When we talk about cultural phenomena and nostalgic items that resonate with everyone young and old, the list is pretty exclusive. Societal artifacts that have transcended generations to become beloved symbols of an entire community of people. Things every household has within its walls. In America, it’s Monopoly. A baseball glove. The Office DVD box set. Things you’ll hold on to forever before ultimately passing them down for the next generation to enjoy.

In Mexico, it’s the unmistakable game of Lotería.

If you grew up in Los Angeles, you see Lotería everywhere, as it has completely permeated California culture. Even if you’re somehow unaware of the original card game, you’ve seen the subsequent jewelry, scratch tickets, and tattoos inspired by it.

Played similarly to the American game of Bingo but infinitely more fun and beautiful to look at, Lotería is a simple game that has been passed down from generation to generation. Invented in Italy in the 15th century and brought to Mexico by way of Spain in the late-1700s, Lotería became a game of the people when it started getting played among large groups at fairs all around Mexico.

In 1887, businessman Don Clemente Jacques created a new version of the game, with gorgeous artwork depicting all of the everyday items featured on Lotería cards. Don Clemente’s Lotería game was an instant hit and has become iconic in Mexico and the rest of the world over. With 54 cards in the deck and enough playing boards for your entire family and some friends to join in on the fun, Lotería meant coming together, sharing a lot of laughs, and maybe even winning a little money.

If you’ve played Bingo, you know how to play Lotería. A dealer turns over one card from the deck at a time and announces the item or character on it. Lotería cards feature all sorts of things from everyday life and characters from Mexican lore. Players look at their board and mark a match if they have it, typically using beans or buttons as markers. The first player to complete a row or column on their board exclaims, “Lotería! Lotería! Lotería!” and has won the round.

As we discovered about Uno, infinite house rules abound for Lotería games all around the world, with families adding their own little twists and tricks to the game’s storied history. Some people allow players to use multiple boards, some say you have to fill your entire board to win instead of a row, others shout different phrases when they win the game. Sometimes money is wagered on the rounds of Lotería, or it costs more money to have multiple boards, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a gambling game.

One thing that never changes is the love of the game, which runs deep in Mexican families. People get their favorite Lotería cards tattooed on them or carry their favorite cards with them wherever they go. Many times, when Mexicans are crossing the border into the United States, they cannot bring a lot with them. Even still, many bring their Lotería game on their new journey, as a memento from back home.

We spoke with Luis Landin, the CEO of Don Clemente, to learn more about the rich history of Lotería and discuss our upcoming collaboration. The Hundreds X Lotería collection will be released on Cinco de Mayo and feature a brand new version of the game with some familiar items from The Hundreds History.

DUKE LONDON: Have you guys ever done anything like this project?
LUIS LANDIN: Well, no. This is my first interview.

[Laughs] First interview, wow!
Yes!

I’m honored! So if you’re normally not doing interviews for streetwear collaborations, Luis, what are you doing?
I normally do a lot of paperwork, a lot of things here at the office, we are here at the plant. But normally I am not in interviews. [Laughs]

With a game that is so entrenched in Mexican culture and passed down from generation to generation, do you have trouble finding ways to get younger generations back into it or to buy new decks? How do you keep Lotería new?
Well, the thing is that Lotería is a traditional game. It is a game that has been very popular in Mexico, and it was introduced by Clemente Jacques. There were a lot of Loterías in Mexico but the most famous one is the one from Clemente Jacques. Everybody talks about playing Lotería with their grandparents, or at church, or at school, or with family. It is a game that has been spread out by generations of families. You see the Lotería images all around. They are very popular, and this artwork that they have, it’s very distinctive. It is amazing that I have found people around and they have the Lotería images on their bodies which is very strange to me. It is like if someone had tattooed a Monopoly guy on their arm. I was once in a bar in Cancun, and the waitress–well my favorite card is the mermaid–and the waitress appeared with a tattoo of the mermaid. So, it was very funny.

How were these items selected and the corresponding numbers that go with them? Obviously, they’re all items that are part of everyday life, but do you have any insight into why these specific items were chosen?

Well, they were very popular things from Mexican culture. For example, the soldier–well, Lotería was spread out in Mexico by the soldiers during the Mexican revolution because when they were waiting in some places, they were playing Lotería. That’s why the soldier is included in the Lotería. When Jacques arrived in Mexico, he found out that there was a very famous Lotería in Mexico, and the most famous people that played it were aristocrats, and the lady, or La Dama, or El Catrin, they were supposed to be husband and wife in Campeche. So that’s why they were included like this.

This game is over 500 years old, probably even older, and you said you know aristocrats were playing it early on. At what point did it shift and become more of a game for common people?

It shifted when Don Clemente arrived in Mexico and well–the soldiers were very popular people. They were not from the high societies so Lotería spread out in the fairs and in the little towns, by the soldiers that were taking care of the cities at that time. So they would put their kids to play the Lotería. The soldiers would go on the train and it was the first time that it was widespread. So it went to every corner of Mexico. All the families used to play Lotería when they didn’t have anything to do. For example, when we were kids, we wanted to go swimming but the thing is that we had just eaten breakfast and we couldn’t swim because of digestion. So our parents would tell us, okay well, if you want to swim you have to play Lotería first. We would finish playing Lotería, then we could go swimming.

Lotería was played in churches, it was played in schools, homes, in grandparent’s houses, so it was a game to be around with family. Together, around with family, or with friends. And there are a lot of places here in Mexico that they play and gamble with Lotería. Initially, it was played with stones or rocks, then with beans. But in some parts of Mexico, Lotería is played with money, or with coins. So the person who wins or shouts out the Lotería word is the one that takes all the money. But this is in Monterrey. They can play with three or four boards at the same time, which is more difficult to play. Imagine playing with four boards at the same time. So they know by memory the number, or the name, or the image. The people over there are very well trained.

How aware are you guys of all the different ways people play? Do people make up their own house rules for Lotería and how do these variations spread? Which ones have become the most popular?
Well, Lotería is played in different ways. Now you can play the full board to win, or you can play with an X, with a seven, with an L form. You can play with candy. For example, the one who wins can win all the candy.

How does that make you feel knowing that people come across the border, not able to bring many things, and your card game is what they hold close?
I am very proud. I am amazed by the tradition because it is a tradition that Mexican people have with their families. It is amazing. They cross the border, maybe they are put in danger because sometimes they do not have all the papers. They go to Mexico and they have their product but we have distributors in the U.S. We have two different brands for example. One brand for Mexico and one brand for the United States. The products or the images are the same, exactly the same, the paper is the same. But the thing is that they prefer the one that is produced for Mexico. But due to a lawsuit that we had a long time ago with a company that produces wines in California, we cannot have the same trademark in the United States. So the funny thing is that they prefer the Mexican version, which is called el Gallo, or rooster, and in the United States, we have the Don Clemente version. But there are a lot of people that go to Mexico to get the Gallo version. So it is amazing, it is really amazing. Never expected to have it on T-shirts, on shorts, or–how do you say– “hoodies?”

The success of Lotería as a licensing play is just a testament to how important it is to so many people as a cultural landmark. A huge thing for us is building community through storytelling, and everything we do is with the goal of bringing people together. How important has Lotería been in bringing communities together and bridging gaps?
It is very important because it helps you forget about all the stress that you have around. There might be wars, there might be fights within the families, there might be depression in the economy but once you sit down to play the Lotería, the people that gathered together forget about that, no? They forget about all the debts they might have. They play Lotería and then continue with their normal lives.