The vicuña is the animal shown in Peru’s coat of arms on the state flag. It occupies the light-blue field of the shield and faces inward, making it one of the emblem’s three central symbols.
The vicuña is a small wild camelid native to the high Andes. Its fine wool has long been highly valued, and the animal represents Peru’s animal wealth. It is related to the llama and alpaca, which often causes confusion, but the coat of arms specifically depicts a vicuña rather than either domesticated species.
The shield’s other two fields represent Peru’s plant and mineral riches. A cinchona tree appears in the white section, recalling the importance of quinine, while a cornucopia spilling gold coins fills the red lower section. Together, the three images symbolize wealth from the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms.
Peru uses several flag variants. The plain red-and-white national flag is the civil flag, while the state flag, or pabellón nacional, places the national coat of arms in the centre. The emblem was established by law in 1825 and modified in 1950.