Translate / Traducir

The silver crisis of 1943

Though the only surviving notes from the 1943 crisis are from the Cooperativa Minera “Las Dos Estrellas”, the shortage of small change affected the whole of the state.

In late August it was reported that in Morelia merchants were issuing IOUs good only in their establishments in lieu of changeDallas Morning News, 26 August 1943and a couple of weeks later people were suffering real hunger. It was said that poor peasants were going from store to store asking if there was change for a peso when purchasing ten centavos worth of goods. The reply was a firm “No”, or if a “Yes”, then the peasant had to spend thirty centavos. So they had to buy what they did not require La Opinión, Puebla, Año XIX, Tomo LVII, Núm. 6957, 7 September 1943.