Mexico P-138 50 Pesos 2025 (issued 2024) Commemorative "100th Anniversary of the Bank of Mexico"
Banco de México · 50 Pesos · P-138 · Issued June 27, 2024
Mexico's Most Beautiful Banknote
Mexico's Most Beautiful Banknote
— and the story it tells
A commemorative polymer note marking 100 years of the Banco de México (1925–2025) · Winner, IBNS Banknote of the Year 2021
★ 2021 IBNS Banknote of the Year
Slip a 50-peso note out of your wallet and you are holding a tiny history museum. The front face reaches back seven centuries to the founding moment of the Aztec civilization — and then layers on a Diego Rivera masterpiece for good measure.
The note is vertical, made of polymer plastic rather than paper — more durable and recyclable.
Front — The Founding of Tenochtitlan
1 Teocalli de la Guerra SagradaBack face of a pre-Columbian stone monolith carved on the orders of Moctezuma II.
2 Eagle on a Nopal CactusThe founding sign: Aztec legend says the capital was built where they saw an eagle on a cactus.
3 Atl TlachinolliAn Aztec symbol pairing water and fire — opposites fused into one.
4 Tenochtitlan CityscapeBased on Diego Rivera's mural painted in the National Palace.
5 Popocatépetl & IztaccíhuatlTwin volcanoes beloved in myth as star-crossed lovers.
6 100th Anniversary OverprintCommemorates the Banco de México's centenary (1925–2025).
The Back: A Living Creature on a Dying Lake
The Features
7 AxolotlFound only in Xochimilco. Critically endangered; its superpower is never fully growing up.
8 ChinampasThe "floating gardens" — man-made islands built by the Aztecs.
"So popular that collectors have pulled $12.5 million worth out of circulation."
— Banco de México, 2025The two faces tell one story: a civilization built on a lake — and the creature that refuses to grow old.
Quick Facts
Material: Polymer · Orientation: Vertical · Issued: 2021/2024.