Tonga 10 Okinawa 11

Moving on from Hawaii westward our meridian drops below the Equator to the Island Kingdom of Tonga (10 on the map). Here a small Island Kingdom still has a European style local government with a king that is still crowned with a solid gold crown. Above the Equator in Okinawa, Japan (11 on the map) a historic exhibition includes a replica of the crown worn by Okinawa's former independent rulers.

Tonga/Nuku'alofa/Royal Palace of Tonga (Not Displayed 1crown)

The Crown of Tonga 1873

This Crown is made of solid gold and employs European heraldic symbols of Royalty like the cross and the fleur d' lys. It was made in 1873 and although used by the Tongalese kings in their coronation ceremonies, is kept in the Palace which is not open to the public. 

Japan/Okinawa/Shuri Castle (Permanent Display 1crown)

Crown of Okinawa (replica)

This modern replica is made of leather, brass and semi-precious beads. It is made to copy existing records of the original crown and forms part of the historic display at the Shuri Castle in Okinawa. 

(All images on this blog are considered defaulted to the public domain due to age and ready sourcing from the internet. If an image on this blog is disputed it will be altered or removed following written protest from an authentic source. please contact me at danielgswan@hotmail.com)

Mexico City 8 and Honolulu 9

As we crossed the Americas I realized something concerning my blog. In Washington DC there are separate displays containing Royal Tiaras and another display of a Papal Tiara. Elsewhere in America we find displays of Episcopal Crowns and in South America there is a Crown of the Andes made from gold and emeralds for a statue of Mary. This means we will have to take a second trip around the world focusing on, Papal Tiaras, episcopal Crowns and Royal Tiaras. I thing the crowns made especially for the Virgin Mary would have to fall in another category. There is obviously also a need to touch on ancient crowns like those in Egypt. For this we would also have to make a round trip. 

In this post we move further west and reach Mexico City (8 on the map). In a similar story to Brazil, Mexico was once ruled by a Royal hailing from a European Royal Family. The Mexican monarchy ended in a bloody revolution but its history and a replica of the Imperial crown can still be seen today. Across the Pacific, in Hawaii (9 on the map), we find the most unlikely exhibit of the Kings of Hawaii.

Mexico/Mexico City/Casa Imperiale Chapultepec (Permanent Display 1crown)

The Crown of Mexico (replica)

 This carved copy is merely painted gold but is a relatively good representation of what the Crown of Mexico looked like. The style of the crown includes aspects reflecting the Imperial Crown of  Austria and that of Napoleon. 

http://www.casaimperial.org/pictures_04.htm

Hawaii/Honolulu/Iolani Palace (Permanent Display 2crowns)

The King and Queen's Crowns of Hawaii. 

Hawaii also sported an autonomous monarchy, with Palace and Crowns, in the 1800's. The "Kingdom" of Hawaii was the Europeanized version of the historic Chiefs of Hawaii. This form of government is now fully abolished but the descendants of the ancient chiefs still live on the island chain.

(All images on this blog are considered defaulted to the public domain due to age and ready sourcing from the internet. If an image on this blog is disputed it will be altered or removed following written protest from an authentic source. please contact me at danielgswan@hotmail.com)