Mexico 20-CENTAVOS (KM438)¶
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Obverse: NORTHERN CARACARA
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Reverse: Denomination
- Composition
- .7200 Silver
- Country
- Mexico
- Approx. Size
- 18.5mm
- Area
- North America
- Animal Class
- Birds
- Species
- Northern Caracara
- KM#
- 438
The Golden Eagle is the official bird and symbol of Mexico, and its imagery dates back to pre-Colombian codices of the Aztecs. However, it is very likely that the actual bird is the Northern Caracara, a falcon.
Between 1905 and 1984, Mexico issued nine different 20-centavos coins. This silver piece is the first of them, issued from 1905 through 1943.
Mexico¶
- Area
- North America
The United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) today is near the top ten largest economies on the planet and one of the top countries in tourism.
The area's history goes back to 21,000 BCE and things really got going around 7,000 BCE with the domestication of corn. This led to complex civilizations including the Maya, Olmec, Zapotec, and Aztec. At its peak around 150-450 CE, the city of Teotihuacan was probably the largest on earth, with a population estimated at 150,000-250,000 people. These civilizations flourished for nearly 4,000 years making important advancements in architecture, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.
In the early 16th century, the Spanish conquest wiped out millions of people due mainly to smallpox. In 1810 independence from Spain was declared and after a struggle it was achieved in 1821. The Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 resulted in Mexico giving up almost half its land -- including California and New Mexico -- to the United States.
Mexico is one of 18 Megadiverse countries in the world. With over 200,000 different animal species, it is home to 10-12% of the world's biodiversity.
