The Ibero-American Series

In 1991, the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, together with Spain and Portugal, began an unprecedented project. The Ibero-American Series are coins and medals that are issued over a certain period of time, which have on their reverse the main theme of each series and on the obverse they display in the centre the coat of arms of the issuing nation surrounded by the coats of arms of the countries that make up that series.
Each series was issued over a period of approximately three years, in a joint effort of the Ibero-American countries to show the most important and outstanding features of their territory.

Each Ibero-American series has a name. Not all countries participate in all the series but in the case of Mexico, it took part in nine of the ten series.
The series that have taken place so far have the following themes:
1991 – Series I: Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of America
1996 – Series II: Endangered native animal species
1998 – Series III: Typical Ibero-American Dances and Costumes
2000 – Series IV: Man and the Horse
2002 – Series V: The Nautical tradition
2005 – Series VI: Architecture and Monuments
2008 – Series VII: Ibero-American Countries in Olympic Sports
2010 – Series VIII: Historical Ibero-American Coins
2013 – Series IX: 20th Anniversary
2015 – Series X: Cultural Roots.

All the coins minted by Mexico are in 0.925 sterling silver, weigh 27 grams and have a diameter of 40 mm.

Quincentennial of the Discovery of the Americas

KM 540 KM 540 reverse
KM-540 $100

Mexico's contribution to the first series was the historic Columnnaria (Pillars) design with globes of the Western and Eastern hemispheres between the Pillars of Hercules and the ships of Christopher Columbus below. This is the only coin in the series denominated 100 pesos: later Ibero-American coins are denominated 5 pesos.

The mintage was 30,000 for 1991, and 20,000 in 1992.

Endangered native animal species

KM 588 KM 588 reverse
KM-588 N$5

Mexico's contribution to the second series with the denomination N$5 to accommodate the Coinage Reform of 1992, depicts the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) known in Mexico as the golfina turtle, on the reverse.

The mintage was 11,005 in 1994.