Mexico: New $20 Circulation Type Coins Mark 500th Anniversary Of First Village Of Colima

Led by Juan Rodriguez de Villafuentes, Juan Alvarez Chico and Cristobal de Olid, the Spanish arrived at Colima in 1522. King Colimán, recognizing the threat presented by the conquistadors, resisted the incursion. Hueytlatoani Colimotl or Rey Coliman is perhaps a mythical or possibly historical figure who is considered a symbol of the Mexican state of Colima. According to legend, he was the last emperor of the Tecos people, who inhabited the region which became Colima until the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

The indigenous forces initially won battles at Trojes, Paso de Alima and Toluca, but in 1523 they lost a decisive battle against Gonzalo de Sandoval at Caxitajn. Sandoval immediately established a Spanish settlement, San Sebastian de Colima, in what is now the city of Colima. In 1524, Don Francisco Cortés de San Buenaventura arrived and became the city’s first mayor. However, due to disease, San Buenaventura moved the Spanish settlement to its current located and changed the name to San Sebastián de Colima. In 1540, the construction of a royal road between Colima and Mexico City gave easier access to the village and quickly made Colima a vital centre of commerce. The port city of Manzanillo, with its central location on the Pacific coast, also played a key role in gathering and transporting goods for the Spanish crown.

When the fight for Mexican independence began in 1810, it was the Colima priest Jose Antonio Diaz who led a group of revolutionaries in support of Miguel Hidalgo. A relatively small number of royal troops occupied the region when hostilities began, and they were easily defeated by the rebels. In 1821, the Plan of Iguala established the basis for an independent Mexico and, when Spain signed the Treaty of Córdoba later that year, Colima and the other Mexican territories formally gained their independence. In 1857, Colima was made a Mexican state and less than ten years later, Mexico’s President Benito Juarez, refusing to recognize French authority, moved the seat of government to Colima from 1864 to1867 until the French were driven from power and the capital returned to Mexico City.

Today, Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the central Pacific coast, and includes the Revillagigedo Islands, a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean located 434 to 679 miles west of Manzanillo. Mainland Colima shares borders with the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. In addition to the capital city of Colima, the main cities are Manzanillo and Tecomán. As the fourth smallest state in Mexico, Colima also has the smallest population numbering 731,000, but has one of Mexico's highest standards of living and the lowest rate of unemployment.

The 2023-dated circulation quality 20 peso twelve-sided bi-metallic coins are produced bytheCasa de Moneda de Mexico at their facilities located in San Luis Potosí and on behalf of the Banco de Mexico. Founded in 1535, they are the oldest continuing and functioning mint in North America. The obverse side depicts an image of the King of Coliman, based on the King of Coliman Sculpture created by sculptor Juan F. Olaguibel in 1955 and located at the traffic circle on Avenida Rey Colimán esq. 20 de Noviembre in Ciudad Colima. To the right is a replication of the Colima dancing dogs statue, a clay figurine of the Mesoamerica period depicting two dogs, and were often placed in tombs to accompany souls on their journey to heaven. In the background is the silhouette of the Colima volcano and to the left is a latent image 20 and the micro-text COLIMOTL. Surrounding the primary design is the text 500 AÑOS DE LA FUNDACIÓN DE LA PRIMERA VILLA DE COLIMA (500 years of the foundation of the first village of Colima) placed along the rim. The denomination $20 as well as the years 1523 and 2023 are placed below the design along with the distinctive mintmark of the Mexican Mint °M shown to the right of the year of minting. The coins include the standard reverse side design which depicts the National Coat of Arms comprising a Mexican golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a rattlesnake in its talon. Above the crest is the text ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS (United Mexican States)

The coins are released in accordance with the Decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on the 22nd March 2024. The Banco de Mexico or theCasa de Moneda de Mexico do not retail collector coins directly to the public but do have a wide network of distribution internationally. For additional information, please visit the website of the Banco de Mexico.