Downtown Phoenix Observes Hispanic Heritage with Lotería Street Art Game

Downtown Phoenix Inc., in collaboration with Xico Inc., is inviting downtown Phoenix communities this year to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through a live lottery. It will be, in the organizers words, "part art walk, part game and part urban adventure." The event is taking place from October 6th and will continue until October 15th to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

The immersive, traditional Mexican lottery game was brought to the streets of downtown Phoenix and its businesses to promote Hispanic Culture and local shops, while residents can participate in a scavenger hunt-style urban art event to the whole family.

Lotería is a traditional game of chance, as the Spanish word lotería means. Hispanic communities, especially Mexican ones, have always played this family game with colored cards and pairing languages, but its popularity and diffusion has grown in recent years, especially at the hands of Latin American artists. An article in Time Magazine highlighted back in 2020 the relevance that this game was gaining culturally in the hands of designers. Museums have dressed their canvases with these typical images of Mexican heritage, revisited by artists who have reimagined them from every possible angle.

"Loteria has been played as a game of chance, as a pastime, and for educational purposes. Because the Loteria cards include the name of the pictured character, they are used to teach reading, writing, history, and social values. Many bilingual teachers use the game as a teaching tool in the United States." explains Phoenix artist and designer Teresa Villegas' website.

In times of lockdowns and the search for hobbies at home during COVID, the lottery rose to prominence among the endless number of board games used to spend time indoors. But something unexpected that has fueled the popularity and spread of this Latin-inspired game is the recent game show "Lotería Loca" (Crazy Lottery) with Jaime Camil, where participants compete to win a cash prize. As Camil himself defined it in an interview for The Wrap, "Lotería Loca" is the first 'Multicultural' and 'Bilingual' Prime Time Show, without a doubt a program that appeals to this effervescent cultural segment of the US Latin Community, mentioned also by Mitú.

An artistic, vibrant multicultural spirit is what DTPHX Lotería organizers wanted to achieve by aligning with PCA member Xico, a renowned local cultural institution serving Latino and indigenous artists.

Xico, formerly Xicanindio, was founded 46 years ago to become Arizona's premier cultural institution serving Latino and Indigenous artists. Its mission is to foster a greater appreciation of the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Latino and indigenous peoples of the Americas through the arts. Downtown Phoenix Inc. has collaborated with 20 local artists and illustrators to reinvent the iconic Lottery game by featuring local businesses that visitors must visit in order to participate. People only need to pick up a "table" (Lottery card) at any participating business or at a DTPHX Ambassador. Each table features 16 participating downtown businesses representing an artistic card symbolizing the location. Once participants find the card corresponding to the store or restaurant - the sign designed by the artist is visible from the outside - they get a DTPHX sticker. Participants who get four across, in a row, diagonally, or in a two-by-two square (4 images) anywhere on the table will receive a free commemorative sticker sheet or enamel pin. Only those who complete the entire card will get an exclusive prize.

The event began last October 6 at an inaugural event held at Xico Inc. where the art collection of local Phoenix business cards, restaurants and bars was showcased. With the talent of selected artists, the images of the deck of cards changed to symbols that represent the downtown businesses: La Sanadora, La Prensa, El Paraíso or El Caficionado replaced on a larger scale the typical classic figures of El Valiente, El Músico , The heart or The rose.

Featured artists include: Cora Quiroz, Jonathan Ortiz "Con Safos Illustrations", Chroma, Hyde Groat, Julian "Miraj" Miranda Jr., Verónica Verdugo, Stephanie Guillermina Castro, Jon Garza, Jacinda Rousseve-Vidrio, Blanca García, Cassandra Ledezma, Laura "Laurie|LaLa Blue", Muta Vision, Jordan Hazekamp, José Maciel, Ana Isabel Villareal, Carlos Valencia, Jeanette Aguilar Rocha (Lady Rise), María Madrid Reed, Agustín Vargas, Samantha López and Savannah Stegall.

The event brought together Latin artists, their families and neighbors from the Phoenix community for the third time, since this event was held during 2021 to promote local businesses amid the Covid crisis and then in 2022 for the first time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The urban art gallery game-walk event will run until October 15.