2019-01-28 Mon

Bolivia started circulating a new 100-bolivar note on 15th January. It’s a part of the first family of banknotes of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Historical personalities, heritage sites, natural landscapes and fauna and flora from various parts of the country would be depicted on banknotes from this new series.

The obverse side of the new 100-bolivar note features Juana Azurduy de Padilla. Juana’s mother was an indigenous Bolivian. Juana was known for her guerrilla warfare during the country’s 19th century War of Independence. Argentina awarded her the rank of General in 2009, while Bolivia awarded her the highest military rank of Mariscal in 2011. The second personality featured on the obverse side is that of Alejo Calatayud. He was a silversmith who led the first mestizo rebellion against the Spanish colonialists. Marshal Antonio Jose de Sucre is the third personality to be depicted on the obverse side. He was a friend of Simon Bolivar, second president of Bolivia, fourth president of Peru, and freedom fighter for Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia. An image of Casa de la Moneda, Potosi, is depicted at the centre.

The beautiful Arco Iris Falls is shown on the reverse side. A bird called as blue paraba is also featured. This large-sized bird is generally found on the eastern side of Bolivia. A flower named flor patuju is also depicted on the back side. This bird is considered to be a patriotic symbol in the Constitution.

One of the blue paraba images contains a security feature of circles what change their colour from green to blue when the note is tilted. The image of de Padilla is featured on a security thread which changes colour from red to gold upon tilting the note. The note has a dimension of 5.5 by 2.76 inches and is made of 100 percent cotton. Older notes of the same denomination will continue to circulate along with the new ones.

Image Courtesy: Central Bank of Bolivia