Sculpture inspired by the coat of arms of Spain. Photo by Ignacio Gavira at the city hall in Seville, Spain. The inscribed motto, although in the negative form (Non Plus Ultra), was said to have been on the ancient Pillars of Hercules warning ships to travel no further. After landing in the New World in 1492, Spain would refashion this phrase to the affirmative and seize it as their national motto. Less than a century later, Spain would become known as the first “empire on which the sun never sets”. A leading theory is that this coat of arms was actually the precursor to the version of the American dollar sign that uses two vertical bars. The motto and the pillars can be found on the modern Spanish flag.
Plus Ultra
National Motto of Spain · Latin for “Further Beyond”
Official United States document recognizing a 1767 land grant from the King of Spain to my fifth great-grandfather Juan José Solís. The grant was 6,000 acres in Starr County, Texas and it was known simply as Porción 107 (Portion 107).
