Thursday, April 3, 2025

Sor Juana 100-peso bill wins banknote of the year award

The Sor Juana 100-peso bill has been named banknote of the year for 2020 by the International Bank Note Society (IBNS).

As printer and issuer of the note, the Bank of México beat 24 other nominees to the award, and the Sor Juana bill led the way from the start of the voting process.

The note features national heroine Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, with the monarch butterfly biosphere reserve on its reverse.

Born in 1651, Sor Juana was a self-educated nun and intellectual renowned for her poetry, writing and political activism, who criticized the misogyny of colonial Mexico.

In its announcement the IBNS wrote: “Mexico’s award-winning entry may provide a template as other countries reconsider how they design and promote new banknotes.  The successful design in eye-pleasing red combines Hispanic architecture, a famous female Hispanic literary figure and a tribute to the world’s fragile ecosystem.”

Other popular notes included Scotland’s tea room 20-pound note, the Bahamas’ carnival five-dollar bill, Northern Ireland’s 20-pound street musicians banknote and Fiji’s 50-dollar bill celebrating 50 years of independence.

Past bank note of the year recipients include Aruba, Canada, Uganda, the Faroe Islands, two time winner Switzerland and three time winner Kazakhstan, among others.

Mexico News Daily

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Cans of Cororna Extra beer lying on a bed of large ice cubes

Trump announces new US tariffs on Mexican… beer

5
Mexico didn't end up on Donald Trump's "liberation day" list of enemy countries, although the U.S. did impose tariffs on a surprising Mexican item: beer in cans.
A polluted Mexico City skyline with smog hampering visibility

Amid worsening air quality, Mexico City’s mayor pledges to lower emissions

0
As Mexico City enters its fourth environmental contingency alert since January, Mayor Clara Brugada and the private sector signed an accord to improve the city’s notoriously poor air quality. 
Parked bikes.

Ecobici operator fined for failing to maintain its bike fleet in the capital

0
Broken seats, loose chains, flat tires, faulty brakes and broken pedals are common complaints from users of Mexico City's popular public bicycle network.