Obverse. Photo © Bank of Mexico
  • 20 Pesos 2021, KM# 997, Mexico, 500th Anniversary of Historical Memory of Tenochtitlan
  • 20 Pesos 2021, KM# 997, Mexico, 500th Anniversary of Historical Memory of Tenochtitlan, Metropolitan Cathedral
  • 20 Pesos 2021, KM# 997, Mexico, 500th Anniversary of Historical Memory of Tenochtitlan, Templo Mayor
Description

The “500 years of historical memory of Mexico-Tenochtitlan” coin marks the 1521 Spanish conquest and subsequent destruction of the Templo Mayor complex. Tenochtitlan’s main temple complex, the Templo Mayor, was dismantled and the central district of the Spanish colonial city was constructed on top of it. The Spanish destroyed the temple during the construction of a cathedral.

Issue date: September 27, 2021

Obverse

Depicts the seal of the United Mexican States.

The Seal of the United Mexican States is a modified version of the national coat of arms, with the addition of the full official name of the country Estados Unidos Mexicanos, in a semi-circular accommodation in the upper part of the seal. Current and past Mexican peso coinage have had the seal engraved on the obverse of all denominations.

The coat of arms depicts a Mexican golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a rattlesnake. To the people of Tenochtitlan this would have strong religious connotations, but to the Europeans, it would come to symbolize the triumph of good over evil (with the snake sometimes representative of the serpent in the Garden of Eden).

ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS

Reverse

Depicts the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Templo Mayor and the denomination "$20" appear forming a reflection. The Templo Mayor appears as a latent image along with the microtext and the legend CULTURAL FUSION. The years "2021" and "1521" appear to the right of the corresponding denomination "$20". The legend 500 YEARS OF HISTORICAL MEMORY OF MEXICO-TENOCHTITLAN and the Mexican Mint mark "M°" appear on the edge.

The Templo Mayor or Great Temple (called Hueteocalli by the Aztecs) dominated the central sacred precinct of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. Topped by twin temples dedicated to the war god Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc it was a focal point of the Aztec religion and the very centre of the Aztec world. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. Construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325, and it was rebuilt six times. This temple was intended to burn and disassembled to make way for the new cathedral by the Spanish in 1521.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is the cathedral church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo) in Downtown Mexico City. The cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from Gothic cathedrals in Spain. Due to the long time it took to build it, just under 250 years, virtually all the main architects, painters, sculptors, gilding masters and other plastic artists of the viceroyalty worked at some point in the construction of the enclosure. The long construction time also led to the integration of a number of architectural styles in its design, including the Gothic, Baroque, Churrigueresque, Neoclassical styles, as they came into vogue over the centuries.

$20 2021
500 YEARS OF HISTORICAL MEMORY OF MEXICO-TENOCHTITLAN
FUSIÓN CULTURAL
M° $20 1521

Edge

20 Pesos

500th Anniversary of Historical Memory of Tenochtitlan

KM# 997
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Bi-Metallic
Ring Aluminium Bronze
Center Copper Nickel Zinc
Weight 12.67 g
Diameter 30 mm
Thickness 2.4 mm
Shape polygon
Sides 12
Alignment Coin
Mint
Mexican Mint (Mo)

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