Distritos (Celaya - Ciudad González)

Celaya

Portal de las Flores, Celaya, 1908

As a major commercial centre, Celaya will have needed a sizeable quantity of fractional currency. Again, we can differentiate several issues, but not necessarly decide on the sequence. Three series were designated 'TRANSITORIO' so might have had a definte time limit.

Series 1

One series (1c, 2c, 5c) had a common design and was overprinted on both sides with a red Roman numeral.

Series 2

Another sequence (5c, 10c, 50c) had alternate Roman and Arabic numerals in opposite corners and two stamps, a circular one with 'TESORERIA MUNICIPAL' and the horseshoe shaped coat-of-arms of the city.

Series 3

Another series (5c(?), 10c and 20c) had Arabic numerals, the coat-of-arms on the face and the round 'TESORERIA MUNICIPAL' stamp on the reverse.

Series 4

Finally, another series was of three higher values (20c, 50c and $1), carried the legend 'guaranteed by the Municipal Treasury (Garantizados por la Tesoreria Municipal) and numbers.

On 11 April 1915 in reply to a message that the lack of small change was leading to his troops committing outrages^{ABarragán, caja III, exp. 10, f. 11 telegram Obregón, Celaya, to Carranza, Veracruz, 11 April 1915} Carranza told Obregón in Celaya that as he could not send any currency Obregón could issue his own or authorise local businesses to do so, guaranteeing the same with deposits of Constitutionalist notes^{ABarragán, caja III, exp. 10, f. 10 telegram Carranza, Veracruz, to Obregón, Celaya, 11 April 1915}. However, Obregón replied that he did not have the necessary equipment and it would be easier to produce the currency in Veracruz^{ABarragán, caja III, exp. 10, f. 40 telegram Obregón to Carranza, Veracruz, 12 April 1915}.

Chamacuero

A 20 centavos note with the rubber stamp of the Agencia Municipal de Chamacuero.

Ciudad González

Ciudad González (now San Felipe) is a town and municipality at the northernmost tip of the state^{the town was founded in 1562, with the name San Felipe in honour of Phillip II of Spain. In 1889 the name was changed to Ciudad González in honour of the then governor of Guanajuato, Manuel González. The name was again changed in 1938, this time to Ciudad Hernández Álvarez, after governor Enrique Herández Álvarez. In 1948 the city's name reverted to the original name of San Felipe}.

The notes state that they were temporary (TRANSITORIO), for local use (EMISION LOCAL) and issued by the Junta de Administración Municipal with the approval of the state government.

Their design is similar to the cartones issued in San Luis Potosí. The title ‘Junta de Administración Municipal’ dates these notes to the period when the Carrancista governor, José Siurob (governor from 11 May 1915 to end of December 1916), reorganised the state’s administration, establishing Juntas de Administración Civil in all the municipalities and smaller entities. The Junta de Administración Civil in Ciudad González was led by Mayor Bulmaro E. Covarrubias.