the novel <\/span>Cecilia Vald\u00e9s<\/span><\/i> and personal secretary to General Narciso L\u00f3pez, the latter, allied with the Cuban patriots exiled in New York in the mid-19th century, had an epiphany while looking out his bedroom window one morning: \u201cIn the distance, he could see in the sky a triangle of red clouds heralding dawn, and in its center shone the morning star of Venus, while two white clouds extended from the triangle to divide the resplendent sky into three blue stripes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a meeting of conspirators, L\u00f3pez presented his \u201cenlightened\u201d proposal for the flag, whose tricolor scheme bore, incidentally, a resemblance to the flags of the United States and France. It was suggested that he place \u201cthe Eye of Providence\u201d in the center of the triangle, but the Venezuelan soldier preferred \u201cthe star of the original flag of Texas.\u201d Underlying this choice lay the desire for the island to become a U.S. territory. Miguel Teurbe Tol\u00f3n drafted the idea, and his wife and cousin Emilia Tol\u00f3n embroidered it with exquisite hands.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The three blue stripes represented each of the provinces into which Cuba was divided; the white stripes represented the purity of ideals; the equilateral triangle was a Masonic motif of the Holy Trinity, and its red color alluded to blood and patriotic fervor. In May 1850, Narciso L\u00f3pez ventured to land on Cuban soil and plant in C\u00e1rdenas the flag that would later become the national symbol (although C\u00e9spedes\u2019s flag later emerged, today practically confined to the symbolic space of Parliament).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly inspired by the Cuban flag, the Puerto Rican flag, known as \u201cthe one-star flag,\u201d bears the same colors, except in inverted positions and with different meanings: the star represents the Commonwealth; the sides of the triangle surrounding it symbolize the integrity of the republican form of government represented by three balanced government branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The blue recalls the sky and the sea. The red stripes are associated with the blood shed by warriors, while the two white stripes reflect victory and peace.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Until its appearance, Puerto Ricans used the flag of Lares (very similar to that of the Dominican Republic, with a star in the upper left corner). Its creator and Founding Father of the Nation, Ram\u00f3n Emeterio Betances \u2014 who proclaimed the republic the same year that the Cry of Yara occurred in Cuba \u2014 approved its adoption as the small island\u2019s new representative flag.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two flags are so similar and their shared history is so neglected that there has been no shortage of unfortunate confusion between the two. In the spring of 2016, the diplomatic thaw between Cuba and the United States not only brought President Obama to a <\/span>Fast & Furious 8<\/span><\/i> film set and Carnival cruises. The amazing Spiderman also didn\u2019t want to miss the party, leaping across the rooftops of the Villa Clara town of Remedios. However, an almost imperceptible slip by the illustrator in charge of that comic left the Marvel superhero entangled in a spider\u2019s web, as a flag that was supposed to be Cuban, but whose colors were inverted, can be seen waving in the background of the comic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Comic
Comic book still of Spider-Man looking at the Puerto Rican flag as if it were Cuban. Photo: Taken from www.lacallerevista.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why are the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico so similar? What makes them so close and, at the same time, so different? Who was behind their creation? Why is it linked to Mart\u00ed and the Cuban independence cause? We find the answers in history.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Borinquen Club<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cAnd what shall I give to the two beloved lands, but the fire of my heart.\u201d Jos\u00e9 Mart\u00ed\u2019s Antillean vision was a constant in his party. Suffice it to say that, as the first and essential article of his party\u2019s foundations, he declared: \u201cThe Cuban Revolutionary Party is established to achieve, with the united efforts of all men of good will, the absolute independence of Cuba and to promote and assist that of Puerto Rico.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following that logic and with deep commitment, he strengthened his collaboration with Betances and Hostos, while his fiery eloquence strengthened camaraderie with the Puerto Rican diaspora in the United States. To unite efforts in the face of the impending war, Mart\u00ed\u2019s preaching motivated the organization of clubs, and thus, on February 28, 1892, the Borinquen Club was founded in New York. It provided not only significant financial support for Cuba\u2019s emancipation struggle, but also weapons and soldiers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The founding rally \u2014 held at 57 25W Street \u2014 was well attended. It is said that nearly 200 Puerto Ricans attended, including many Puerto Rican and Cuban women, and that Mart\u00ed was also present. Its founding leaders were Sotero Figueroa, appointed president; Antonio V\u00e9lez Alvarado, vice president; Modesto A. Tirado, treasurer; Francisco Gonzalo (Pach\u00edn) Mar\u00edn was the minutes secretary; while Cuban Gonzalo de Quesada was among the members.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Puerto Rican exile community grew, the Borinquen Club continued to strengthen. They appointed Ram\u00f3n Emeterio Betances, based in Paris, as general delegate and designated representatives in several countries, including Eugenio Mar\u00eda de Hostos in Chile. A few months later, the group formally affiliated with the party founded by Mart\u00ed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Coat
Coat of arms of the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A resurrection of the former Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, the Borinquen Club was the most important Puerto Rican political organization at the time. Under its auspices, the new national flag was born and it sheltered hundreds of men and women who would continue the fight for Puerto Rico\u2019s right to independence at the beginning of the 20th century, which led to the creation of the Nationalist Party in 1922.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A matter of patriotic importance<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Under Betances\u2019 influence \u2014 Mart\u00ed had already died \u2014 the Puerto Rican exiles decided to establish their own coordinating structure to channel their homeland\u2019s independence, even though they remained subordinate to the Cuban Revolutionary Party. For this reason, it was agreed to convene a General Assembly in December 1895.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Saturday the 21st, the following announcement appeared in the newspaper <\/span>Patria<\/span><\/i>: \u201cTo all Puerto Ricans: Tomorrow, Sunday, at two-thirty in the afternoon, Puerto Ricans will meet in the main hall of number 57, west of Fifth Street, at the corner of Sixth Avenue, to discuss matters of patriotic importance. All Puerto Ricans who love Antillean independence are hereby invited.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At that momentous meeting, held in Chimney Corner Hall, 59 Puerto Ricans agreed to transform the Borinquen Club into the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. The approval of the new flag was part of the agenda: \u201c[Juan de Matta] Terreforte, one of the survivors of the Cry of Lares, presented the new flag, which is the same shape as the Cuban flag, with the difference that the colors have been reversed: white stripes and a blue triangle instead of a red one, with the same lone white star in the center.\u201d Those gathered that day elected Ponce physician Julio Henna as president of the Section and ratified the leadership of Betances, with whom they consulted about the flag prototype.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is worth clarifying that, in this case, the terms \u201cconception\u201d and \u201cadoption\u201d were not simultaneous events. Although December 22, 1895, would go down in Puerto Rican history as Flag Day, as it was the first \u201cpublic\u201d \u2014 let\u2019s say \u2014 time that the new tricolor flag was raised as a symbol of the nation, the flag had already been born three years earlier.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
A composition recreating the patriotic evening where the Puerto Rican flag, similar to the Cuban, was unveiled in the presence of Mart\u00ed. Illustration by Lidia Collazo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Micaela\u2019s house<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

What apparently wasn\u2019t made clear at that historic gathering was the name of the flag\u2019s designer. Otherwise, the debate that dragged on for years, like a heavy tail, would not have arisen. Three names have been indiscriminately cited as the \u201ctrue\u201d authors, amid controversy and certainty.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Roberto H. Todd, one of the founders of the Puerto Rico Section, attributed the authorship to Manuel Besosa, also a member of that board. Todd maintained in his version that Mar\u00eda Manuela (Mima) Besosa told him that her father had asked her to sew a Puerto Rican flag. However, Mima Besosa never said that her father created it, only that she sewed it. For his part, Terreforte attributed the invention to the poet and combatant Pach\u00edn Mar\u00edn, who, while in Jamaica, \u201cwandering and about to leave for New York,\u201d had written to him suggesting the idea of <\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>inverting the colors of the Cuban flag.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The documentary evidence captured in the book <\/span>La Historia de la Bandera de Puerto Rico. <\/span><\/i>Del conflicto a la certeza,<\/span><\/i> following recent research by historian Joseph Harrison, dispels any doubt and centers the authorship of the Puerto Rican flag on the figure of Antonio V\u00e9lez Alvarado.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Born on June 12, 1864, in Manat\u00ed, Puerto Rico, Antonio began writing articles with progressive ideas at a young age \u2014 under the pseudonym Yuri. He was a typographer and correspondent for several newspapers and founded his own, <\/span>El Rebenque<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>El Espectador Matinal<\/span><\/i>. At 17, his father sent him to New York, where he founded the <\/span>Revista Popular<\/span><\/i> and the <\/span>Gaceta del Pueblo<\/span><\/i>. A sympathizer of the Cuban libertarian movement, he joined the Borinquen Club and befriended the Cuban Apostle Mart\u00ed. In fact, he made his printing press \u2014 located on the seventh floor of <\/span>The New York World<\/span><\/i> building \u2014 available to him to publish the first issues of <\/span>Patria<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The patriot Antonio V\u00e9lez Alvarado, founding father of the Puerto Rican flag and close collaborator of Mart\u00ed. Photo: Taken from the Manat\u00ed Cultural Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As he advanced in years, in an interview with the local newspaper <\/span>El Mundo<\/span><\/i> (May 18, 1941), V\u00e9lez Alvarado testified that on June 11, 1892, around three in the afternoon, while working in his Manhattan office, he felt the need to rest his eyes and spent a minute gazing, absorbed, at a small Cuban flag hanging on the wall. When he looked away, he noticed that, as if suffering from a strange instant color blindness, the colors were suddenly inverted: red seemed blue to him, and blue seemed red. Right then and there, he thought: \u201cIf Cubans and Puerto Ricans are going to fight together as brothers, nothing could be more just than the flags also being sisters.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
A group of Puerto Rican exiles in New York posing next to the flag. Photo: Taken from www.eladoquintimes.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Possessed by the optical illusion that had taken hold in his pupils, the young man ran to his fellow countryman Domingo Peraza\u2019s pharmacy to buy papers in all three colors. Back at the office, he cut out and outlined what would become the pioneering model of his \u201ctwin\u201d Cuban flag, with the slight color inversion. He then took the design to his neighbor, Mrs. Micaela Dalmau, a Puerto Rican whom Mart\u00ed frequented to hear her play <\/span>La Borinque\u00f1a<\/span><\/i> on the piano. The woman embraced the idea with equal enthusiasm and went out to buy silk to make the flag. When it was ready, they invited Mart\u00ed and other friends \u2014 including Pach\u00edn Mar\u00edn \u2014 to a gathering at Micaela\u2019s house to present their creation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Recently,
Recently, the discovery of what is considered the oldest Puerto Rican flag in existence was revealed: an 1896 piece gifted by the Arecibo poet Pach\u00edn Mar\u00edn to General M\u00e1ximo G\u00f3mez. Photo: Taken from www.eladoquintimes.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The brand-new flag was acclaimed by those present and enjoyed the approval of Mart\u00ed, who published on July 2, 1892, in the social section \u201cEn Casa\u201d of the newspaper <\/span>Patria<\/span><\/i>: \u201cYesterday, a few days ago, Don Antonio V\u00e9lez Alvarado fed us under the two flags. We lived for a few hours, which is saying a lot in these exiles. What heartfelt songs, those of Francisco Mar\u00edn\u2026! What a union in those affections of the Cuban d\u00e9cima and the Puerto Rican Christmas carol! And to bid us farewell, the seventy-year-old woman, dressed in white and with white hair, sat at the piano to play for us the country\u2019s anthem.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Moment
Moment when Governor Luis Mu\u00f1oz raised the official flag of Puerto Rico, in 1952. Photo: Taken from the Luis Mu\u00f1oz Mar\u00edn Foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A design born in Manhattan, an evening with Jos\u00e9 Mart\u00ed and a touch of chromatic chance reveal the surprising connection between the two national symbols. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12346255,"featured_media":328711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13902,13912],"tags":[34937,35041],"ppma_author":[34888],"class_list":["post-328707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cuba","category-cuban-history","tag-history-of-cuba","tag-history-of-puerto-rico"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico | OnCubaNews English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OnCubaNews English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-22T13:00:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-30T15:49:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/banderas-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"815\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Igor Guilarte\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Igor Guilarte\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"igorguilarte\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a047527d1d79b38b21f0f5b58dec76a\"},\"headline\":\"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-22T13:00:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-30T15:49:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2245,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/banderas-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"History of Cuba\",\"history of Puerto Rico\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Cuba\",\"Cuban History\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/\",\"name\":\"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico | OnCubaNews English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/banderas-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-22T13:00:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-30T15:49:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a047527d1d79b38b21f0f5b58dec76a\"},\"description\":\"Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/banderas-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/banderas-1.jpg\",\"width\":1140,\"height\":815,\"caption\":\"Photo taken on October 10, 1892, in which Mart\u00ed appears presiding over the Kingston Council. The Cuban flag can be seen unfurled to his right and the Puerto Rican flag to his left. Photo: Iconograf\u00eda Martiana.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/cuba\\\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Portada\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"OnCubaNews English\",\"description\":\"Revista sobre Cuba\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a047527d1d79b38b21f0f5b58dec76a\",\"name\":\"igorguilarte\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g821c24a84a3e202976497c0359f46fe5\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"igorguilarte\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/oncubanews.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/igorguilarte\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico | OnCubaNews English","description":"Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico | OnCubaNews English","og_description":"Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/","og_site_name":"OnCubaNews English","article_published_time":"2025-09-22T13:00:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-30T15:49:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1140,"height":815,"url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/banderas-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Igor Guilarte","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Igor Guilarte","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/"},"author":{"name":"igorguilarte","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5a047527d1d79b38b21f0f5b58dec76a"},"headline":"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico","datePublished":"2025-09-22T13:00:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-30T15:49:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/"},"wordCount":2245,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/banderas-1.jpg","keywords":["History of Cuba","history of Puerto Rico"],"articleSection":["Cuba","Cuban History"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/","url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/","name":"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico | OnCubaNews English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/banderas-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-22T13:00:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-30T15:49:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5a047527d1d79b38b21f0f5b58dec76a"},"description":"Red and blue, white and stars, two flags form a canopy in the Caribbean skies: those of Cuba and Puerto Rico wave as if they were \u201ctwo wings of a bird.\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/banderas-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/banderas-1.jpg","width":1140,"height":815,"caption":"Photo taken on October 10, 1892, in which Mart\u00ed appears presiding over the Kingston Council. The Cuban flag can be seen unfurled to his right and the Puerto Rican flag to his left. Photo: Iconograf\u00eda Martiana."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/the-story-behind-the-sister-flags-of-cuba-and-puerto-rico\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Portada","item":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The story behind the \u201csister flags\u201d of Cuba and Puerto Rico"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/","name":"OnCubaNews English","description":"Revista sobre Cuba","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5a047527d1d79b38b21f0f5b58dec76a","name":"igorguilarte","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g821c24a84a3e202976497c0359f46fe5","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g","caption":"igorguilarte"},"url":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/author\/igorguilarte\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":34888,"user_id":12346255,"is_guest":0,"slug":"igorguilarte","display_name":"Igor Guilarte","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a576a1788d7c8c7b7b90f4d97a1d083c0e59ab1d2f52b46d74f1657c953a9f56?s=96&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12346255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328707"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328712,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328707\/revisions\/328712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328707"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=328707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}