Is cinco centavos a nickel

Answer 1

You're really asking about terminology and definitions.

A centavo is a coin from a Spanish-speaking country whose main currency unit, often the peso, is divided into 100 centavos in the same way a dollar in many countries is divided into 100 cents. In fact both words have the same origin, coming from the Latin for "one hundred". So, a cinco centavos coin is a coin worth 5/100 of a peso just like an American or Canadian 5¢ coin is worth 5/100 of a dollar.

However, the word "nickel" is simply American and Canadian slang for a 5-cent piece from one of those countries. Neither country makes a coin officially called a "nickel", the name's just a common usage like calling a 1¢ coin a "penny" or a $1 coin/bill a "buck".

Bottom line - while a cinco centavos coin has the same role in its country's coinage as the 5¢ piece does in the US and Canada, it's not a "nickel".