My 1st attempt at these challenges
Option B: A portuguese speaking ex colony in central america: Terramaia
Historical context:
- In the 16th Century Portugal reaches the coasts of central america and takes possession of the land in name of the King João III (John III), the new colony is called Novo Porto.
- The portuguese explorers found many culturally developed civilisations like the Aztec and the Mayan. In the this area in particular it was the Mayan civilisation.
- The Mayans were not organized with a capital city, but in several independente communities who reacted differently to colonisation, some fought and ended up disappearing others worked for the Portuguese settlers for goods and tools unfamiliar to them
- The Mayan population was almost halved in the initial struggles with the Portuguese but increased in time when the war for dominion stabilised.
- The portuguese slowly mixed with the natives, and 3 centuries later in the 19th there as a vast mix of both cultures, Portuguese was the official language but mayan culture and language didn't die.
- In the early 19th Century, King Miguel of Portugal, desiring to be seen as a powerful king, increases the control and oppression over the colonies, this increases the already existing independence desire among the populace.
- In 1835 the colony of Novo Porto starts to shatter from the North fueled by the revolts in the previously spanish controlled area of the North America, the feeling soon travels south through all of Novo Porto.
- In 1838 the a northern province of Novo Porto splits and proclaims independence.
- In 1841 the province of Terramaia, mostly where the Mayans had influence, also proclaims independence.
The country keeps the Portuguese language but also makes official the almost forgotten native language, the independence fervor increased the love for the history and heritage of the people of Terramaia, this was also reflected on the flag of the newborn country:
The colors are linked with the mayan people (real flag of the mayan people:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maya_flag.svg).
The blue in both corners symbolizes the ocean, a land between to oceans.
The red diagonal stripe represents the land it self, the diagonal shape resembles the shape of the land as seen on a map, north side up. The red colors, mean the struggles and the blood shed, both by the original people and for the proclamation of independence.
The inner symbol is the Maya glyph (k'an) for precious, referring to the precious cultural heritage, the same glyph also means yellow in mayan.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow)
Finally the blue and red have a white fimbration.
