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Marchal (Municipality, Andalusia, Spain)

Flag of Marchal - Image by "Vgvilch" (Wikimedia Commons), 6 July 2009

Presentation of Marchal
Symbols of Marchal

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Presentation of Marchal

The municipality of Marchal (413 inhabitants in 2008; 784 ha; municipal website) is located 60 km east of Granada.
The Marchal cárcavas have been proclaimed a Natural Monument by the Andalusian Government. Resulting from action of the erosion on argilous rocks, these bare structures have a great diversity of shapes and colours. Unsuited for agriculture (Bad Lands), they proved very useful to dig caves used as houses by the villagers since Moorish times. It seems that some Moriscos hid in these caves and thus avoided being expelled from Spain after the Alpujarra Revolt.

Ivan Sache, 6 July 2009

Symbols of Marchal

The flag and arms of Marchal, approved on 26 September 2007 by the Municipal Council and submitted on 1 October 2007 to the Directorate General of the Local Administration, are prescribed by a Decree adopted on 10 October 2007 by the Directorate General of the Local Administration and published on 23 October 2007 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 209, pp. 43-44 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:

Flag: Rectangular flag, in proportions 3 in length on 2 in hoist, horizontally divided in three equal stripes: the upper blue, the central green and the lower clay. In the middle of the flag, the municipal coat of arms.
Coat of arms: Shield in Spanish shape. Quarterly, 1. Azure, the upper part and spire of a manor tower proper, 2. Or an olive tree vert with the trunk proper fructed sable on a base proper, 3. Gules a bunch of grapes vert fimbriated or, 4. Azure, cárcavas proper a cave argent port and windows sable. Grafted in base, or a pomegranate proper slipped and leaved vert faceted gules. The shield surmounted with a Royal Spanish crown closed.

The coat of arms shows the Gallardos manor, known as the Pink House, built in the 19th century. Olive and grapevine are the most common crops in the municipality. The Marchal cárcava and the cave are the specific features of the local landscape. The pomegranate (granada) represents the Granada Province. The St. Catherine Cross, which can be seen from every where in the village, is represented by the quartered shield.
[Símbolos de las Entidades Locales de Andalucía. Granada (PDF file)]

Ivan Sache, 1 July 2009