 The $100 note design reviews the life of Julio Argentino Roca (1843–1914). Julio Argentino Roca: He begins his military career at the age of fifteen and, after two decades, he finally achieves the rank of Lieutenant General. He organizes and conducts the Conquest of the Desert (1875–1879), a campaign that greatly contributed to the development of the agricultural economy. His candidacy for President unleashes the conflict that would end in the nationalization of the city of Buenos Aires. Once the city becomes the capital of the country, the long-lasting confrontation between the interior provinces and the province of Buenos Aires comes to an end. Under the motto "Peace and Administration," his first term of office (1880–1886) leads to multiple achievements: the Education Act No. 1420, the National Territories Law, and the Codes of Procedures are passed; border treaties are signed with Chile and Brazil; the Argentine sovereignty over the Islas Malvinas is asserted; a national uniform currency is issued; roads, the telegraphic lines, and the railway network are extended; the army is modernized; schools are built; immigration is fostered; and the first large-scale industries are set up. In 1898 Roca begins a new term in office marked by new achievements such as the negotiations with Chile; the "Drago Doctrine" implementation and incorporation into the American International Law; the creation of industrial, national, and normal schools, as well as agriculture and agronomy schools; the development of railway lines; the construction of ports, the National Congress, and the Court Building; the distribution of land; the consolidation of monetary stability; the creation of the National Pension Fund; among others.
The center front features his portrait and the background, a replica of a letter Roca sent to Miguel Cané, the then ambassador to Austria (1883-1885). It also evokes Argentine progress under the sun of the future. Rapid national expansion and the State's efficient action relate to the following verses in the National Anthem: "[I]n the face of the Earth a new and glorious Nation is born."
The back features the picture called "The Conquest of the Desert" by Uruguayan painter Juan M. Blanes (1830–1901), where General Roca and his general staff are inspecting the troops. There is also a summary of the hero's biography in microprinting; some hand-written sheets of paper, the saber, and a laurel branch evoke Roca as a statesman and military man. The background features the outline of a horse and a spear, the note's denomination repeated in a staggering fashion and various geometrical designs. |
