Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
📖

Mexican peso

society Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Mexican peso is the official money used in Mexico. It is a very important currency in the world today. In fact, it is the most traded money in Latin America. It is also the third most traded currency in the Americas. People use the symbol $ to represent the peso. Its special code for international banking is MXN. This code stands for the "new peso."

Imm
Imm

Understanding how the peso works is quite simple. One single peso is divided into 100 smaller parts called centavos. These centavos are represented by the symbol ¢. The Bank of Mexico is the group that makes the banknotes. These bills use many bright colors to show Mexican culture. They also use pictures to tell stories about Mexican history.

50 centavos de México de 1919 (anverso y reverso)
50 centavos de México de 1919 (anverso y reverso)

The history of the peso goes back many centuries. Long ago, silver coins called pesos were used for global trade. These silver coins were even used in the United States and China. They served as a model for the U.S. dollar. Mexico first started making its own pesos in 1863. This happened under Emperor Maximilian during the Second Mexican Empire.

8 reales Mexico - 1840 GoPJ
8 reales Mexico - 1840 GoPJ

Money can sometimes face very difficult times. In 1982, the peso lost much of its value. This is called devaluation, and it made life hard for many people. To fix the math, the government introduced the "new peso" in 1993. At that time, one new peso was worth 1,000 old pesos. Later, in 1996, they just called it the peso again.

Peso Mexicano 1921
Peso Mexicano 1921

Another big change happened in 1994 during a crisis. This happened around the same time as the NAFTA agreement. During this time, the value of the peso changed very quickly. The economy faced a recession, and many people lost their jobs. This caused families to work very hard to stay stable. Even with these hard years, the peso remains a vital part of Mexico's identity.

USD to Mexican Peso exchange rate
USD to Mexican Peso exchange rate
311 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (119)
USD to Mexican Peso exchange rate.webp
File:Real de a ocho.jpg
Real de a ocho.jpg
File:8 reales Mexico - 1840 GoPJ.png
8 reales Mexico - 1840 GoPJ.png
File:Mexico 1866 20 Pesos.jpg
Mexico 1866 20 Pesos.jpg
File:25 centavos de Zacatecas de 1889 (anverso y reverso).JPG
25 centavos de Zacatecas de 1889 (anverso...
File:5 centavos Mexico 1904.PNG
5 centavos Mexico 1904.PNG
File:Peso Mexicano 1921.jpg
Peso Mexicano 1921.jpg
File:50 centavos de México de 1919 (anverso y reverso).JPG
50 centavos de México de 1919 (anverso y...
File:Imm.jpg
Imm.jpg
File:Banco de México AA 1 centavos reverse.png
Banco de México AA 1 centavos reverse.png
File:Banco de México AA 5 centavos reverse.png
Banco de México AA 5 centavos reverse.png
File:Banco de México AA 10 centavos reverse.png
Banco de México AA 10 centavos reverse.png

+ 107 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.