Item number: A1883

Year: AD 1968

Material: Silver

Size: 37.8 x 37.8 x 2.4 mm

Weight: 22.5 g

Manufactured by: Mexico City Mint

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a silver commemorative coin issued by Mexico in AD 1968 to celebrate hosting the 19th Summer Olympic Games.

The obverse of the coin depicts “ōllamalitzli,” the most renowned sport of the Aztec Empire. This game, popular in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilisations, was played by two teams on an H-shaped court known as “Tlachtli.” Players were only allowed to use their elbows, knees, hips, and head to propel a rubber ball through the opponent’s goal. The game was deeply tied to Aztec religious beliefs, and at the end of the match, one team was ritually sacrificed as an offering to the gods. However, scholars continue to debate whether the winners or the losers were chosen as sacrificial victims.

Below the central design, the Olympic rings, representing the unity of the five continents, are prominently displayed. Encircling the design, the Latin inscription “JUEGOS DE LA XIX OLIMPIADA MEXICO 1968” translates to “The 19th Olympic Games, Mexico 1968.”

The reverse of the coin features the Mexican Coat of Arms, which is derived from an Aztec creation myth. The emblem depicts an eagle perched on a cactus while holding a serpent in its beak, symbolising the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. The upper edge of the emblem bears the national motto “ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS” (United Mexican States).

At the bottom left, the denomination “25 Pesos” is displayed in a stylised design, and on the bottom right, the inscription “LAW 0.720 Mo” indicates the silver content and bears the mintmark of the Mexican Mint.

The edge of the coin bears Mexico’s national motto, “INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD”, which translates to “Independence and Liberty.”

The AD 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City was the first Olympic Games to be broadcast live in colour television. During this edition of the Games, a significant political protest took place. Tommy Smith and John Carlos, two African American athletes, raised their fists wearing black gloves on the podium during the medal ceremony to support the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. This act of protest became one of the most prominent political statements in Olympic history.

物件編號: A1883

年代: 公元 1968 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 37.8 x 37.8 x 2.4 mm

重量: 22.5 g

製造地: 墨西哥造幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚公元1968年，墨西哥為慶祝主辦第十九屆夏季奧林匹克運動會所發行的銀質紀念幣。

錢幣正面是表現阿茲特克帝國時代最為知名的運動「奧拉馬利茨利」。這是一種流行於前哥倫布時期中美洲文明的運動，兩隊玩家要在呈現H型「特拉赫特利」進行競賽，選手只能以手肘、膝蓋、臀部和頭部等部位將橡皮球投入對方的龍門。這項運動和阿茲特克人的宗教息息相關，比賽結束之後，其中一方的隊伍會成為活人獻祭的祭品。但是學界對於究竟是犧牲勝利或落敗的隊伍作為祭品仍有待考究。錢幣下方是現代奧運使用的五色圓環，象徵著五大洲的團結。周圍的拉丁環形銘文「JUEGOS DE LA XIX OLIMPIADA MEXICO 1968」意思是「第十九屆奧林匹克運動會 墨西哥 1968」。

錢幣背面是墨西哥國徽，源自阿茲特克的建國起源神話，一隻站在仙人掌上叼著蛇的老鷹圖騰，上緣則是國號「ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS」(墨西哥合眾國)。國徽左下角是經過造型設計的面額「25 Pesos」(25披索)，右下角的「LAW 0.720 Mo」是含銀量和墨西哥造幣廠的戳記。

錢幣側邊則有墨西哥的國家格言「 INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD」(獨立與自由)。

公元1968年，於首都墨西哥城主辦的第十九屆夏季奧運是第一次以彩色電視作即時轉播的奧運。同時在這一屆的奧運上，發生兩位美國非裔田徑選手湯米·史密斯和約翰·卡洛斯為了聲援美國黑人的民權運動，於頒獎典禮上舉起戴著黑色手套的拳頭作為訴求的抗議事件，成為奧運歷史上最為公開的政治聲明之一。