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Mauna Loa, Mexico City, Mexico (restaurant) |
Zeta
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 2032
From: Atlantis/Basque Country/Spain/Mexico
|  Posted: 2010-11-03 6:13 pm Permalink
I found and emailed the architect who designed this Mauna Loa plaza in Mexico City. He replied and told me he's looking for the blueprints and any additional info picture anecdote about this legendary place. Also told me to be patient because he did that 40 years ago!
What else should I ask him?
Help me out fellow tiki urban archeologists!
Tikiphiles of the world, unite!
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  ¡Viva Tiki! Ambassador of Tiki in Mexico. Zeta is specialized in the research, study and preservation of Tiki culture in Latin countries.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-11-03 10:30 pm Permalink
Alright Zeta, you're on a roll! Right on, wake'em up, the sleepy heads, gettem into it!
Fantastic to hear the guy is still alive. Did he just do the PLAZA or also the restaurant? I assume he did the restaurant first then? And if so, I wonder WHO came up with the Mauna Loa concept, who did the carvings, who was the graphic artist that did the menu?
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Zeta
Grand Member (2 years)
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 2032
From: Atlantis/Basque Country/Spain/Mexico
| Posted: 2010-11-03 11:02 pm Permalink
Thanks bigbro, and please help me wake them up! I need feedback and support. This is tiki archeology right now. Work to do right now. If we don't do it now, when? The clock is tiking...
A famous Covarrubias collector/intelectual/city historian who I know was into tiki died this year and I never managed to ask him vital things... I tried, but not enough... Vital shining tiki truths lost forever...
I myself have neglected my investigation, I contacted this architect almost two years ago but didn't follow trough on the investigation and it was forgotten until now...
He (and his architecture firm) did the restaurant, the plaza and everything... I don't know about the graphics or tikis... but I'll ask him. What do we know about this particular tiki style? Is it unique to this particular place? Influences?
He also did the "?" tiki bar in Cancun that I know nothing about and have never seen anything of.
Sabu, Dusty, Kate (R.I.P.  ) and everyone else (that's you KC) I want to translate everything on menus and paper ephemera about this place. (and any other latin tiki establishment: Aku Tiki, Acapulco etc...) From Spanish to English and viceversa.
Please help me if you can somehow.
Yeah I know, help help help... too much asking, but hey! Do it for tiki! You will receive your credit.
_________________
¡Viva Tiki! Ambassador of Tiki in Mexico. Zeta is specialized in the research, study and preservation of Tiki culture in Latin countries.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-11-04 08:42 am Permalink
Right you are, I share your pain. Did you ever hear from that CoolRaul guy again that told us about the Cancun location? He wanted to ask his mom about photos...
In California, architects like Armet & Davis also hired and worked closely together with the decorators and graphic designers, so he might know who they were.
I finally got me a Singapor Sling mug, such as silly, unique design!
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Zeta
Grand Member (2 years)
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 2032
From: Atlantis/Basque Country/Spain/Mexico
| Posted: 2010-11-12 4:19 pm Permalink
No news from CoolRaul...
Nice score on the Singapore sling! where from? not a common at all... also, I think it's handles are unique, and easy to break too!
"The sacred and the mundane"
Photo by me
_________________
¡Viva Tiki! Ambassador of Tiki in Mexico. Zeta is specialized in the research, study and preservation of Tiki culture in Latin countries.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-11-12 4:50 pm Permalink
Zeta,
Great photo, how long do you think that Tiki had been hiding there?
DC
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Zeta
Grand Member (2 years)
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 2032
From: Atlantis/Basque Country/Spain/Mexico
| Posted: 2010-11-19 05:18 am Permalink
Gracias Dusty,
It's been hiding there since the mid sixties... waiting to tell his story, but nobody seems to care.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-11-19 09:45 am Permalink
But you know EYE do! 
I have a mug question: Having been fortunate recently to find a Singapore Sling mug, I began to take a closer look at the ones up here, and the paper ephemera I could find. It became apparent that there are different versions:
Here is Tiki Nomad's:____________________________________________________and here is mine:
 
The paint job is different, though the same concept. The handles on mine seem thicker, and it seems to be a tad more indented.
It looks like the one in this ad:
But when we look at the one on this placemat menu:
...we can make out a completely different paint scheme, one that looks much more like an authentic Papua New Guinea drawing, more like the one on this menu:
Does any one here have this PNG version of this mug, and could they post an image of it please?
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-11-19 11:45 am Permalink
Bigbro - I don't have an image of the earlier mug, but I just wanted to say; excellent research, collation and presentation of existing images! You've given a great example of the de-evolution of a tiki mug from classic to cartoony in that series of pictures.
_________________
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-11-19 12:16 pm Permalink
Thanks! That's what I was thinking, that since some PNG art has cartoony aspects to it (like grinning mouths) the artists of the later mugs were ignorant of the original PNG art that had inspired the first mug and just went off on the cartoon concept. Would be great to see a shot of the first generation mug to compare. Frank?
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kohalacharms
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 33 | Posted: 2010-11-19 1:00 pm Permalink
Sven,
Will post a pic of a third version when I get a chance. It's not the original version which means there are at least 4 varieties.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-11-19 2:21 pm Permalink
Splendid! Could you perhaps post a closer shot/scan of that mug on the place mat with your mug, then? Can't believe you don't have it! 
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Tikinomad
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 20, 2005
Posts: 364
From: Outerspace
| Posted: 2010-11-23 12:22 pm Permalink
I love how the same mug design can become so varied over time...it helps fuel our passion for collecting and keeps us urban archaeologists digging in the field! Great pictures and research guy's, as always....thanks for sharing and happy hunting!
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Eddy Brazil
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 08, 2006
Posts: 161
From: Victoria, BC
| Posted: 2010-12-03 2:09 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-01-18 07:59, uncle trav wrote:
Here is a nice photo of the interior...The s & p shakers appear to be generic and not the Trader Vic type in this pic. The large Tiki in the postcard from TabooDan is not in the photo either...
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This is quite an early photo - taken December 1st, 1958 by Frank Scherschel for Life Magazine.
Perhaps a lot of mugs/products evolved over the following decades.
_________________
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Zeta
Grand Member (2 years)
Joined: Feb 13, 2007
Posts: 2032
From: Atlantis/Basque Country/Spain/Mexico
| Posted: 2010-12-12 11:21 am Permalink
Here's my Singapur Sling mug for comparison:
Quote:
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On 2009-10-05 06:00, Zeta wrote:
Gracias DC! Muy bonito!
Singapur Sling
Adios, hasta luego.
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In other news, a never seen before on ebay Suzie Wong mug is on sale right now...
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