On this presentation, Banco de Mexico presents, in a general manner, the main characteristics on the note:

The note is printed in polymer plastic, 66 mm high and 120 mm wide, 7 mm shorter than the 50 Pesos Polymer Note.

SIZE - All the banknotes will be 66 mm high. (Wide ranges according to the denomination, according to the illustrations). Illustration also said that the 20 & 50 Pesos will be polymer while other denominations will be on paper.

SIZE: All the banknotes will be 66mm high. The 20 & 50 Pesos will be printed on Polymer while the other denominations will be printed on paper.

Description: The main motive shows Benito Juarez Garcia, President of the Mexican Republic from 1858 to 1872, who with a group of liberals enacted The Reform Laws. For his defense of the human freedom, he was known as the American Ben merit. Juarez image have a vignette portraying a balance, symbolizing the equilibrium of justice, and a book that represents the Reform Laws of 1859.

Description: The main image is a panoramic scene view of the zapotecian archeological zone of Monte Albán, at Oaxaca , nominated by UNESCO as a humanity cultural patrimony. At the left side shows an ear ring fragment find at the number 7 tomb of the archeological zone, and at the lower right side of the image shows a fragment of the Ray’s God Mask (Cocijo, the main God of the Zapotecian Culture).

		PIGEON – When banknote is turned around, pigeon changes its color.
		MICROTEXT – Phrase with decreasing text.
		STRIP – 20 Pesos Text can be seen with light.
		PERFECT REGISTER – Mexican Map and the Rose of Winds can be seen completely with light.
		WATERMARK – Benito Juarez image can be seen on light.
		BORDER – When banknote is turned around, the border can change its color.
		TRANSPARENT WINDOW – Have the number 20 grabbed with diagonal lines.

Security Characteristics:

The showed security characteristics can be verified at simple eye or with help from a magnifying glass.

There are others that can be seen by others instruments, for example, with a black light some yellow figures can be seen at the back of the note, as showed on the next illustration. On the face of the note those figures are not seen.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

What will happen with the current 20 Pesos Notes of the actual family of notes?

They will continue having the same value, will circulate with those of the new family, but will gradually be retired from circulation, when they become more used on condition and then collected and retired by the banks system.

For how long both families 20 Pesos banknotes will co-exist?

We estimate that in two years most of the circulating 20 pesos banknotes will be substituted by the new ones.

Why to do the 20 Pesos Banknote again on polymer?

The polymer notes last longer than paper banknotes, so it means a savings to the country. In addition the poymer notes stay cleaner then the paper ones, so they are more hygienic.

To avoid damage to the banknote, it is recommended:

     - Do not perforating with clips, or others related material.

     - Avoiding wrinkling the note.

     - Avoid remaking of the fold with a finger nail, or other object.

     - Do not write, or mark them.

     - Manage them in a wallet.

If any banknote is torn it is convenient to fix it with transparent tape, and then go to any bank to replace it. Is very important to know that those banknotes do not lose their value.

Why not all denominations circulate at the same time?

Replacing all denominations at the same time imply producing a lot of banknotes, exceeding the warehousing capacity of the fabric of the Banco de Mexico. Also, we have on inventory notes of the actual family. Not using them implies higher costs.

When, and on what order will other denomination enter into circulation?

The estimated order in which they will be on circulation is the following:

$200 and $1000 on 2008

$100 on 2010

$500 on 2011

Why a difference of 7mm of size between notes was adopted?

It has been proven that the size difference is enough for blind people to differentiate between the denominations.

How people can verify the banknote authenticity?

In general, to verify that a banknote is genuine it is important to realize three steps: touch, look and turn around.

     - Touch the banknote and feel its texture, so you can feel the imprints.

     - Look it through the light to see the watermark, the security strip and the perfect register on its printing.

     - Turn around the banknote to see that the ink, on some of its elements, will change its color.

Extract from Banco de Mexico website, translated by Manuel O. González, and contributed by Ricardo Ramirez G., Arthur Matz, Thomas Krause, and Cleo Phas.