Mexico introduces note series with 500-peso issue

By Arthur L. Friedberg

Published: Sep 17, 2018, 4 AM

A new 500-peso bank note entered circulation in Mexico starting Aug. 28. It is the first in a new series of bank notes with a shared theme.

Original image courtesy of Banco de Mexico.

The 500-peso bank note starting Mexico's new series features a portrait of Benito Juarez, representing the Reform and Restoration Period, on the face, and a gray whale and its calf, representing coastal ecosystems, on the back.

Image courtesy of Banco de Mexico.

A 500-peso bank note, the first in a new series of Mexican notes, entered circulation on Aug. 28.

The Banco de Mexico said in a press release that the new notes will have improvements in their safety features, functionality and durability. Their designs will have a unified theme reflecting the nation’s history and patrimony.

The faces of the notes will represent the epochs in the national story: Old Mexico, Colonial Mexico, Independence, the Reform (1854) and the Restoration of the Republic (1867 to 1876), the Revolution, and Contemporary Mexico.

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The reverses will highlight six national ecosystems with the depiction of World Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO: rivers and lakes; temperate forests; dry forests; thickets and deserts; coasts, seas and islands; and rain forests. Each back will also feature examples of flora and fauna indigenous to the particular ecosystem.

Blue is the dominant color on the 146- by 65-millimeter (5.75- by 2.56-inch) 500-peso note. The face is dedicated to the Reform and Restoration period, with a portrait of President Benito Juárez (1806 to 1872) as the main element in the center. Immediately to his left, symbolizing the restoration of the Republic, is part of a vignette showing the triumphal entry of Juarez into Mexico City on July 15, 1867. The denomination at top right changes from blue to green when tilted. The note also has a color-changing thread, watermark, intaglio printing, tactile lines, and other expected security measures.

The back shows a scene of the ecosystem of coasts, seas and islands in the Biosphere Reserve of El Vizcaíno, a World Heritage Site, in Baja California Sur. A gray whale and its calf are in the center, with some sea vegetation at the bottom.

More information is available from the Bank of Mexico’s website.

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