Obverse: The
Coat of arms of Mexico is shown with a
Mexican golden eagle perched on a
prickly pear cactus devouring a
rattlesnake. This imagery relates to the founding of
Tenochtitlan, present-day
Mexico City. The coat of arms is rooted in the legend where the god
Huitzilopochtli told the
Aztec people where to build their city: where they saw an eagle eating a snake on top of a cactus. The bottom half of the coat of arms has
oak and
laurel leaves encircling the eagle. The top half has the words ''
(United Mexican States) encircling the eagle. The gold obverse has not changed since its inception and the silver coin had the same obverse at its inception. In 2000, the silver obverse was changed to depict the current Mexican national coat of arms along with 10 past versions of this symbol surrounding it. The Spanish inscription ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS'' still surrounds the central coat of arms. The past version of the symbol at the top is found in the
Codex Mendoza from 1524.
Reverse: The design used was based on the 1921 gold
Centenario, a coin issued to mark the centennial of Mexican independence. The
winged Victoria of
Angel of Independence is in front with the volcanoes
Popocatépetl and
Iztaccihuatl in the background. The weight ('''' or ounce), date, and purity are also listed. The older Libertad coins show a front-facing view of the angel. The new Libertad series shows a three-quarter side profile of the angel. The gold used the older angel from 1981 through 1999. The silver used the older angel from 1982 through 1995. == Specifications==