The sign of the “figurative sun” in the Numismatics of Puerto Rico

Abstract

The sign of the solar disk constitutes one of the most important mythological and religious symbols within the vast majority of ancient civilizations. From the Shamash of the Mesopotamians, the Ra, Aten or Amun-Ra of the Egyptians, the Greek Apollo, the Roman Helios, the Aztec Huitzilopochtli, or the Inca Inti, the solar disk occupied a primordial place in the pantheon of the most diverse civiliza-tions and peoples throughout history. As an iconographic sign, the flaming sun —and in many cases with human or “figurative” features— quickly came to occupy a prominent place in heraldry, as well as in the art of coins and medals, often associated with concepts of libertarian struggles. In this work we propose an initial approach to the use of the “figurative sun” in various monetary pieces of the island of Puerto Rico; mainly in the enigmatic “pattern coin” of 1890, as well as in various “riles” or tokens from plantations and merchants of the late nineteenth century.