Escudos

Obverse Design: The front (obverse) of the note features a portrait of João de Barros, a prominent Portuguese historian.
Reverse Design: The back (reverse) of the note depicts a scene representing João de Barros’s life in India and the “sphere of letters,” which symbolized the teaching of letters.
Issuance: This particular 500 Escudos note belongs to the 1997-2000 series and was issued by the Banco de Portugal.
Historical Context: The Portuguese Escudo was introduced in 1911 to replace the real and was used in mainland Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, and Portugal’s African colonies until the adoption of the Euro.