As the name suggests, it is silver from Mexico. Hecho en Mexico – made in Mexico.
From the early days of Aztecs and Spanish explorers, Mexico was rich in silver. During the Mexican War Of Independence (1810-1821), the mines were destroyed and the art of silverwork died out for some time. In the early 1900s there was a resurgence of Mexican silversmithing, and Mexico was returned to its former glory of being a world leader in silvercraft.
MEXICAN SILVER HALLMARKS
Roughly speaking, Mexican silver markings can be dated as follows –
- 1900-1920 – marked 900
- 1920-1940 – marked Mexico Silver, or Hecho en Mexico, or Silver Made in Mexico (commonly .925 purity)
- 1930-1945 – marked 980, 960, 940, 925
- 1948-1955 – eagle logo (with detailed markings), required by government
- 1950 onwards – marked Sterling
- 1955-1979 – eagle logo (silhouette outline), required by government
- 1979 onwards – letter/number mark
A number on the eagle’s chest signifies the city of assay or the individual maker.
The letter/number mark, introduced in 1979, replaced the eagle logo. The first letter refers to the location (eg. T for Taxco, M for Mexico City, G for Guadalajara, C for Cuernavaca). The second letter refers to the maker’s surname. And the number further defines the maker. Eg. a mark of TC-45 means your item was made by the 45th artisan with a surname starting with C, to register in the city of Taxco after 1979. Unfortunately, there is no list to match numbers with names, and there are only a small number that have been identified.
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