We are running some tests with a new structure. We will be done soon.

I am not from this town, but my paternal grandparents and my father lived there during my father’s childhood. Back on 1955 we made a trip to my home town, Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, we went from a walk to the Múzquiz water falls, a walk that I will never forget. On 1988, I took my children and my mother, I was already a widower, and we went for the same walk. I wanted my children to see the water falls, something that was no longer the same as in 1955.

My children loved the town, and we often hope to visit that town again. We also crave a salsa that we tried there called Salsa Kikapú, The name came from the name of a clan of Indians Kikapus that lived in that region. They made this salsa and sold it to the local markets. My father once told me that they used to hire the same Indian Kikapu to guide them every time they went hunting in that region. And my father recalls that that Indian always asked one of my uncles for “butter”.
During the trip I made with my children and mother we saw this big tree right in the middle of the street. As the town grew people kept that tree and built around it. Local people call it SABINO GORDO (FAT SABIINO).

These pictures I obtained via Google Earth.

The first picture is of old houses. The second one shows a beautiful landscape of the mountain. And the third one is the fat tree we love so much.

Written by Eduardo Jesus Farias Ramos
Translated by EJ Jr.

We commented already on what names are assigned to colors in heraldry.

For example;

The color “gold” doesn’t change, and according to heraldry, anyone that has this color in his shield, his is forced do good for the poor, defend his princes, and fight for them until the last drop of blood.

The case of “silver” is the same as gold’s. Anyone who uses it in his shield, he will have to defend the maidens and to aid the orphans.

In the case of the color “red” they call it “gules.” The person that takes this color for his shield, he is forced to aid, help and defend the wrongly oppressed.

“Blue” is called “azure.” In this case, the one that takes this color for his shield is forced to aid the faithful servants of their princes that were not paid for their services.

The black color is called “sable”, and the one that takes it in their weapons, will aid the widows, the orphans, the clergymen, and the people of letters that suffer injustice and oppression.

The green color is called “sinople”, and the gentleman that takes this color in his shield will be forced to aid the farmers in general as well as the oppressed orphans and poor.

The purple color is called púrpura and the one that takes it in his weapons will be forced to aid the clergymen and the religious.

Written by Eduardo Jesus Farias Ramos
Translated by EJ Jr.

As you may have been noticed the blog has been inactive for a few days now.  Some of you know already but my father had to go through surgery about 10 days ago.  It was a double surgery and had its risks.  He is doing much better today.  He is recuperating very fast and hopefully he can get up and spend some time writing for this blog.  In the meantime, I will be posting some blogs he dictated to me while on the hospital.  Thank you for all your support.

This came to constitute a small military nobility. Enriched people that belonged to the state also formed a second nobility, for the services that they could lend to the sovereign. 

During the beginning of the Reconquista the kings were surrounded of vasallos whose help could be very useful, these were given the “mílites” name. The milites were of great effectiveness in the military companies against the Moors, those that excelled received privileges.

At the beginning knights were not demanded to possess nobility, they were only required to have horse and weapons to combat; they were rewarded with lands and other luxuries, and the right to have a coat of arms, and to receive titles such as counts, marquises or viscounts. Eventually all this changed and no longer anyone could aspire to be knight.  

To be an armed knight, there were norms, such as being noble for no less than three generations from your father or mother side. At seven years old they had to offer their services as page in the castle of a knight. At fourteen years old they became escuderos, having to his care the horse and his knight’s arms. The escudero accompanied the knight in his military companies, during training in the use of heavy armor, horsemanship and all the activities of a knight had to perform in a battle. During this time they were considered “donceles.” 

When they turned twenty years old, they were entitled to be converted to knight. In the eve of the ceremony they must fast, confess and take communion; then he would chose his godfathers, those that should arm him and with those that would eat, the future knight ate in a separate table and with the prohibition to speak or laugh. The previous night to the ceremony the future knight should not sleep and must wear his armor. This was called “the candle of the arms”. In the morning he should take a bath and then entered the church with the sword hanging to the neck, so that the priest could blesses him. Then, he would kneel before the knight that would arm him and before the Santos Evangelios. The future knight swore to defend the religion, the homeland, the king and the weak ones, to obey the superiors, to be courteous with all and not to serve a foreign prince, not to never miss the word, not to lie, not to lie or kill, always defending fair cause risking his life.

After all this, the godfathers dressed him with the mesh, the golden spurs and the sword to the belt. 

The military art revolutionized with time and this social class became unimportant and knight stop being a main part of an army.

Written by Eduardo J Farias Ramos
Translated by Ej Jr.

On a daily basis, I create these coat of arms based on the information that I have found in heraldry books. The NOBILIARIO ESPAÑOL, Heraldic Dictionary of Spanish last names, is one of the books I use to create these shields. This book contains more than a thousand lastnames or suranames only under the letter “A”. The ACHIVES section contains just a few of them but every week we will puiblish at least 20 new sheidls that are part of the antique heraldry. If you do not see your last name in our list please contact us and we will research it for you. Right now we have about 360 coats of arms of the antique heraldry but it takes time to to translate and prepare them before we publish them in this site. So, as I mentioned we will publish 20 per week.

I hope you understand and like what we present to you in this site and thank you in advance your time.

Written by Eduardo J Farias Ramos
Translated by EJ Jr.

This web site and blog will continue to improve by presenting more information and coats of arms of the antique heraldry.  Every week we will try to publish at least 20 coats of armsin the ARCHIVES section and if you do not see the coat of arms of your last name, please contact us and we will research it for you.  If we are able to find it, we will publish it.  Very soon you will be able to purchase these coats of arms in our shop that is being updated at the moment.  Please visit us regularly for updates regarding or products and services.

Another fun section is the GALLERY. We will show beautiful and interesting coats of arms.  Once again thank you for all the comments we have been receiving since we launched this site.  Please keep sending your comments and suggestions.

In times of war the tournaments were also given, a truce was made among the two participants, and the fight was organized, in these cases the fight could be to death. Of mutual agreement among the parts, a herald was chosen to announce the rules, just as it happened in the Crusades, when the Christian soldiers put a fence to the fortress of San Juan de Arce. Five Christian gentlemen faced a similar number of sarracenos infornt of the town walls and in this occasion combat weapons were used and the fight was to death.  

Please note that when in Heraldry we speak of weapons or armories, we don’t refer to elements of war to attack or to defend from the enemy, we refer to the badge or balzon as an honorary emblem to identify a knight.  

In the description of a shield or coat of arms, when we say “an armed” arm, we refer that an arm covered by an armor.  If that “armed” arm olds arms of combat, then we indientify the arm of combat, for example: “an armed arm, with a sword in the hand.” The characteristics of the sword are also indicated.  

The blazon does not only represent a hierarchy, it also represents a profession. The artisans didn’t participate in tournaments, but that didn’t prevent them to have their shields or coat of arms to represent their occupationor profession. Many of them were sculpted in stone. 

Written by Eduardo J Farias Ramos
Translated by EJ Jr