Felipe V spent much of 1714–1715 consolidating control over Spain and its colonial mints following the War of the Spanish Succession, which had ended with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The Mexico City mint — one of the crown's most productive gold sources — continued striking cob-style escudos through this period, a hammered technology already archaic by European standards but retained in colonial mints for speed and output. These macuquina pieces were notorious for their irregular shape and inconsistent planchet preparation, which made them vulnerable to clipping fraud and eventually drove the Crown to mandate milled coinage reforms later in the century.
Felipe V spent much of 1714–1715 consolidating control over Spain and its colonial mints following the War of the Spanish Succession, which had ended with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The Mexico City mint — one of the crown's most productive gold sources — continued striking cob-style escudos through this period, a hammered technology already archaic by European standards but retained in colonial mints for speed and output. These macuquina pieces were notorious for their irregular shape and inconsistent planchet preparation, which made them vulnerable to clipping fraud and eventually drove the Crown to mandate milled coinage reforms later in the century.