{"product_id":"ecuador-10-sucres-unc","title":"Ecuador P121 1988(3)—Ser LQ—10 Sucres UNC—Conquistador Who Founded Quito","description":"\u003cp\u003eA handsome and underappreciated note — the 10 Sucres ran for over three decades across two printers and dozens of signature varieties, all united by the same commanding portrait of the Spanish conquistador who founded Quito itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Black on multicolor (pink, orange, and green) underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePortrait:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sebasti%C3%A1n_de_Belalc%C3%A1zar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSebastián de Benalcázar\u003c\/a\u003e in oval frame at center, depicted in conquistador armor and plumed helmet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuer name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"BANCO CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR\" on top, \"SOCIEDAD ANONIMA\" below\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFace value:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"DIEZ SUCRES\" at bottom; numeral \"10\" on sides and corners\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Three signatures (Gerente General, Superintendente de Bancos, Vocal); varies by series and date (see Varieties below)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBack\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dark blue on pale blue-grey underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCoat of arms\u003c\/strong\u003e of Ecuador at center, featuring condor atop oval shield with Chimborazo volcano and steamship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuer name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"BANCO CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR\" on top\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFace value:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"DIEZ SUCRES\" at bottom; \"10\" and \"DIEZ\" numerals on sides\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e \n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-109 (1975–1978) — printed by American Banknote Corporation, USA; no UV activity\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-114a (1968–1971) — printed by De La Rue, London; UV active\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-114b (1980–1983) — printed by De La Rue, London; UV active\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-121 (1986–1988) — printed by De La Rue, London; size 155 × 66 mm; UV active\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThis note: P-121, 1988, signature variety 3: \u003c\/strong\u003eMorillo, Córdova,\u003cstrong\u003e Álvarez\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pick P-109, P-114, P-121; Numista N#213533 (P-109\/P-114), N#208838 (P-121)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 155–156 × 66–68 mm (varies by variety)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Central Bank of Ecuador (Banco Central del Ecuador)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e American Banknote Corporation (P-109) or De La Rue, London (P-114, P-121)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e 30 March 2001\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sucre (1884–2000)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Man Who Founded Quito\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sebasti%C3%A1n_de_Belalc%C3%A1zar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSebastián de Benalcázar\u003c\/a\u003e (c. \u003cstrong\u003e1479–1551\u003c\/strong\u003e) was a Spanish \u003cstrong\u003econquistador\u003c\/strong\u003e from Córdoba who played a pivotal role in the conquest of northwestern South America. He served under Francisco Pizarro during the conquest of the Inca Empire, but it was his independent campaigns northward that cemented his legacy. In \u003cstrong\u003e1534\u003c\/strong\u003e, he founded the city of \u003cstrong\u003eQuito\u003c\/strong\u003e — on the ruins of an Inca city that had been burned by its own defenders to prevent it falling into Spanish hands. He went on to found \u003cstrong\u003eGuayaquil\u003c\/strong\u003e and push into present-day Colombia, founding \u003cstrong\u003eCali\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ePopayán\u003c\/strong\u003e. His life ended as dramatically as it began: he was \u003cstrong\u003etried and convicted of murder\u003c\/strong\u003e for executing a rival governor, and died in \u003cstrong\u003e1551\u003c\/strong\u003e while traveling to Spain to appeal his sentence. His portrait appeared on Ecuador's 10 Sucres for decades — a complicated legacy rendered in fine intaglio engraving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Ecuador\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e From the Spanish word for \"equator\" — the country straddles the geographic equator, one of only a handful of nations named for a geographic feature\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapital:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Quito\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eQuito\u003c\/a\u003e (city pop. ~1.8 million; metro pop. ~2.8 million)\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e From the Quitu people, an indigenous group who inhabited the region before Inca and Spanish conquest\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~18 million (UN 2024) — comparable to the Netherlands or Chile\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e 283,561 km² (109,484 mi²) — similar to Colorado or the United Kingdom\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGDP per capita (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purchasing_power_parity\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePPP\u003c\/a\u003e):\u003c\/strong\u003e ~$13,000 USD (2023)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain exports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Petroleum, bananas, shrimp, cut flowers, cacao, tuna\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e Colombia (north), Peru (south and east); Pacific Ocean (west)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial language:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spanish; Kichwa and Shuar recognized as intercultural languages\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicities:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mestizo\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMestizo\u003c\/a\u003e (~72%), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Montubio_people\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMontubio\u003c\/a\u003e (~7%), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Afro-Ecuadorian\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAfro-Ecuadorian\u003c\/a\u003e (~7%), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indigenous_peoples_of_Ecuador\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eIndigenous\u003c\/a\u003e (~7%), White (~6%), other (~1%)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMemberships:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Nations\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited Nations\u003c\/a\u003e (founding member, 1945); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Organization_of_American_States\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eOAS\u003c\/a\u003e (1948); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/OPEC\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eOPEC\u003c\/a\u003e (1973–1992, rejoined 2007, withdrew 2020); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_Trade_Organization\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWTO\u003c\/a\u003e (1996); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Union_of_South_American_Nations\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUNASUR\u003c\/a\u003e (2008; hosts secretariat in Quito)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Declared independence from Spain on August 10, 1809 (first cry of independence); full independence achieved May 24, 1822 (Battle of Pichincha); Republic established 1830\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEcuador Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOil changed everything\u003c\/strong\u003e — Ecuador discovered major oil reserves in the Amazon in the 1960s–70s, transforming the economy overnight and funding rapid modernization, but also triggering decades of environmental devastation and political instability.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDollarized in desperation\u003c\/strong\u003e — After a catastrophic banking crisis and hyperinflation in the late 1990s, Ecuador abandoned the sucre entirely in 2000 and adopted the US dollar as its official currency — one of only a handful of countries to do so.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFour presidents in one week\u003c\/strong\u003e — In January 2000, Ecuador cycled through multiple heads of state in a matter of days during a military-backed coup, one of the most chaotic political transitions in Latin American history.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Galápagos\u003c\/strong\u003e — Ecuador administers the Galápagos Islands, 900 km off the coast, where Charles Darwin's observations in 1835 helped inspire \u003cem\u003eOn the Origin of Species\u003c\/em\u003e. The islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHighest capital city\u003c\/strong\u003e — Quito sits at 2,850 meters (9,350 ft) above sea level, making it the second-highest official capital city in the world after La Paz\/Sucre, Bolivia.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe real equator is not where you think\u003c\/strong\u003e — The famous \"Mitad del Mundo\" monument marking the equator near Quito is actually off by about 240 meters. GPS confirms the true equatorial line runs through a nearby indigenous site called Catequilla.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOwn this piece of Ecuadorian history — a note bearing the face of the man who literally built the capital city, printed by two of the world's most prestigious security printers across three decades of Ecuadorian commerce.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52637041623351,"sku":"EC109114121UNC","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/121-1988-3-LQo.jpg?v=1783525676","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/ecuador-10-sucres-unc","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}