50 000 Pesos

Mexico's inflation crisis of the mid-1980s forced denominations upward at a pace that outran public comprehension. The 50,000 Peso note was a direct product of that spiral — the country's consumer price index rose over 100% annually for several consecutive years in this period, and the central bank was printing new high-denomination notes faster than old ones could be withdrawn.

Banco de México printed this series in-house, which was not always the case for the institution — earlier series had relied on foreign security printers. The watermark remains the sole mechanical security feature, a relatively thin barrier against counterfeiting for a note of this face value.