BUENOS AIRES – Argentina is preparing to issue a special series of 100-peso bills (worth about $22) bearing the face of Eva Duarte to mark the 60th anniversary of her death, the press reported.

Evita, the second wife of three-time President Juan Domingo Peron, died of cancer on July 26, 1952, at age 33.

Some 20 million bills will be issued as part of the special series honoring Evita, the Buenos Aires daily Perfil reported over the weekend, citing Central Bank officials.

The new bills are based on the design of a 5-peso bill from 1952 that never went into circulation.

Two coins honoring Evita are currently in circulation in Argentina.

One coin was issued in 1997 to commemorate approval of the law on women’s suffrage and the other was issued in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Evita’s death.

Argentina will mark the 60th anniversary of Evita’s death on Thursday, honoring a woman who played an important role in the country’s political history. EFE