Peru is beginning a series of circulating commemorative 1-nuevo-sol coins to mark the bicentennial of the nation’s independence in 2021.

The first coin in the Builders of the Republic series, released Oct. 9, honors Juan Pablo Vizcardo y Guzmán, a writer and intellectual who campaigned for Spanish colonial independence.

The series of nine coins will represent individuals of the 18th and 19th centuries that fought for independence, according to a translation of an announcement from the Central Bank of Peru.

Vizcardo was born in Pampacolca, Arequipa, in 1748, and died in exile in London in 1798. His most important piece of writing was the “Letter to the Spanish Americans,” in 1792, where he addressed the Americas with a message of freedom and the promise of a better future after breaking with the colonial yoke.

His bust appears on the reverse of the coin and Peru’s coat of arms appears on the obverse design, standard for the denomination.

The copper-nickel-zinc coin weighs 7.32 grams and measures 25.5 millimeters in diameter (slightly smaller and lighter than a Presidential dollar). It has a face value equivalent to 28 cents U.S.

In total, 10 million coins are being issued for this design.

The frequency of emission of coins in the series and the duration of the program is not announced.

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