More controversy in Vélez-Málaga as the Mayor, Francisco Delgado, wants to change the corporate image of the municipality by changing the municipal shield to remove the figure of an Arab with a spear in his back. To justify the €37,000 cost of a study to develop a new corporate image, the Mayor says he wants a shield which is modern and is not against any race or religion.
The municipal seal, shield, flag and banner, the most important municipal symbols of the city, were granted to Vélez-Málaga by Queen Isabella on September 14th 1499.
The origin of the shield dates back to 1487 and the reconquest of Vélez by King Ferdinand. During a Castillian procession, a group of Moriscos surprised the king, who was without armour, and forced him to fight. A royal groom by the name of Sebastián Sánchez Pelao threw himself in front of the monarch as a spear was thrown and saved the king, although he lost his own life.
In honour of this event, Queen Isabella had a shield made that depicts the monarch on horseback, the body of a boy at his feet and Moors running away, one with a spear in his back.
Opponents say that the money could be better spent in times of crisis.