Christopher Columbus, named Cristobal Colon in Spanish, plays an important role in the history of Costa Rica and it is no wonder that he’s the one giving his name to Costa Rica’s currency. The man who visited Costa Rica in 1502 on his second voyage and gave the name to this country, is forever connected to Costa Rica’s currency the Colon. Until 1896 the Costa Rican currency had been the Escudo, which was divided in pesos and reales, clearly another Spanish legacy. On October 26th in the year mentioned the colon became the official currency of Costa Rica, when 1 peso was declared equal to 1 colon. In those days one Colon would carry you a long way, but nowadays the exchange rate of Costa Rica’s currency is around 520 Colones to one US Dollar. The devaluation rate of the currency can be measured with the introduction history of the banknotes in Costa Rica. The 1,000 note was introduced in 1958, 5.000 in 1991 and 2,000 and 10,000 in 1997. It will come as no surprise that the coins of 10, 20, 25 and 50 Colones are of less importance than the other currency family members. The exchange rate of Costa Rica’s currency, subject to everlasting devaluation plays an important role in society and is followed on a daily basis. Since US dollars are as easily accepted as Colones, questions about the offered rate are commonly asked. The design of the notes gives a colorful touch to Costa Rica’s currency. The red 1,000 Colones note has been nicknamed a ‘rojo’ (red), the 5.000 note a ‘tucan’ thanks to the image of one of Costa Rica’s most famous birds. What all the notes have in common is that the currency of Costa Rica presents an awareness of the national history and of it’s roll as protector of it’s precious environment. On the 2,000 Colones we find the picture of Clodomiro Picado Twight, born in 1887 this Costa Rican toxicologist studied snake venom extensively and developed several anti-venom serums. On the 10,000 Colones we find Emma Gamboa, who played a prominent roll in shaping the national educational system in the 1950’s and 60’s. Detailed images of the hammerhead shark, dolphin, toucan, jaguar, puma, pre-Columbian stone sphere and sculpture on the notes make Costa Rica’s currency a powerful representative of it’s culture.