1 Peso Hatuey

1991 year


Nickel plated steel (NBS (Nickel Bonded Steel))	12.7 g	32.5 mm

Description

Issuer	Cuba
Period	Second Republic (1959-date)
Type	Non-circulating coin
Year	1991
Value	1 Peso (1&nbspCUP)
Currency	Cuban Peso (moneda nacional, 1914-date)
Composition	Nickel plated steel (NBS (Nickel Bonded Steel))
Weight	12.7 g
Diameter	32.5 mm
Thickness	2 mm
Shape	Round
Technique	Milled
Orientation	Coin alignment ↑↓
Demonetized	1991
Updated	2024-10-04

References

Numista	N#56488
Rarity index	67%

Reverse

Portrait of Hatuey, with name below; event name and date as curved legend on half top, mintmark and issue date to right of image. Native pattern below near edge.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
V CENTENARIO 1492
1991
HATUEY

Translation:
5th. Centenary 1492
1991
Hatuey

Engraver: Belisario Álvarez Collado

Designer: Carmen Menéndez Allende

Edge

Plain

Comment

Hatuey was a chief of a Taino tribe from La Española island (today shared by Haiti and Dominican Republic), was prosecuted by Spanish conquistadors in said island and he escaped and reached Cuba.
There, he contacted the main tribes, and warned them the Spanish were looking for gold, and suggested them to get rid of all they had to avoid confrontation.

Bartolomé de las Casas attributed him this speech, showing gold and jewels:
Here is the God the Spaniards worship. For these they fight and kill; for these they persecute us and that is why we have to throw them into the sea... They tell us, these tyrants, that they adore a God of peace and equality, and yet they usurp our land and make us their slaves. They speak to us of an immortal soul and of their eternal rewards and punishments, and yet they rob our belongings, seduce our women, violate our daughters. Incapable of matching us in valor, these cowards cover themselves with iron that our weapons cannot break...

Later, leaded all the tribes, attacking the Spanish with small groups, but owing to the Spaniards' much more advanced technology, all the rebel groups were defeated and eliminated.
Finally Hatuey was captured and executed burned alive.
Hatuey was given the title "First Rebel of America".

Interesting fact

The 1 Peso (Hatuey) 1991 coin from Cuba has an interesting design feature. On the obverse side of the coin, there is an image of Hatuey, a famous Taino chief who led a rebellion against Spanish colonizers in the early 16th century. The design also includes the inscription "Hatuey" in bold letters, along with the year "1991" and the coin's denomination "1 Peso." This coin is a unique tribute to the history and culture of Cuba, and its design reflects the country's rich heritage.