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A NATION IN EVERYDAY OBJECTS

Mexico

Modern Circulating Coins

Everyday money. A living heritage.

From small steel centavos to bimetallic pesos, Mexico’s modern coins bring a shared monetary system into many different forms. Explore the everyday denominations, the Sun Stone’s connected designs, and the stories carried by circulating commemoratives.

Explore the Coins ↓The Modern Peso Story
50 Centavos reverse · D · 201250 CentavosD · 20121 Peso reverse · C · 20191 PesoC · 20192 Pesos reverse · C · 20192 PesosC · 20195 Pesos reverse · C · 20195 PesosC · 201910 Pesos reverse · C · 201910 PesosC · 201920 Pesos reverse · C1 · 202220 PesosC1 · 2022 · Mennonites
Selected reverse designs · enlarged, not to scale
1993One modern monetary unitThe nuevo peso reform
9Core denominations5 centavos to 20 pesos
B · C · D · C1Four official familiesRelated, overlapping histories
26Released $20 commemoratives12 Family C · 14 Family C1

EXPLORE THE SERIES

One system. Many ways in.

Begin with the value in your hand. Each denomination brings together its designs, physical generations, materials and history.

5 Centavos · C · 19985 CentavosQuincunces & solar rays10 Centavos · D · 201910 CentavosRing of Sacrifice20 Centavos · D · 201920 CentavosAcatl · the reed day50 Centavos · D · 201250 CentavosRing of Acceptance1 Peso · C · 20191 PesoRing of Splendour2 Pesos · C · 20192 PesosRing of Days5 Pesos · C · 20195 PesosRing of Serpents10 Pesos · C · 201910 PesosCentral solar image20 Pesos · C1 · 202220 PesosCommemorative stories

Older valid designs and coins being withdrawn can coexist with newer issues. A catalogue listing does not measure how frequently a coin is used. The wider historical record also includes 50- and 100-peso boundaries beyond this core guide.

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México ↗

01 · THE MODERN PESO STORY

A new unit.
A continuing history.

On 1 January 1993, the nuevo peso replaced 1,000 earlier pesos. Family B made the change visible through N$ notation on peso denominations. Centavos belong to the same new unit, but their designs did not carry an N$ that later needed removing. A date struck on a coin is not always its first day in circulation.

Sources: DOF via Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México / DOF ↗

Family C is associated with the removal of “nuevo” from 1996. This was a notation and family transition within the modern peso, not another redenomination. Individual designs followed their own release history: the ordinary cupronickel-core C 10-peso coin entered circulation on 9 October 1997.

Sources: Banco de México / DOF ↗ · Banco de México / DOF ↗ · Banco de México / DOF ↗

Carved detail of the Piedra del Sol
Piedra del Sol · a shared design vocabulary

02 · THE SUN STONE DESIGN SYSTEM

Connected motifs.
Distinct identities.

Eight everyday denominations draw on different parts of the Piedra del Sol. The design relationship is shared; the motif is not interchangeable. The national emblem on the obverse provides another thread across the coinage.

5 CentavosQuincunces & solar rays
10 CentavosRing of Sacrifice
20 CentavosAcatl · the reed day
50 CentavosRing of Acceptance
1 PesoRing of Splendour
2 PesosRing of Days
5 PesosRing of Serpents
10 PesosCentral solar image

The 2-peso design is the Ring of Days, following the Spanish issuer record and original decree. Banco de México identifies the central 10-peso image as Tonatiuh; that is the issuer’s attribution, rather than a resolution of every historical interpretation of the monument.

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México / DOF ↗ · Banco de México ↗

A SHARED MONETARY SYSTEM

Coins in Everyday Mexico

Nine denominations, one dated view of circulation.

AUGUST 2026

53,664.934

million pieces · 5 centavos to 20 pesos

One peso accounts for the largest stock in this nine-value comparison. Every bar leads to the denomination’s monthly history.

A denomination-level circulation balance, in millions of pieces. It is not annual mintage, newly issued coins, production, monetary value or how often a coin appears in change. The figures do not separate designs or coin families.

Circulation stock · million pieces

  1. 1 Peso12,802.969
  2. 10 Centavos11,387.554
  3. 50 Centavos9,929.563
  4. 5 Pesos5,109.151
  5. 2 Pesos4,476.482
  6. 20 Centavos4,432.249
  7. 10 Pesos3,853.115
  8. 5 Centavos1,080.679
  9. 20 Pesos593.172
Read the comparison table
August 2026 · million pieces
DenominationStockSeries
5 Centavos1,080.679SM9
10 Centavos11,387.554SM10
20 Centavos4,432.249SM11
50 Centavos9,929.563SM12
1 Peso12,802.969SM13
2 Pesos4,476.482SM14
5 Pesos5,109.151SM15
10 Pesos3,853.115SM16
20 Pesos593.172SM17

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México SIE ↗

Retrieved 14 September 2026. Values rounded to three decimals; the unrounded sum matches the official total. Figures may be revised.

03 · FAMILY TIMELINE

B → C → D → C1

Families identify official groups. They do not create a single replacement date for every denomination.

B

1993

The nuevo peso

New monetary unit; N$ on peso coins. Some silver-core pieces are now being withdrawn but remain valid.

C

1996

The peso continues

Removal of “nuevo”; individual designs and subsequent material eras have their own chronology.

D

2009

Smaller steel centavos

10, 20 and 50 centavos entered circulation on 6 August 2009, with distinct sizes and edges.

C1

2020

A twelve-sided platform

Veracruz opened the 30 mm, 12.67 g commemorative format on 22 April 2020.

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México / DOF ↗ · Banco de México / DOF ↗ · Banco de México ↗

04 · READING CHANGE

Design, family, material, year.

Four useful questions, not four names for the same thing.

A familiar design, a different object

The 50-centavo motif continues across larger, notched bronze and smaller, round steel generations. B/C pieces measure 22 mm and 4.39 g; Family D measures 17 mm and 3.103 g. Physical generation matters as much as the numeral.

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México ↗

50 Centavos →

The same denomination, a new core

Bronze-coated-steel cores for 1, 2 and 5 pesos entered circulation in December 2025. This is a material transition within continuing denominations. The old nominal masses should not be silently assigned to the new-core coins.

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · SHCP / DOF via Banco de México ↗

1 Peso →

Authorization is not release

The 10-peso changes authorized in January 2026 and the nickel-coated-steel core selected in July are documented legal steps. Actual circulation of that new construction remains unconfirmed in the evidence checked through 13 September 2026.

Sources: DOF ↗ · SHCP / DOF ↗

10 Pesos →

05 · ONE BRANCH OF THE SYSTEM

History in circulation.

The 20-peso denomination spans the regular Family B Hidalgo coin and a varied commemorative platform. The released commemorative register contains 26 subjects: 12 in Family C and 14 in C1, including four FIFA designs released on 13 May 2026. Hidalgo is not counted as a commemorative; the authorized Kukulkán design is not counted as a confirmed release.

Sources: Banco de México ↗ · Banco de México ↗ · DOF ↗

Explore the complete 20-peso denomination →

DESIGNS & GENERATIONS

Higher denominations in the historical record

Compare design identities and material eras. Start dates are documented circulation milestones; no complete annual minting range is implied.

100-peso Federation and national commemoratives

Programme-level record; individual annual issues are not enumerated.

Family
C
Circulation starts
Not established
Official status
Withdrawal; payment valid
Composition
Sterling-silver core; aluminium-bronze ring
Scope
Federation state arms and state motifs; national anniversaries.

Sources: Banco de México ↗

FURTHER READING

Sources & image credits

Specifications, monetary history and release records from Banco de México and original legal documents. Evidence checked through 13 September 2026. Coin images are selected design references; their dates do not establish a complete annual issue census.

Open the source list
  1. Banco de México · Other valid designs
  2. Banco de México · Coins being withdrawn
  3. Banco de México · Currently manufactured coins
  4. Banco de México · 10 pesos C
  5. Banco de México · 2 pesos C — Spanish
  6. Banco de México · Valid B nuevos pesos
  7. Banco de México · 50 centavos C
  8. Banco de México · 50 centavos D
  9. Banco de México · Older C 20-peso commemoratives
  10. Banco de México · Veracruz foundation C1
  11. Banco de México · Mennonites C1
  12. Banco de México · Four FIFA 2026 C1 designs
  13. DOF via Banco de México · 1992 monetary-unit decree
  14. SHCP / DOF via Banco de México · 2024 selection of 1/2/5-peso core alloy
  15. DOF · 2026 10-peso characteristics decree
  16. SHCP / DOF · 2026 nickel-coated-steel core selection
  17. DOF · 2026 regular 20-peso Kukulkán decree
  18. Banco de México / DOF · 1992 technical coin decree
  19. Banco de México / DOF · Circular 2024/95, 27 December 1995
  20. Banco de México / DOF · Circular E-122/2009, 6 August 2009
  21. Banco de México / DOF · Circular E-4/97, 9 October 1997
  22. Banco de México / DOF · Removal of nuevo notice, 15 November 1995

Coin photographs: Numismatica Quetzalcoatl / Gabriel Herrera (CC BY 4.0); montana2011 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Issuer design images: Banco de México. Photograph credits and original records are linked on each denomination page. Coin faces retain original detail; exterior masks remove backgrounds for layout.

Sun Stone detail · Rosemania / Chez Cåsver · layout crop · CC BY 2.0

CC BY 4.0 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Image credits and sources