Brazil 500 Cruzados 1987

Issued in 1987 by the Central Bank of Brazil, this 500 Cruzados banknote honors Heitor Villa-Lobos, one of Brazil’s most influential classical composers and conductors. The obverse features a portrait of Villa-Lobos, accompanied by musical elements and abstract motifs inspired by his compositions, reflecting the richness of Brazilian cultural identity.

The reverse shows Villa-Lobos conducting an orchestra, with musicians and instruments in a stylized setting that symbolizes his legacy in symphonic and choral music. The design uses shades of blue, green, and gray, giving it a refined and artistic appearance.

This note is printed on cotton-based paper. It includes a watermark of Heitor Villa-Lobos, microprinted text, and UV-reactive security fibers, but no security thread. The dimensions are 154 × 74 mm. It circulated briefly before being replaced by the Cruzado Novo during Brazil’s frequent currency reforms of the late 1980s.

Obverse

Portrait of Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) on a piano keyboard, with the left representing a Victoria amazonica in bloom. In the background an excerpt from the score of the work “Uirapuru”. The set of images is flanked by the phrase “Considero minhas obras como cartas que escrevi à posteridade sem esperar resposta” (I consider my works as letters that I wrote to posterity without waiting for a response), given by the maestro, repeatedly written in two overlapping lines, each for a line on each side.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
BANCO CENTRAL DO BRASIL 500
CONSIDERO MINHAS OBRAS COMO CARTAS QUE ESCREVI À POSTERIDADE SEM ESPERAR RESPOSTA
PRESIDENTE DO
CONSELHO MONETÁRIO NACIONAL
PRESIDENTE DO
BANCO CENTRAL DO BRASIL
CASA DA MOEDA DO BRASIL
DEUS SEJA LOUVADO
VILLA LOBOS
500
QUINHENTOS
CRUZADOS
CASA DA MOEDA DO BRASIL

Translation:
Central Bank of Brazil 500

“I consider my works as letters I written to posterity without waiting for an answer”
President of the National Monetary Council
President of the Central Bank of Brazil
Brazilian Mint
God be praised
Villa Lobos
500 Five Hundred Cruzados

Reverse

In the background, an engraving based on the work of Johann Moritz Rugendas, representing a primitive Brazilian forest on the bank of a river, where a canoe appears carrying people.
The set of images is flanked by the phrase “Considero minhas obras como cartas que escrevi à posteridade sem esperar resposta” (“I consider my works as letters that I wrote to posterity without waiting for a response”), given by the conductor, repeatedly written in two overlapping lines, each for a line on each side.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
CONSIDERO MINHAS OBRAS COMO CARTAS QUE ESCREVI À POSTERIDADE SEM ESPERAR RESPOSTA
500
500 QUINHENTOS CRUZADOS

Translation:
“I consider my works as letters I written to posterity without waiting for an answer”
500
Five Hundred cruzados

Watermark

Portrait of the Heitor Villa Lobos

© Wilson Roberto Vasques Nunes

Signatures

Dilson Domingos Funaro (DDF)	President of the National Monetary Council
Fernío Carlos Botelho Bracher (FCBB)	President of the Central Bank of Brazil
Francisco Roberto André Gros (FRAG)	President of the Central Bank of Brazil
Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira (LCBP)	President of the National Monetary Council
Fernando Milliet de Oliveira (FMO)	President of the Central Bank of Brazil
Maí­lson Ferreira da Nóbrega (MFN)	President of the National Monetary Council
Elmo de Araújo Camões (EAC)	President of the Central Bank of Brazil

Printer

Casa da Moeda do Brasil, Brazil

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