The history of Mexico is best known from the Spanish invaders conquering the nation from the Aztecs. When the Spanish arrived they brought with them small pox which killed off one third of the native population making the conquest relatively easy. But Mexicans haven't forgotten their roots and in this coin they honor the last Aztec chieftain Cuauhtémoc.
The Spanish had already invaded and the ruler Moctezuma II had been killed and his brother died of small pox. Cuauhtémoc was their cousin and was elected as the new ruler in 1520. He brought in reinforcement from the county side to fight the Spaniards but ultimately was defeated. While escaping he was capture by Hernan Cortes. He was subsequently tortured because Cortes didn't find as much treasure as expected. Cortez let him live as ruler in name only but under constant guard. Eventually Cortez had him hanged fearing he might lead an uprising.
This is a beautiful coin honoring his memory was produced in 1947 and 1948. The obverse of this coin has the Mexican eagle holding a rattlesnake and an oak leaf perched on top of a prickly pear cactus. The lettering above is Estados Unidos Mexicano (United Mexican States.) The reverse has the portrait of Cuauhtemoc, an Aztec chieftain, surrounded by lettering CINCO PESOS 30 GRAMOS . LEY 0.900 . Mo. (5 pesos 30 grams . law 0.900 . M.)
About this coin:
Country: Mexico
Denomination: 5 pesos
Weight: 30 grams
Composition: 90% silver
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Edge: reeded
Mint: Mexico City (Casa de Monedas)
Population: 26,740,000
This is a nice coin to add to any stack since it's 90% silver. Finding deals lately on these has been tough as premiums have climbed, but if you're lucky there are still some great private sellers out there. This came from a jewelry shop and I got a great deal! I hope you enjoyed my post and thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave any comments or questions.
And please remember that collecting coins and stacking gold/silver is a great hobby but definitely not for everyone. You can lose money and you have to research before you make any purchase. Before you spend your hard earned money always do your due diligence by researching what you are buying. I am not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice, I'm just a guy who loves coins and gold/silver stacking!
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