Yoke and arrows

[3] On 24 January 1927, far-right writer Rafael Sánchez Mazas noted the poetic importance of the symbol, which connected the Catholic Monarchs and the envisioned Spanish future, at a conference in Santander.

One story for its official induction into the national syndicalist movement credits Juan Aparicio López [es], who suggested it for the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (JONS) during its foundation in 1931; while a student at the Faculty of Law of Granada [es], he was purportedly told by socialist professor Fernando de los Ríos that if fascism were to arise in Spain, the yoke and arrows serve as its symbol as opposed to the fasces.

[4] As for its historical importance, he explained the yoke represented King Ferdinand's subjugation of his enemies and the arrows Queen Isabella's expulsion of Muslims.

From then on, it is no longer representative of Spain or its monarchy and has been considered a symbol of the Fascist far-right, though it continued to be present in the personal coat of arms of King Juan Carlos I.

Opposition claimed Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's administration was "opening old wounds" and "denying Spain its history".