The city was granted a coat of arms by King
Philip II of Spain in 1565, and the title of Muy Noble y Muy Leal ("Very
Noble and Very Loyal") by the Cortes (Spanish Parliament) in 1814. It
served as the first capital of Costa Rica until 1823, when Republican leader
Gregorio Jose Ramirez, moved the capital to the bigger city of San José,
because Cartago wanted to unite the newly independent province of Costa Rica to
the Iturbide's Mexican Empire while San Jose and Alajuela supported a
Republican system. The city was severely damaged by major earthquakes in 1822,
1841 and 1910. In 1963, a volcanic
