A Pretty Peso

A Pretty Peso Colombia showcases its rich culture on the newest member of its family of banknotes

“No, [I’m] not rich. I am a poor man with money, which is not the same thing.” Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez responded when asked about his literary fortune. The late García Márquez, affectionately referred to as Gabo, is now the face of Colombia’s second-highest denomination—the 50,000 peso banknote—as part of the new family of banknotes series launched by the central bank in 2016.

Colombia on the riseColombia—Latin America’s fourth-largest economy—has experienced strong economic growth over the past decade, partly thanks to favorable demographics and the commodity boom. With robust exports like coffee, oil, textiles, electricity, soccer star Radamel Falcao, and singer-songwriter Shakira, Colombia is a rising player on the global stage. Despite serious challenges—including poverty, inequality, drug trafficking, and displacement of indigenous communities—Colombia is moving forward, not least by ending the armed conflict that has devastated the country for nearly half a century.

New beginnings As Colombia progresses on a trajectory of healing and growth, the country has issued new banknotes that pay tribute to former presidents Carlos Lleras Restrepo and Alfonso López Michelsen, anthropologist Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda, poet José Asunción Silva, painter Débora Arango, and national literary treasure García Márquez—influential Colombians who have shaped the country’s cultural, political, and scientific landscape.

José Darío Uribe, former governor of the Central Bank of Colombia says, “the new family of banknotes responds to the needs of the economy, pays homage to outstanding personalities of the country, and exalts our biodiversity, turning it into the new image of our banknotes.”

Noteworthy featuresThe new banknotes, which circulate alongside the old ones, feature special characteristics like inks and security threads with color changes and 3-D effects, microtext (small text that protect against forgery), hidden figures, and tiered sizing and touch-sensitive elements for the visually impaired. The new elements strengthen the currency’s security by integrating leading-edge technology and address the needs of people with disabilities.

The central bank ran an educational campaign with free training sessions on the new notes’ security features. The campaign advises people to “look, touch, lift, tilt, and check” to highlight...