Once Again, Argentine Historical Heroines and Heroes are part of a New Banknote Series
The BCRA together with Casa de Moneda Argentina (Argentina’s Mint) designed a new banknote series that represents the return of historical personalities to paper money, thus honoring the national heroines and heroes who, at decisive times, forged our history.
The new banknote series was announced by the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández; the BCRA’s President, Miguel Pesce; and the former BCRA’s President and current Head of the Federal Administration of Public Revenue, Mercedes Marcó del Pont, at the Bicentennial Museum of Casa Rosada.
New Banknote Series
The new banknote series has four denominations that include three women and three men who played a crucial role in nation-building, relevant figures who broke the mold of their times and fought for independence, development, inclusion and recognition of rights.
The unique and innovative feature is that two of the denominations pay homage to two personalities in the same banknote. The new series consists of the following banknotes:
ARS100: María Eva Duarte de Perón
ARS200: Martín Miguel de Güemes and Juana Azurduy
ARS500: María Remedios del Valle and Manuel Belgrano
ARS1000: José de San Martín
As well as recovering the historical personalities, another new feature of this series is that banknotes will once again be read horizontally on both sides.
The new series, which keeps the same colors for each denomination and the same size of the current banknotes, will be part of current money in circulation.
These new banknotes are the result of a joint work carried out by the design teams of the BCRA and Casa de Moneda Argentina.
New Banknotes
ARS100. María Eva Duarte de Perón was the promoter of Law No.13,010 on women’s suffrage in 1947, a groundbreaking law that established equal political rights between men and women. She was a woman of great importance in the fight for the recognition of more social and labor rights in our country and highly respected at an international level. She got married to Juan Domingo Perón and actively participated in the campaign that resulted in his election as President of Argentina in 1946. Eva was not a traditional First Lady; she was fully involved in political and social activities. She founded the Partido Peronista Femenino (Peronist Women Party) and played a key role in the relationship with trade unions. A huge part of social aid was channeled through the Eva Peron Foundation until her early death in 1952. She left an indelible mark as an upholder of social and labor rights, and enthusiastic promoter of measures in favor of women's equality, and greater inclusion for the most underprivileged sectors.
ARS200. In this case, a hero and a heroine are together in the same banknote. Martín Miguel de Güemes was part of the reconquest and defense of Buenos Aires during the British invasions to the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, and then he played an important role in the War of Independence. He was Governor of the province of Salta and leader of the Gaucho War, the fierce resistance that preserved the northern territories of the country. Los infernales, (the infernal fighters), his forces, made up of gauchos and countrymen on horseback, were able to stop numerous royalist advances. His successful defensive work allowed San Martín to organize the liberating army of the Andes. Juana Azurduy is one of the most important heroines of the independence. Her involvement in the wars against the royalists is recognized with honors by Bolivia and Argentina. She took up arms in a society that denied women's access to the militia, organized and commanded battalions and managed to mobilize thousands of natives and mixed-race people in favor of the cause of independence. Belgrano gave her his sword as a present. She reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and joined the troops of Martín Miguel de Güemes. In 2009, the Argentine government posthumously promoted her to the rank of General.
ARS500. María Remedios del Valle is a heroine of the War of Independence. She had to face all the prejudices and limitations of the time for being a woman and an Afro descendant. She was an assistant in the British Invasions and, after the May Revolution, she fought in the Army of the North. Belgrano appointed her Captain for her bravery. She received a gunshot wound, was captured by royalists and publicly flogged. After years of neglect and misery, her work was recognized and she reached the rank of sergeant major. In her honor, Law No.26,852 establishes November 8 as the National Day of Afro-Argentines. Manuel Belgrano, the creator of the national flag, was one of the patriots who promoted the May Revolution and one of the greatest heroes of the War of Independence He was educated at the Real Colegio de San Carlos de Buenos Aires and later in Salamanca, Valladolid and Madrid. He was a lawyer, journalist, economist, politician, diplomat and, when the war broke out, he took on military duties. He participated in the defense of Buenos Aires during the British Invasions. During the War of Independence, he led military expeditions in Paraguay and in the Banda Oriental and commanded the Army of the North. He had an outstanding role in the Congress of Tucumán where the Independence was declared. He defended the importance of educational, cultural and economic development of the country.
ARS1000. José de San Martín, Father of the Nation and the Liberator. He led the struggle for emancipation of Argentina, Chile and Perú and is one of the most emblematic and important figures of the Spanish-American wars of independence. After training as a military officer in Spain, in 1812 he returned to Buenos Aires to join the independence movement. He created the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, commanded the Army of the North and was governor of Cuyo. He planned and executed the continental strategy with the objective of eliminating all the royalists that maintained the colonial system in America. He led the heroic crossing of the Andes with an army that was decisive in the independence of Chile and Perú.
May 23, 2022
