Item number: A4642

Reference number: KM#380.7

Year: AD 1825

Material: Gold (.875)

Size: 21.0 x 21.0 mm

Weight: 6.7700 g recorded

Manufactured by: Casa de Moneda de México

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2025

This specimen represents a two-escudo gold coin minted by the First Federal Republic of Mexico in AD 1825.

The centre of the coin’s obverse features the Mexican coat of arms, depicting an eagle holding a snake in its beak, perched upon a prickly pear cactus growing from a rock in the middle of a lake. This coat of arms is derived from Aztec mythology, wherein the rock described corresponds to the original site of Tenochtitlan, which is present-day Mexico City. The oak and laurel branches below symbolise victory in Greco-Roman mythology and are consequently frequently employed as symbols of republicanism. Circumscribed above is the Spanish inscription ‘REPUBLICA MEXICANA’, representing the official name of the First Federal Republic of Mexico, the ‘Mexican Republic’. The edges of both the obverse and reverse of the coin are encircled by fine denticles.

The centre of the reverse features an open book, upon whose pages the word ‘LEY’—Spanish for ‘Law’—is faintly discernible. To the right, a hand holds a staff topped with a Phrygian cap; this headgear originated from the manumitted slaves of ancient Rome and became a symbol of liberty and liberation following the French Revolution. Circumscribed above is the inscription ‘LA LIBERTAD EN LA LEY’, which translates to ‘Liberty under the Law’. Encircled below is the mint mark and assayers’ initials reading ‘*2E•Mo•1865•J•M•21Qs.’, in which ‘2E’ denotes the denomination of two escudos, ‘Mo’ represents the mint mark of the Mexico City Mint (Casa de Moneda de México), ‘1825’ indicates the year of mintage (AD 1825), ‘J•M’ presumably stands for the assayers’ initials, and ‘21Qs’ signifies ‘21 karats’, equivalent to a gold purity of 87.5 per cent.

Guadalupe Victoria was originally named José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix. Following the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence (AD 1810–1821), he committed himself to the revolutionary cause, serving under the “Father of Independence,” Miguel Hidalgo, and subsequently under José María Morelos, through which he achieved considerable renown for his valour in battle. To demonstrate his devotion both to the cause of independence and to the Virgin of Guadalupe, he altered his name to “Guadalupe Victoria,” symbolizing victory and faith. When Morelos was executed and the independence movement entered a period of stagnation, Victoria persisted in conducting protracted guerrilla warfare across the regions of Oaxaca and Veracruz. Characterised by his integrity and incorruptibility, he amassed immense prestige amidst a chaotic political landscape dominated by rival warlords. In AD 1821, Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero concluded the Plan of Iguala, thereby achieving Mexican independence; however, Iturbide subsequently proclaimed himself emperor, establishing the First Mexican Empire. Principled in his opposition to autocracy, Victoria allied with Antonio López de Santa Anna and others to issue the Plan of Casa Mata, which successfully overthrew the imperial regime. In AD 1824, the Mexican Constituent Congress ratified a new constitution, establishing the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos), historically designated as the First Federal Republic. Leveraging his unimpeachable prestige and his impartial, moderate stance, Victoria was elected as the inaugural president in Mexican history (AD 1824–1829). During his administration, he successfully secured diplomatic recognition from major powers, including Great Britain and the United States, whilst deftly conciliating domestic factions, thereby becoming one of the very few presidents in Mexico’s turbulent early state-building history to complete his term of office peacefully.

Following the collapse of the First Empire in AD 1823, Mexico established a republican framework, yet its political arena remained exceedingly volatile. Regarding domestic conditions, the political sphere was polarised between the Liberals (Federalists), who represented regional elites and advocated for decentralisation, and the Conservatives, who comprised high-ranking clergy, prominent landowners, and veteran military officers championing centralisation. These two factions became embedded within the Scottish Rite and York Rite Masonic organisations respectively, extending their conflict from parliament to armed rebellions and rendering the political situation perpetually unstable. Economically, the protracted war of independence had devastated the mining and agricultural sectors, triggered massive capital flight, and brought national finances to the brink of bankruptcy, forcing the state to rely upon high-interest British loans for sustenance. Internationally, early ministers such as Lucas Alamán made rigorous diplomatic efforts, progressively securing recognition from European powers, the United States, and the Holy See around AD 1826; nevertheless, external threats persisted unabated. In AD 1829, a Spanish expeditionary force attempting to restore colonial rule was repulsed by General Santa Anna. Concurrently, the United States Minister, Joel Roberts Poinsett, intervened deeply in Mexican domestic affairs, whilst American expansionist ambitions toward northern territories, such as Texas, became increasingly manifest. This impasse of compounded domestic and external crises culminated in the mid-AD 1830s. The Liberal administration that assumed power in AD 1833 attempted to implement radical secularisation and military reforms, which alienated vested interests and incited nationwide chaos. Capitalising on this instability, the military and political strongman Santa Anna re-emerged, aligned himself with Conservative forces, and declared the abolition of the AD 1824 Federal Constitution in AD 1835. He subsequently promulgated the Seven Laws (Siete Leyes), thereby formally concluding the political system of the First Federal Republic.

物件編號: A4642

參考書目編號: KM#380.7

年代: 公元 1825 年

材質: 黃金 (.875)

尺寸: 21.0 x 21.0 mm

重量: 記錄為 6.7700 g

製造地: 墨西哥城造幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2025

這是一枚墨西哥第一聯邦共和國於公元1825年所鑄之金幣，面額為二埃斯庫多。

金幣正面中央是墨西哥國徽，為一隻叼著蛇的雄鷹佇立在一棵從湖中的岩石長出的仙人掌上。國徽取自阿茲特克人的神話，而神話中所敘述的岩石，便是特諾奇蒂特蘭城的原址，也就是如今的墨西哥城。下方的橡葉與月桂在希臘羅馬神話中象徵著勝利，也因此經常作為共和制的象徵。周圍上方環列西班牙文「REPUBLICA MEXICANA」則為「墨西哥第一聯邦共和國」的官方名稱「墨西哥共和國」。硬幣正面與背面的邊緣皆以細方齒環繞。

銀幣背面中央為翻開的書，書頁上隱約可見「LEY」，即西文中的「法律」。右側手持棍上撐著一頂弗里吉亞帽，該服飾源於古羅馬時期的解放奴隸，於法國大革命後，該帽成為自由與解放的象徵。周圍上方環列「LA LIBERTAD EN LA LEY」，可譯為「法治下的自由」；下方環列「*2E•Mo•1825•J•M•21Qs.」，其中「2E」為面額「二埃斯庫多」(2 escudos)，「Mo」為墨西哥城造幣廠(Casa de Moneda de México)的鑄幣標記，「1825」為鑄造年，「J•M」大概是驗金師的姓名縮寫，「21Qs」即為「21K」，相當於含金量87.5%。

瓜達盧佩·維多利亞(Guadalupe Victoria)原名何塞·米格爾·拉蒙·阿杜阿托·費爾南德斯·伊·費利克斯(José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix)。在墨西哥獨立戰爭(公元1810-1821年)爆發後，他投身革命，並在「獨立之父」伊達爾哥(Hidalgo)與隨後的莫雷洛斯(Morelos)麾下效命，因作戰英勇而聲名大噪。為了彰顯對獨立志業與瓜達盧佩聖母的虔誠，他將名字改為象徵勝利與信仰的「瓜達盧佩·維多利亞」。當莫雷洛斯犧牲、獨立運動陷入低潮時，他在瓦哈卡和韋拉克魯斯一帶堅持長期的游擊戰。他生性耿直清廉，在群雄割據的混亂政局中累積了極高的聲望。公元1821年，伊圖爾維德(Iturbide)與格雷羅(Guerrero)達成《伊瓜拉計畫》(Plan of Iguala)實現墨西哥獨立，但隨後伊圖爾維德自立為帝(第一帝國)。維多利亞因反對專制，與聖塔安納(Santa Anna)等人聯手發表《卡薩馬塔計畫》(Plan of Casa Mata)推翻了帝制。公元1824年，墨西哥制憲會議通過新憲法，成立「墨西哥合眾國」(Estados Unidos Mexicanos)，史稱「第一聯邦共和國」(First Federal Republic)，維多利亞憑藉其無可任命的威望與不偏不倚的溫和立場，獲選為墨西哥歷史上首任總統(公元1824-1829年)。他在任內成功獲得英國、美國等大國的承認，並妥協協調了國內各派系，成為墨西哥動盪建國史中，極少數能平安做滿任期的總統。

公元1823年，第一帝國瓦解後，墨西哥雖然建立了共和體制，但政局極端動盪。在國內情勢方面，政治上分裂為代表地方豪強、主張地方分權的「自由派(聯邦派)」，以及由高級僧侶、大地主和舊軍官組成、主張中央集權的「保守派」；這兩派更各自寄生於蘇格蘭禮儀派與約克禮儀派的宗教組織中，鬥爭從議會延伸到武裝叛亂，導致政局動盪不寧。經濟上，長年獨立戰爭使採礦業與農業崩潰，資本大量外流，國家財政幾近破產，必須依賴高利的英國貸款維生。在國際情勢方面，初期的外長阿拉曼(Lucas Alamán)等人努力開拓外交，雖在公元1826年前後逐步獲得歐美各國與教廷的承認，但周邊威脅從未停歇。公元1829年，西班牙派遣軍隊企圖復辟殖民統治，被聖塔安納將軍擊退；同時，美國公使波因塞特深度干涉墨國內政，且美國對德克薩斯等北方領土的擴張野心已逐步顯現。這種內外交困的僵局最終在公元1830年代中期走向結束：公元1833年上台的自由派政府試圖推行激進的政教分離與軍事改革，觸怒了既得利益階層，引發全國性混亂；軍政強人聖塔安納此時乘勢復出，迎合保守派勢力，於公元1835年宣布廢除1824年聯邦憲法，改行中央集權制，並於隨後頒布《七條法律》(Siete Leyes)，正式宣告了第一聯邦共和國體制的終結。