The inti was the

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

between 1985 and 1991. Its

ISO 4217 ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that defines alpha codes and numeric codes for the representation of currencies and provides information about the relationships between individ ...

code was ''PEI'' and its abbreviation was ''I/.'' The inti was divided into 100 céntimos. The inti replaced the inflation-stricken sol. The new currency was named after

Inti Inti is the ancient Inca mythology, Inca solar deity, sun god. He is revered as the national Tutelary deity, patron of the Inca state. Although most consider Inti the sun god, he is more appropriately viewed as a cluster of solar aspects, since t ...

, the

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

sun god.

History

The inti was introduced on 1 February 1985, replacing the sol de oro which had suffered from high inflation. One inti was equivalent to 1,000 soles de oro. Coins denominated in the new unit were put into circulation from May 1985 and banknotes followed in June of that year. By 1990, the inti had itself suffered from high inflation. As an interim measure, from January to July 1991, the "inti millón" (I/m.) was used as a unit of account. One inti millón was equal to 1,000,000 intis and hence to one new sol. The ''

nuevo sol The sol (; plural: soles; currency sign: S/) is the currency of Peru; it is subdivided into 100 ''céntimos'' ("cents"). The ISO 4217 currency code is PEN. The sol replaced the Peruvian inti in 1991 and the name is a return to that of Peru's hi ...

'' ("new sol") was adopted on 1 July 1991, replacing the inti at an exchange rate of a million to one. Thus: 1 new sol = 1,000,000 intis = 1,000,000,000 soles de oro. Inti notes and coins are no longer legal tender in Peru, nor can they be exchanged for notes and coins denominated in the current ''nuevo sol''.

Inti million(I./.m.)

The Inti million was a currency unit adopted on 1 January 1991, by the Supreme Decree n.º 326-90-EF accepted on 16 December 1990. This unit was in force until 1 July 1991. Both prices and accounting records were expressed in millions of Intis with all the zeros removed.https://www.bcrp.gob.pe/billetes-y-monedas/unidades-monetarias/inti.html For example: I/. 12,453,734 = I/.m. 12,45

Coins

Coins were introduced in 1985 in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 centimos (designs were taken from the previous 10, 50, 100, and 500 ''soles de oro'' coins), plus 1 and 5 intis. The 1 céntimo coin was issued only in 1985. The 5 céntimo coins were issued until 1986. All the other denominations were issued until 1988. All coins featured Navy Admiral

Miguel Grau Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 July 1834 – 8 October 1879) was a Peruvian Navy officer and politician best known for his actions during the War of the Pacific. He was nicknamed "Gentleman of the Seas" for his kind and chivalrous treatment ...

: cent coins on the reverse, Inti coins on the obverse.

Banknotes

In June 1985, notes were introduced in denominations of I/.10, I/.50 (taken from previous 10,000 and 50,000 ''soles de oro'' notes) and I/.100, followed by I/.500 in December of the same year. The next year, I/.1,000 notes were added, followed by I/.5,000 and I/.10,000 in 1988. 50,000 and I/.100,000 notes were added in 1989. I/.500,000 denominations were added early in 1990, I/.1,000,000 denominations were added in mid-1990, and I/.5,000,000 intis in August 1990. The obverses featured: *I/.10 -

Ricardo Palma Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano (February 7, 1833 – October 6, 1919) was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian and politician. His magnum opus is the '' Tradiciones peruanas''. Biography According to the official account, Manuel Ricardo Pa ...

, writer *I/.50 -

Nicolás de Piérola José Nicolás Baltasar Fernández de Piérola y Villena (known as "''El Califa''" ("The Caliph"); January 5, 1839 – June 23, 1913) was a Peruvian politician and Minister of Finance of Peru, Minister of Finance who served as the 23rd (1879 ...

, President, finance minister *I/.100 -

Ramón Castilla Ramón Castilla y Marquesado (; 31 August 1797 – 30 May 1867) was a Peruvian ''caudillo'' who served as President of Peru three times as well as the Interim President of Peru (Revolution Self-proclaimed President) in 1863. His earliest p ...

, President, Army Marshal *I/.500 -

Túpac Amaru II Tupac Amaru II (born José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera, – 18 May 1781) was an Indigenous ''cacique'' who led a Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II, large Andean rebellion against the Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish in Peru as Self-proclaimed monarc ...

, revolutionary leader *I/.1,000 -

Andrés Avelino Cáceres Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray (10 November 1836 – 10 October 1923) was a Peruvian politician and general who served as the President of Peru, from 1886 to 1890 as the 27th president, and again from 1894 to 1895 as the 30th. He is cons ...

, President, Army Marshal *I/.5,000 -

, Navy admiral *I/.10,000 -

César Vallejo César Abraham Vallejo Mendoza (March 16, 1892 – April 15, 1938) was a Peruvian poet, writer, playwright, and journalist. Although he published only two books of poetry during his lifetime, he is considered one of the great poetic innovators ...

, writer *I/.50,000 -

Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre (February 22, 1895 – August 2, 1979) was a Peruvian politician, philosopher, and author who founded the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) political movement, the oldest currently existing political ...

, politician *I/.100,000 -

Francisco Bolognesi Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes (4 November 1816 – 7 June 1880) was a Peruvian military colonel. He is considered a national hero in Peru and was declared patron of the Army of Peru by the government of Peru on 2 January 1951. Early life and ...

, Army colonel *I/.500,000 - Ricardo Palma, writer *I/.1,000,000 -

Hipólito Unanue José Hipólito Unanue y Pavón (August 13, 1755–July 15, 1833) was a physician, naturalist, meteorologist, cosmographer, the first Minister of Finance of Peru, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Protomédico (equivalent to Minister of health com ...

, medical doctor, nationalist *I/.5,000,000 - Antonio Raimondi, scientist All banknotes were made by foreign companies and were ordered by the

Central Reserve Bank of Peru The Central Reserve Bank of Peru (; BCRP) is the Peruvian central bank. It mints and issues metal and paper money, the Peruvian sol, sol. Its branch in Arequipa was established in 1871, and it served the city by issuing money as well as maintain ...

. The name of the printers are seen on the backside of the note on the left side or right side of the down corner of the banknote. The last banknote of the Inti was the 5,000,000 Intis banknote which was first released in 1990, then a second variant(with covered watermarks) were printed in January 1991. By 1 July 1991, when the Nuevos Sol was introduced, the majority of the banknotes were withdrawn. Banknotes from 10,000 Intis(worth 0,01 Sol) to 5,000,000 Intis(5,00 Soles) were kept in circulation until it was discontinued in 1992, during the government of

Alberto Fujimori Alberto Kenji Fujimori Fujimori (26 July 1938 – 11 September 2024) was a Peruvian politician, professor, and engineer who served as the 54th president of Peru from 1990 to 2000.* * * * * * * Born in Lima, Fujimori was the country's fir ...

References

External links

Peru Banknotes: full detailed catalog
{{Portal bar, Money, Numismatics, Peru, South America Modern obsolete currencies