As in every modern economy daily life in Colombia is shaped by institutions that channel the lifeblood of the country: money. As a former government minister, an academic economist and a board member of the 'fed' of Colombia, the author presents a broad view of the financial history of the oldest and presently second largest classic economy in South America, covering 500 years of change in banking and monetary policy. Colombia's financial institutions, banks, and governmental monetary policies evolved through long periods of struggles to serve modernisation and stability in a region with many contrary forces at work. Profusely illustrated, it serves as a catalogue of Colombian currency from its Independence to the present. This is a book of high academic value that is also a pleasure to read.