History

The Long Service Honor Cross (Cruz de Honor por la Constancia en el Servicio Militar) was instituted by decree on June 25, 1841. It was founded in recognition of the military personnel who had served to the nation for continuous years with an exemplary conduct.

Originally, there were three different classes of the Cross. I Class Cross was awarded to Generals with 35 year of services, II Class Cross was awarded to Chiefs and Officers with 30 years of services, and III Class Cross was for the troops with 25 years of services.

The Cross was abolished in 1901, reinstated in 1911, and finally rescinded in 1920. The design of the Cross was completely changed in 1911, however there is no version known.

The size of the award and the shape of the suspension denoted the rank of the recipient. The I Class Cross, the biggest Cross, consisted of a breast star and the cross with an eagle suspension. The II Class Cross also had a breast star and a smaller cross with a silver brooch with the inscription CONSTANCIA (Constancy). The III Class Cross, the smallest one, consisted of a Cross with the brooch inscribed CONSTANCIA.

Presumably, this Cross was dramatically modified by Maximiliano I on April 10, 1865: however, this information is not confirmed.

The III Class Cross feature an obverse inscription that can be translated to "Reward to Constancy on Military Service," and a reverse inscription that can be translated to "Instituted in 1841 and Rewarded for 25 Years of Service."