Created with the spirit of a freedom in mind, El Recuerdo Playing Cards by Sviatoslav Pashchuk of Agitcom is dedicated to Mexico’s heroic struggle for independence.
The deck combines the modern attributes of Mexico with the history and traditions of the Incas and the Maya. On the theme of the deck, Sviatoslav mentioned on the campaign page,
The nation of any country is formed and is strengthened in the course of the struggle for its independence, this is why I decided to choose revolution as the main theme and added exotic elements and traditions of the old culture, in which today’s Mexico has grown.
The idea is to make El Recuerdo Playing Cards more graphic, similar to the old money used in Mexico in the 17th century. Sviatoslav continues,
I have “borrowed” the font and decorative elements, and added ancient patterns of the Incas and the Maya. Face cards have a large number of symbols. Each suit has unique armament of that time, the ancient Incas symbol, which symbolizes the suit, Mexico most recognizable plant, an integral part of the national cuisine. The center of each card contains Maya golden calendar and decorative plate with an eagle holding a snake in the beak (the same eagle is depicted on the coat of arms of Mexico), surrounded with 31 stars, symbolizing the states of Mexico.
After 7 months of work, the deck is finally ready with each element balanced and worked out. All illustrations were originally sketched on paper, Sviatoslav explained,
This is my favorite way to draw, and then scanned and transformed into digital format.
Multiple stretched goals are available on the Kickstarter campaign! The first goal is adding foil and embossing to the tuck box. The next stretched goal at $11k unlocks an all-new edition of El Recuerdo- the Victoria edition, where two types of characters will be combined – ordinary and Muertos style (pictured below). The two styles symbolize the transition between the two worlds.
Finally, the third goal features the tuck box in an all-new Muertos design. The backs of three decks, as well as the decks itself, will form the color of the Mexican flag.
El Recuerdo Playing Cards will be printed by NPCC and are available now from Kickstarter. Pledge starts at $10.
