4 Reales - Carlos IV Proclamation coinage

Proclamation pieces — acuñaciones de proclamación — were struck not for circulation but for ceremonial scattering at public acclamation events when a new Spanish monarch was formally proclaimed in the colonies. When news of Carlos IV's accession reached Mexico City in 1789, the viceroy organized the obligatory festivities, and these bronze pieces were among those thrown into crowds gathered in the Plaza Mayor. The bronze composition distinguishes this from the silver counterpart, almost certainly produced for distribution rather than for the grandees who received the finer strikes.