Strength and Sovereignty
VEN104, 2018, 20 VES

Slot Comment:

Bolivares Soberanos (Sovereign Bolivar)

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Note Details

  

Set Details
Note Description: 20 Bolívares 2018 - Printer: CMV
Grade: 66 EPQ
Country: Venezuela
Note Number: VEN104a
Signatures/
Vignettes: 		- Wmk: S. Bolívar & BCV
Certification #: 1963232-047
Owner: Revenant
Set Category: World
Set Name: Strength and Sovereignty
Slot Name: VEN104, 2018, 20 VES
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

The front of this note shows a portrait of Simón Rodríguez - which appears to be essentially the same art as used for the VEN98, 10 000 BsF note from 2016. Even the coloring of this note is very similar to the VEN98 - I guess just to add to the confusion. Check the description on VEN98 for some biographical information on him.

Where this note starts to depart more from the VEN98 is the back, where it instead features a Jaguar (Panthera onca) with the Waraira Repano National Park in the background.

The Jaguar is the only extant species of the genus Panthera that is native to the Americas (the Cougar is a Puma species and the Bobcat is a Lynx). Its coat features pale yellow to tan colored fur covered by spots that transition to darker rosettes on the sides. It is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world with a body length that can reach up to about 6 ft. Its jaws can bite through turtle shells and it can bite through / crush the skulls of smaller mammals. The species ranges from Arizona to Northern Argentina, even though it has mostly disappeared North of the Yucatan Peninsula and its historical range used to extend well into Argentina. The species is considered an “opportunistic”, “stalk-and-ambush” apex predator and a ecosystem stabilizing keystone species.

It has been considered “near threatened” since 2002 on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and poaching. So, it seems less threatened / endangered than most of the other animals featured on these notes in the last 20 years, but it probably earns a place on a note because the Jaguar features prominently in the mythology of many indigenous peoples in South and Central America, including the Maya and the Aztecs - and the Chavez led government has liked playing up that pre-Spanish history.

In pre-Columbian America the Jaguar was a symbol of power and strength. The Olmecs had “were-jaguar” motifs in the Yucatan. The Mayans believed that the jaguar could facilitate communication with the dead. They protected the royal household, and they were kept as pets. The Aztecs considered the jaguar a totem animal of the deity Tezcatlipoca, had an elite class of warriors known as Jaguar Warriors and used the jaguar as a representation of the ruler.

The “Waraira Repano National Park” / “Avila National Park” - which is also on VEN107 - protects part of the Cordillera de la Costa Central Mountain Range, in the Central-Northern coastal region of Venezuela. Cerro El Ávila, a peak in this range and in this national park, marks the north of Caracas and serves as a navigational aide for people and is also featured on VEN99 and VEN100. The Park is called “el pulmon de la ciudad” (“the lungs of the city”). The peak is home to the longest cable car ride in the world and supports recreational activities like running, biking, rock climbing, camping, and zip-lining. There are several hotels and restaurants situated in the surrounding hills and ever December a large crucifix high up the mountain that faces the city - called “Cruz de Navidad” - is lit-up and can be seen from “very far distances.”

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