El Banco de Zacatecas

The Banco de Zacatecas, granted a concession on 3 March 1891, was founded on 25 May 1891 by Jesus and Antonio Garcia, Rafael Villalpando and Luis Macias with a capital of $600,000 and began operating on 8 December of the same year. Most of the founding members were men of lineage, well-known business men, merchants and land owners^{The first board were Genaro García, as presidente, Luis Macías, Rafael Villalpando, Enrique Hatchandy, Cayetano Arteaga, Jaime G. Würst, Leopoldo Viadero, Francisco Pérez, Agustín G. González and Luan Breña}. Strangely enough, over a dozen of the shareholders also owned shares in the Compañía Guanajuatense-Zacatecana which was the last private enterprise that leased the Zacatecas Mint (1876-1895).

Following the Ley General de Instituciones de Credito, on 12 November 1897 the bank, represented by Genaro G. García, renounced its existing rights and entered into a new contract with the federal government.

The bank established a branch in Aguascalientes, under the management of R. G. Kimball, and another in Lagos de Moreno, in the state of Jalisco.

From the beginning of the armed movement in 1910 until the end of 1913 Zacatecas did not suffer serious conflict. Nonetheless, at the beginning of 1914 the winds of war began to blow across the mountainous regions of Zacatecas and with the approach of the revolutionary forces the board took the decision on 2 June 1914 to close the head offices and move to Mexico City.

On 8 December 1915, following an investigation into the bank's finances, the Comisión Reguladora e Inspectora de Instituciones de Crédito declared that the bank was within the terms set by the Ley General and would keep its concession.

Under Obregón's decree of 31 January 1921 the bank was placed into Class A (for banks whose assets were greater than their liabilities) and allowed to resume all customary operations except the issue of bank notes. The bank was finally liquidated in 1930.

ANBC print runs

The bank issued notes in seven denominations ($1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $500) printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. All of them bear a vignette (C 181) of Francisco Garcia Salinas (governor from 1828 to 1834) on the face as well as different allegories and rural or industrial scenes. The ABNC engraved special vignettes of "oxen ploughing" (C 438) and "a view of a mining district" (C 441). For the backs the ABNC engraved a special vignette of the Cerro de la Bufa (C 439).

The American Bank Note Company's print runs were: