5000 Bolívares Santiago Mariño

Santiago Mariño was one of the principal military commanders of Venezuelan independence, operating primarily in the eastern theater while Bolívar campaigned in the west — a geographical division that also reflected a genuine rivalry between the two men. This coin was issued as part of a commemorative gold series the Banco Central de Venezuela produced sporadically through the 1980s, a decade when the country's oil revenues were collapsing and the bolívar was under sustained devaluation pressure. The irony of striking a 5,000-bolívar gold coin while the currency itself was eroding was not lost on contemporaries.