"…the tribal god Huitzilopochtli decreed that the Mexica tribe should settle in the place where an eagle perched on a cactus bush was to be found attacking a serpent…"

EXICO shares a long tradition with Spain in the field of playing cards. The early Spanish colonisers would almost certainly have carried packs of playing cards with them, and when these wore out new ones would have been made from local materials, maybe drum skins or rawhide. The first printing press was established in Mexico in the 1539. Cards were undoubtedly very popular, since prohibitions were passed as early as 1539 and the Estanco de Naipes (playing-card monopoly) was established in 1576.

In 1583 one Alonso Martínez de Orteguilla was authorised to administer the manufacture and sale of playing cards in New Mexico (which included Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras). Playing cards were supplied from Seville (Spain) and France, as well as manufactured in Mexico under licence.

When Mexico re-gained independence in 1821, local manufacturers were free once again to produce their own cards, although cards also continued to be imported. Many packs from this period are anonymous and their manufacturers cannot be identified (click images below). The designs usually followed the Spanish National pattern. These were followed by others such as the 'Llombart' or 'Plumed Hat' style, the Cádiz and Catalan types, Fournier's Castilian design, as well as new Mexican designs.

The manufacturer F. Munguia commenced producing playing-cards in Mexico in 1868 with the brand names La Campana and La Estrella. A few years later, in 1872, a certain P. Munguia started production, but it is not known whether the two businesses were related. However, La Cubana S.A. became the successors of P. Munguia and continued producing playing cards with the brand names La Campana and La Estrella. Their 1960s catalogue shows an extended range of playing card brands as well as other products.

One of the more influential, and widely plagiarised, Mexican designs has been Clemente Jacques' "Marca GALLO" playing cards, first published in the 1920s and still produced today by Pasatiempos Gallo S.A. de C.V.

Other Mexican manufacturers and producers include Bartolo Borrego, Emilio Cuenca, Enrique Guerrero, Gómez Gómez Hermanos, Comercial y Manufacturera S.A., Productos Artísticos Osiris, Pronaco, Productos Leo S.A., Naipes El Rey, Productos Gacela, Juegos y Fichas S.A. de C.V., Productos Camacho, Orpamex (Organización Papelera Mexicana S.A.), Productos El Cisne, Anahuac, Naipes El Venado, Naipes Ramar, Casa Velux S.A., Miguel Salas S.A., AGSA Comercial S.A., Gráficas Menhir S.A., Multicolor S.A., Promociones Tauro, Foliproa S.A., Norte S.A., Mercurio Comunicación S.A. and other anonymous makers.

Thanks to Juan José Pérez-Castejón, Dudley Ollis, Enrique García Martín and Haaije Bijl for their collaboration.