Bitcoin History in CDMX, Mexico (Part 1/3)
An unforgettable historic event, celebrating Bitcoin, Freedom, Fun, and Yopaki’s mission
This past September, in the heart of Mexico City, Bitcoin history was made, as bitcoiners from different corners of the globe gathered for a 1st time event that defied expectations and redefined what it means to celebrate a bitcoin event.
Mexico's 1st Bitcoin Block Party, hosted by Yopaki, kicked off on September 21st, 2023 and became an unforgettable experience that captured the essence of Mexico & Bitcoin. If you missed it (or somehow didn’t catch it trending on Twitter/X during that weekend), this is a short story of how it all went down.
September 21, 2023: Fix the Money, Fix the World
This day, gave those visiting Mexico City, an opportunity to spend some time near downtown while prepping for an ironic, educational, and even comical visit to the Central Bank of Mexico (Banco de Mexico or BANXICO, as it’s better known).
In a tongue-in-cheek gesture, those in attendance where humorously entertained with the absurdities of the traditional banking system, which went from the history of money in the region, medium of exchange pre & post Spain’s colonization, periods of inflation in the country, a wall of “fiat art” showcasing past and present coins + bills production/printing, and the funniest room of them all; THE VAULT, where visitors get locked in a room, while a fancy 360 video is shown & the narrator talks about the importance of “trusting the country’s currency & banking system” at least 6 times (fun fact: laughs could be heard among bitcoiners during this so-called educational video).
As the day ended, the next place to hang out would be Mexico’s “Bitcoin Embassy Bar” (bitcoinemb.com), where the Yopaki team would share instructions, warnings, and expectations of a vision that started many months ago (the vision: PROJECT THE BITCOIN LOGO, FIX THE MONEY FIX THE WORLD, AND ESTUDIA BITCOIN on the front of the Mexican Central Bank).
By the time this plan was shared, it was the worst kept secret within those attending and a few others who were following the adventure from afar. As of that day, this act had only been done to 2 other Central Banks (fact check us on this, but we could only verify the one done in Germany’s ECB and the other one in the UK on the Bank of England. We wanted Mexico to be NEXT!
Now, if anyone reading this has wanted to take on this task in their own country or to a specific Central Bank, I highly encourage doing so. However, be aware of an infinite amount of obstacles and many logistical challenges ahead (not to mention cost).
No blog post or explanation can truly describe the energy felt the hours leading into the adventure. As for logistics, it would take a short novel to detail all the steps, ups and downs we had to face to make this happen, so for times sake, I’m happy to say WE PULLED IT OFF! The moment we were able to project the phrase "Fix the money, Fix the world", “Estudia Bitcoin” and the “Bitcoin” symbol, gave us all chills! We were all yelling, jumping, and celebrating and I must confess, small tears could be seen in my eyes watching this unfold (after all, I grew up in this city and this is a building I’ve passed hundreds if not thousands of times from the time I was a kid).
The group of attendees who cheered this moment with us was just amazing and I am grateful we got to share this as true bitcoiners (fun fact: price of bitcoin at the time was $25k). One question we often hear: “did the cops show up?” Indeed they did, haha. Looking back I can say it added an element of excitement, but forced a quick retreat (and of course avoided any arrests).
By the next morning, the story had gained massive traction, making waves in major Bitcoin publications and amassing over 1 million impressions!
It’s fair to say this day will forever be remembered not just to those of us who participated, but as a moment of Bitcoin history and as a symbol of mischievous rebellion against the legacy system.
This adventure got us started and ready for the Event/Conference/Block-Party to commence the following day.
STAY TUNED AND FOLLOW US TO GET NOTIFICATION ON PART 2 SOON!
Social:
X/Twitter: @yopakibitcoin
Instagram: @yopaki.bitcoin
LinkedIn: Yopaki
Curious on recent and upcoming events?
Yopaki studio appearance Reporte Indigo (September 15th, 2023) Mexico
Mexico’s 1st Bitcoin Block Party (September 21st, 2023) Mexico
Adopting Bitcoin 2023 Presentation & Announcement (November 12th, 2023) El Salvador
Bitcoin Embassy Bar 5th anniversary - Yopaki Bank Piñata (December 9th, 2023) Mexico
Loteria Bitcoin App by Yopaki (Launch Pending App Store approval)
Austin Bitcoin Club Panel (January 4th, 2024) Austin
Cultural event from CDMX, Mexico (Early February, 2024)