Every March 12, Argentina commemorates another anniversary of the creation of the National Coat of Arms, one of the four national symbols along with the flag, the anthem, and the cockade. This emblem was first used in 1813 as the official seal of the General Constituent Assembly of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata to authenticate government acts.

Until then, the official documents of the former Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata used the royal arms of the Spanish monarchy. With the consolidation of the revolutionary process that began in 1810, the need arose for a distinctive symbol to represent the new authorities and the United Provinces.

The design of the coat of arms does not have a documented author with certainty. Some versions attribute it to Antonio Isidro de Castro and others to Bernardo de Monteagudo. It also bears similarities to emblems used during the French Revolution, suggesting that it may have served as a source of inspiration.

The National Coat of Arms is oval in shape and divided into two fields: the upper field is blue and the lower field is white. At the bottom, two right hands are clasped together, symbolizing the union between the provinces. Above them stands a pike holding a red Phrygian cap, an ancient emblem of freedom and the willingness to defend it.

At the top is the Sun of May, with alternating straight and flaming rays, representing the birth of a new nation. The whole is surrounded by two laurel branches, symbolizing victory, tied at the base by a ribbon in the national colors.

In 1944, the National Executive Branch made official, through Decree Number 10,302, the adoption of the seal of the Assembly of Year XIII as the representation of the National Coat of Arms, giving it uniformity and reaffirming its character as a national emblem.

This symbol occupies a prominent place in the Casa Rosada. In the White Room is a bust sculpture of the Republic crowned by the National Coat of Arms and flanked by angels holding trumpets of glory. In addition, the Casa Rosada Museum displays historical pieces that reflect its presence at different moments in the country's institutional life.

213 years after its creation, the National Coat of Arms continues to represent the values of unity, freedom, and identity that accompanied the birth of the Argentine Nation.