Bank Note: Mexico, 5 Pesos

The bank of the state of Chihuahua’s foundation is deeply rooted in the turbulence of the Mexican Revolution. It was created by Francisco “Pancho” Villa, military governor at the time. The bank's main goal was to make it simpler for the working class to acquire loans on properties that projected capital growth. This objective was established with poor farmers who needed money to manage their land in mind. Plausibly, representation of the people he aimed to recruit was the reasoning behind the mine worker pictured with a pneumatic drill in the banknote. Mining was seen as the primary contributor to public wealth during the Porfiriato. So much so that the northern states of the country, including Chihuahua, were constructed and developed largely on the mining of precious minerals. It is also worth noting that Mexican mines not only produced capital for the country, but soldiers for the revolution. The handsome salary that came with the post of soldier might have added to its appeal.

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Gallegos, Rocio. “Villa, El Gobernador.” La Verdad Juárez, December 15, 2019. https://laverdadjuarez.com/2019/12/15/villa-el-gobernador/.

“Hablar de Minería Es Hablar de Historia Mexicana - Revolución 1910.” La Cantera, November 17, 2021. https://www.mineralacantera.com/blog-post/hablar-de-mineria-es-hablar-de-historia-mexicana-y-la-revolucion-no-es-excepcion/.

Hall, Linda B., and Don M. Coerver. “La Frontera y Las Minas En La Revolución Mexicana (1910-1920).” Historia Mexicana 32, no. 3 (1983): 389–421. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25135826.

Prendergast, Simon. “El Banco Del Estado de Chihuahua.” Paper Money of Mexico. Accessed September 19, 2023. https://papermoneyofmexico.com/history/chihuahua/banco-estado.

Villa, Francisco. “1913 Decretos Relativos al Establecimiento Del Banco Del Estado de Chihuahua y a La Confiscación de Bienes. Francisco Villa.” Memoria Política de México. Accessed September 19, 2023. https://www.memoriapoliticademexico.org/Textos/6Revolucion/1913-D-FV.html.