Paintings on pesos illustrate Argentina's currency and inflation woes

Artist Sergio Díaz holds up a piece of his Money Art; the backdrop a U.S. dollar and an Argentine 500-peso note featuring George Washington holding a rifle alongside a dead jaguar, in his studio in Salta, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. As millions of Argentines express dismay and anger over the rapid depreciation of the local currency, a group of artists is seeking to show the economic damage through their artwork. (AP Photo/Javier Corbalan)

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By Associated Press

September 14, 2023 at 4:04 AM UTC

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A jaguar lies beside George Washington. The United States’ first president holds a rifle with one hand as he rests the other on the dead Argentine predator.

The backdrop is a U.S. dollar and an Argentine 500-peso note joined like a book, a clear allusion to the rapid depreciation of the local currency, the peso. That has made it difficult for Argentines to make ends meet. The peso has depreciated around 60% compared to the U.S. dollar over the past year. It has occurred in parallel to one of the world’s highest inflation rates. Together, the economic travails have have bolstered an anti-establishment candidate who admires former President Donald Trump.