Incan deity design

Goddess of the Moon, Mama Quilla was an important deity for the people of the Inca Empire who portrayed her as a silver disk with a female face on it. Associated with the moon through numerous mythological stories, Mama Quilla was believed to shed tears of silver that fell to Earth and could be mined as precious metal.

The coin centre is filled by a Perspex dome containing silver particles suspended in purified white mineral oil - a metaphor for the tears of Mama Quilla, who is portrayed on the piece’s outer ring. Including The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, the design includes representations of a panther and a serpent, hostile animals according to Inca mythology that tried to devour Mama Quilla during the lunar eclipse.