Currency of Venezuela Currency of Venezuela This article provides a historical summary of the currency used in Venezuela since the end of the 18th century. For the present currency of Venezuela, see Venezuelan bolívar. Peso = 8 Reales (silver) Escudo = 2 Pesos (gold) History Venezuela shared the common Spanish-American monetary system, based on the silver peso and the gold escudo, current throughout Spanish America. Trade, especially in cacao, brought money to the colony in the late 17th century in the form of coin from the Mexico money supply increased significantly after the Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas obtained a trade monopoly in 1729,
Silver and gold diadem from the tomb of Philip II able to fill it with the metals they wished to use. The gilding process that most likely would have been used on this diadem would have involved gold leaf being burnished to the silver. The adhesion of gold with the use of heat helps promote interdiffusion with the underlying metals which usually consist silver or copper. While examining the diadem the most notable feature is the Herakles knot located on the front imitating a cloth headband. The knot is a reminder that the Macedonian king was a religious leader and direct descendant of the Greek hero and his father Zeus,