La Cultura Tiki Fanzine – A Tiki Fanzine From Mexico!

Back in the 90’s during the Tiki Revival, before the internet, you learned about tiki by word of mouth, searching out tiki yourself or you read Tiki News. Tiki News was a fanzine created by Otto Von Stroheim and it was very DIY, underground and super cool! Matt Watson lives in Mexico City and decided to get the word out about tiki in Mexico by doing it old school, he started his own tiki fanzine! It’s called La Cultura Tiki Fanzine and I LOVE this! Here is Matt’s story on how the tiki fanzine started and where it’s going…

What is the tiki scene like in Mexico City?

Matt– Polynesian Pop has a pretty long and interesting history in Mexico, going all the way back to the Aloha Café, which opened in Tijuana in 1928 (making it one of the oldest South Seas-themed bars in the world). In the 1950s, Mexico City got several South Pacific-inspired nightspots of its own, including the grand tiki palace that was the Mauna Loa, in the Zona Rosa district. Although the original building burned down in 1966, they reopened in a new location shortly afterwards and stayed open until 2003. It was a pretty iconic restaurant with an incredible Polynesian dance floorshow, frequented by Mexico’s rich and famous (sadly it was before my time – I moved here from the UK in 2014). There was also a branch of the Mauna Loa in Cancún, and there were several tiki establishments in Acapulco (including the Bali-Hai Hotel, which opened in the 60s and is still in business today, with its tikis intact!)

However, despite its rich tiki history, there hasn’t ever really been a “tiki scene” as such in Mexico, at least not in the way there is in the US, but that’s not to say that people aren’t interested in it. Mexico has had a pretty big surf music scene since the 90s (led by bands like Lost Acapulco and Sr. Bikini), so many people here were introduced to tiki iconography through album covers, concert posters, etc. (including many designs by the artist Dr. Alderete, who is Argentinian but has lived in Mexico City for many years). There’s also a thriving 50s scene, and it’s not uncommon to see “rockabilly luau” events, while others have picked up a taste for tiki via Polynesian dance (there are several schools here).

Totally separately from that, in the last few years, there’s been a boom in cocktail culture in Mexico (and Latin America in general), which has led to many bartenders getting into tiki and opening tiki bars. In the last 5 years or so, several new bars with varying degrees of “tikiness” have opened in Mexico City, Texcoco, Cancún, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Playa Los Cerritos, Oaxaca, Manzanillo and probably other places too. While they generally go for a more modern vibe in terms of decor, music etc, and none of them really offer the fully immersive experience of the best US bars, there are some great drinks being made, with fantastic young bartenders like Luigi Hernández (Don Tiki Loco) from Mexico City innovating with local ingredients and influences from Pre-Hispanic indigenous cultures. Recently, we’ve started to see these diverse groups of people connecting a little bit more; more people from the rock’n’roll crowd have been getting into tiki cocktails, and some of the bars have had us do surf and exotica DJ nights, so it seems there’s potential for a scene to develop.

What brought you into the tiki lifestyle and how long has it been part of your life?

Matt– I don’t remember having a specific moment which got me into tiki, but since I was a very young kid, I’ve always loved adventure and mystery books and films, especially ones with exotic locations… Tintin, Indiana Jones, James Bond, etc. Then in my early teens I got into punk, which then led me to 1950s and 60s music, as well as an interest in the clothing, design, architecture of the time, which I guess is how I first discovered exotica and tiki. When I went to university, I decided to study History and Film Studies, and chose to write one of my final year papers about the Elvis movie “Blue Hawaii”. I had to discuss the socio-cultural context of the film, which led me to further explore the American obsession with Hawaii (and Polynesia in general) in that period, which of course took me deeper into tiki, and I suppose it was around that time (2010-ish) that I started collecting little bits of tiki stuff when I came across it.

Shortly after moving to Mexico City in 2014, I met my girlfriend Denep, and when we moved into our current place we decided to have a little “tiki corner” in the living room. As I imagine might be the case for many of us, it started out as a few mugs on a shelf, some framed posters and some plants, but it grew and grew, and now we have a bar, two large cabinets full of mugs, several carvings etc. Denep is studying ceramics and has been creating handmade tiki mugs under the name “Tikitómico”, so our little home bar has a lot of her stuff as well as vintage mugs we’ve collected.

We’re both also vinyl record collectors and DJs and have been putting on nights here under the name “BORN to be CHEAP” since 2016. We have various themed parties which we do regularly, one of which is called “Bongo Bash!” and has a tiki theme… we spin exotica, surf, mambo, lounge, jungle rock’n’roll and other wild’n’weird 1950s/60s sounds on (mostly) 45rpm records, take along loads of décor/props and encourage people to dress the part.

What made you decide to start La Cultura Tiki Fanzine and how did it come together?

Matt– The fanzine’s origins actually lie in a Facebook group (just called “La Cultura Tiki”), which we started around a year previously (May 2020) with the aim of connecting tikiphiles in the Spanish-speaking world, because the vast majority of tiki stuff on the internet was in English and aimed at a US audience. We didn’t really know if many people would be interested or not but it’s grown into a nice little space where people share and discuss their latest finds and projects, buy and sell tiki wares, share tips and uncover local tiki history together. We also started up a YouTube channel, where we have been uploading tiki-related content which we have added Spanish subtitles to.

The idea for the fanzine came about around March or April 2021. I’d written for local music zines when I was a teenager, and thought it would be fun to do a limited-run DIY punk-style zine about tiki. I try not to be too much of a Luddite, but I’ve always been a sucker for physical formats and collectable stuff (vinyl records, books, etc.) and with everything so internet-based now, I wanted to do something a little different.

All the text in the first issue was written by me, except for the Arizona Tiki Oasis report; for that, I posted in the event’s Facebook group to see if anyone would be interested in writing one. I was contacted by co-organizer Otto von Stroheim, who not only put me in touch with Ruby Champagne (AKA Miss Tiki Oasis 2018, who did a great write-up of the event), but also gave me a whole bunch of useful advice about running a tiki zine (and who better to get it from than the man behind Tiki News!) I was really grateful for that. The artwork duties were shared with some talented local illustrator/cartoonist/tattoo artist friends, who thankfully were happy to get involved.

We put out the first issue in July 2021 with a launch party in the bar of downtown Mexico City’s iconic Hotel Virreyes (built in the 1940s, now known as Selina). People seemed receptive to the first issue and we soon got orders from all over Mexico, the US, and Europe, and we’ve now almost sold all 350 copies. We released the second one in November with more contributions from other writers and artists, and that’s also selling well so far, and the third is due out in March (the idea is to do three per year).

What is your favorite tiki drink?

Matt– I enjoy many different kinds of drinks. Although it’s probably an obvious answer, I never get bored of a good 1944-style Mai Tai. I also tend to like anything with allspice dram, like a Nui Nui or the Smuggler’s Cove version of a Planter’s Punch. I love gin too, so naturally I’m a Saturn fan. It’s a shame that a lot of ingredients found in classic tiki recipes are really difficult to find in Mexico; I make my own orgeat, falernum, allspice dram etc. at home, but things like Demerara or Martinique rums are almost impossible to get hold of here, and the only Jamaican rums we have available are the Appleton range, so we’re a bit limited on that front. On the plus side, we have a pretty wide range of Latin American rums and other local spirits available.

What is your favorite tiki bar?

Matt– I love classic tiki bars that take me to another place and time, as if I were stepping into a different world. While there seem to be more and more tiki bars opening all the time, it’s common that there’s at least one factor which, at least for me, prevents that from happening. In many cases, it’s the music (current top 40 pop, rap, house, yacht rock etc… nothing against it, but it’s not the right vibe for a tiki bar); other times it’s the half-baked or “clown tiki”-style décor, or the bright lighting.

So, while there are many tiki bars I’m yet to visit, of the ones I’ve been to, I’d have to say the ones I’ve liked best have been Tiki Ti in LA for its friendly atmosphere, False Idol in San Diego for the drinks and the immersive experience, and El Polinesio (ex-Trader Vic’s) in Havana for the time warp effect. The Mai Kai’s still on my bucket list!

What does the future hold for La Cultura Tiki Fanzine?

Matt– Right now, we’re working on the third issue, which among other things is going to feature an interview with Ernesto Ramos, who was the head waiter at the Mauna Loa for many years. We had the opportunity to meet him recently and he had lots of interesting photos and anecdotes to share with us, and he was able to answer many of our questions about the place. A lot of Mexican tiki history hasn’t really been documented, so being able to speak with someone who was directly involved was a really valuable experience. We’re constantly digging for more information about 20th Century Polynesian Pop in Mexico and trying to find more pieces of the puzzle; if we can get enough stuff together, we’d love to document it somehow… maybe a small exhibition, or a short documentary.

As with the first two issues, there’ll be a launch party here in Mexico City for the third issue with vinyl DJs and specially-chosen cocktails for the event, so we’ll also be putting that together (COVID permitting!)

Other than that, we hope to get more collaborators involved with the zine and to keep spreading the love of tiki far and wide.

Anything else you would like to add?

Matt– Thanks very much for your support and the chance to get the word out about the zine! Thanks also to all who have contributed to or advertised in it, and to everyone who’s bought a copy.