Christmas 1989 Medal. Catedral Metropolitana (1989)

This medal is part of a Christmas series dedicated to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, the largest and most emblematic church in Latin America, whose construction stretched over more than two centuries into the 19th. Its Baroque facade and its towers are among the symbols of the capital's Historic Center.

Christmas issues like this one, dedicated to the year 1989, took up religious and architectural motifs of deep popular roots, conceived as seasonal gifts.

Struck in silver, the piece belongs among the commemorative medals with a December theme, of the kind institutions and companies commissioned to give to clients and collaborators at year's end.

The "Navidad 1989" medal dedicated to the Metropolitan Cathedral belongs to a Mexican Christmas series in pure silver, struck as a .999 troy ounce.

What it shows

The reverse bears a Nativity scene: the Virgin with the Child surrounded by figures, shepherds, and sheep, with a star and the engraved legend NAVIDAD 1989 in the upper field. At the foot it reads UNA ONZA DE PLATA PURA .999. The obverse presents the facade of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City with its two towers, surrounded by the legend PRIMERA CATEDRAL EN AMÉRICA and, below, the date 1573 flanked by mint marks.

Context

The year 1573 corresponds to the start of construction of the present church, recognized as the first cathedral raised in the Americas. The piece thus joins the religious Christmas motif with one of the country's most emblematic colonial buildings.

Value and collecting

It is not legal-tender currency, but a commemorative medal: its value rests on the silver content (one .999 ounce) and on the state of preservation. Knocks, wear, and patina weigh as much as the metal. To compare real prices or sell, check the /tiendas directory; for authenticity questions, the /foro community helps pin down the right variant.