Argentina

For this week’s Banknote of the day, we’re going to take a look at one of our new arrivals, the Argentina 100 pesos banknote from 2012. This colorful commemorative banknote, is filled with history, fun facts and tons of culture. Perfectly representing late Argentina and helped shape modern day, Argentina.

Source: Perfil Website, Capital Buenos Aires at sunrise
Source: Banknote World, Shop. Argentina 100 Pesos, 2012.

Argentinian Banknotes have had a similar layout throughout the past several decades. We usually see a commemorative figure on the obverse, and on the reverse an historical landmark, statue or monument. Another distinctive feature on these banknotes is the different patterns and designs throughout the banknotes (flowers or leaf prints). On the obverse, to the center right-hand side, we see an image of Eva Peron. María Eva Duarte, commonly known as Eva Peron or Evita, was a radio and film actress, as well as a well known activist. She also happened to be the wife of Argentine President Juan Peron and First lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She made a huge impact as First Lady and became powerful within the pro-Peronist trade unions, primarily for speaking on behalf of fair labor rights. She also ran the Ministries of Labor and Health, as well as founded and orchestrated the charity, Eva Perón Foundation. The charity is dedicated to women’s suffrage in Argentina.

Source: Vintage Everyday

In 1951, she ran for Vice President under the Peronist nomination, catering to the labor and working class. She received a lot of support, however, due to her declining health, receded her candidacy. She passed away a year later. She was given a state funeral upon her death, which was extremely symbolic considering this practice was generally reserved for heads of the state. She is known as the “Spiritual leader” of the nation and one of the most Iconic women of Argentinean history. Fun fact: The banknote was based on the design of a 5-peso banknote planned to be released following her 1952 death. However, it was unreleased due to the coup d’état that deposed President (her husband). On the reverse, there is an image of a statue of an Allegorical woman, and two small children. Allegorical statues are extreme common in Argentina, often representing liberty, family, homage to the culture and more! Security features include a Windowed “$100” security thread and a watermark of Eva Peron.

“I had watched for many years and seen how a few rich families held much of Argentina’s wealth and power in their hands. So Peron and the government brought in an eight hour working day , sickness pay and fair wages to give poor workers a fair go.”

Eva Peron

Argentina History

Source: Britannica

Argentina is located in the southern half of South America, sharing the Southern cone with Chile. Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world, and 2nd largest Latin-American country in the world. The Spanish were the first Europeans to land in what we know today as present-day Argentina in the early 16th century. Originally, they were under rule of Spain and didn’t achieve their own independence until 1816. Between the the 19th century and around 1946, Argentina went from being a civilian ruled country, to a military ruled country. A coup is what actually brought in the era of Lieutenant General Juan Domingo Peron (Eva Peron’s husband). When he took office, he instated a strong nationalism presence and helped a lot with social improvement.

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