Colombia, 2006 AD., Ibagué mint, 500 Pesos, KM 286.

Colombia, engraver: David Manzur (obv.), mint: Casa de Moneda, Ibagué, Colombia, 2006 AD.,
500 Pesos (ø 23,8 mm / 7,41 g), Bimetallic aluminium-bronze center in a copper-nickel-zinc ring, 7,43 g. theor. mint weight, mintage 70.700.000 , axis coin alignment ↑↓ (180°), 8 plain and 7 reeded segments alternating on edge (plain with 7 grained sections of |||||||| (8 ridges)),
Obv.: REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA / EL ARBOL DE GUACARI , Guacari Tree, the Saman (Albizia saman), in front of a field of little squares at center.
Rev.: 500 PESOS 2003 , value at center, date below.
KM 286 ; Schön 114 .

Year / Mint Mark / Mintage
1993 15,642,000
1994 90,000,000
1995 90,000,000
1996 55,000,000
1997 50,000,000
2002 38,800,000
2003 26,410,000
2004 90,454,000
2005 97,664,000
2006 70.700.000
2007 109,624,000
2008 132,400,000 smaller and thinner planchets after 2007, weight: 7,0 g. ,diameter: 23,65 mm
2009 39,700,000
2010 35,800,000
2011 76,200,000
2012 40,000,000

Guacarí is a town in the Valle del Cauca Department founded in 1570; It was erected in a municipality in 1864. It has an extension of 167 km2 and a population of approximately 33,000 inhabitants. Its name is derived from two words of the Caribbean dialect: Gua and Cari, meaning "Garza Blanca", has indigenous roots in the goddess Huakar. "Herons that on the banks of the Cauca River and lagoons like Sonso, show their flight." Guacarí is known as the land of the Goddess Huaka.
Totujandi was the favorite tree of the Goddess to rest in the company of her nymphs after the hard work done in the day.

The Guacarí tree belongs to the Mimosaceae family and is known as Samán or "rain tree", because it closes its leaves when it threatens rain or the sky darkens. He is a native of Central America and North of South America. A large tree, with wide and dense crown, who can exceed 20 meters in height.

The Samán de Guacarí was planted in the main town square by Mr. Ramón Becerra in the year of 1914 and revived the indigenous legends. In the Valle del Cauca two municipalities have kept the Samanes cult: Alcalá, known as the Villa del Samán and Guacarí, the land of the Saman.

In August of 1989, the enormous tree of the Park Jose Manuel Saavedra Galindo, witness of loves, joys and misfortunes, began its agony of fifteen days. Useless were the remedies and prayers of the witches, useless those of the scientists, useless the tears of the gucariseños. Several years the people of Guacarí kept mourning, they could not believe that their flagship tree was no longer there. "I do not know Guacarí's family that does not have a photo next to the saman or a piece of wood from it." The roots of the tree grew and spread so much that the step to urban development, little by little, was cutting them, causing the illness and death of the Samán. In August 1991, Mr. Rodrigo Arana and Mr. Carlos Saavedra were planted, in the same place, a new Saman brought from Hacienda Chibirití, donated by Mr. Gerardo Valencia.
The motif on the obverse of the coin is the work of master David Manzur, who recognizes the efforts of the Municipality of Guacarí to conserve the Samán tree and aspects related to the ecology of the environment and its preservation.

Samanea saman, also sometimes known as albizia saman, or the rain tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Central and South America. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, but it has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii. Common names include saman, rain tree and monkeypod (see also below). It is often placed in the genus Samanea, which by yet other authors is subsumed in Albizia entirely.

The coin is celebrating the Guacari inhabitants who preserve the Samán tree.

More on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samanea_saman , http://arboretumedellin.blogspot.com/2015/02/arboles-fantasticos-el-saman.html ; https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Guacari_años_50a.jpg ; https://www.elpais.com.co/valle/el-saman-que-marco-la-historia-de-guacari-duelo-a-un-gigante.html ; http://www.absoluti-ind.com/Numis/BotandoCorriente/El_arbol_saman_de_Guacari..pdf