El Sol and The Lotería

The Mexican game of chance!

El Sol and The Lotería

 Lotería, the Mexican game of chance. For those who are a novice to the game (myself included) it plays similarly to bingo but with unique cards instead. I first heard about the Lotería back in Chicago when I picked up this book by Teresa Villegas and Ilan Stavans. Teresa is an artist who made a Lotería inspired installation. She says: "This installation comes from an appreciation for the beauty and heartfelt magic that only Mexico and its people can offer. I wanted to show people in the US how sophisticated and rich the culture of Mexico is, in a fun and interesting way. There are 54 cards in a Loteria deck - hence the total number of 54 small paintings in this installation. I wanted to paint images, impressions, and ideologies that would tell of my experiences of the Mexican culture in a fun and objective way."  (from her website here)

I was so inspired by Teresa's artwork, I remember going to a "Lotería Night," instead of trivia night down in Pilsen and it was so fast-paced and the energy was so high. The cards are always colorful and gorgeous. I especially love Teresa Villegas' set that you can tear out from the book and use! Essays and riddles by Ilan Stavans are alongside each card and I love paging through to try to see which ones I can remember. 

I was so excited to hear about the inspiration of the Lotería with one of our greatest collections here at Goorin. Our limited release El Sol collection is a collaborative project with Hampui Hats x Goorin Bros. Each El Sol style is created inspired by a Lotería card - each unique and usually only 40-75 pieces are made. Our teams choose color, trims, textures and patterns all based on the colors, figures words and feelings evoked from the card.

Learn more about Teresa Villegas and her loteria artwork here / Ilan Stavans here / El Sol collection here  // Make sure you are signed up for sms alerts to when the next El Sol piece is released - sign up here

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