Lotería

Lotería is a Mexican game of chance, similar to Bingo, but using images on a deck of cards instead of plain numbers on ping pong balls. Every image has a name and an assigned number, but the number is usually ignored. Each player has at least one "tabla", a board with a randomly created 4 x 4 grid of pictures with their corresponding name and number. Each player choose what "tabla" they want to play with, from a variety of previously created "tablas". Each one presents a different selection of images.

The "lotería" is composed of a set of 54 different images, each one in a card. To start the game, the caller ("cantor", or singer) randomly selects a card from the deck and announces it to the players by its name, sometimes using a riddle or humorous patter instead of reading the card name. The players with a matching pictogram on their board mark it off with a chip or other kind of marker (many Mexican families traditionally use small rocks, soda corks or pinto beans as markers). The first player with four chips in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row, squared pattern, or any other previously specified pattern, shouts "¡Lotería!" (Lottery!) or "¡Buena!" (Good!) and is the winner.

History

"Lotería" is a tradition that involves art, passion, and culture. The origin of "Lotería" can be traced back to the 15th century in Italy, where this type of games were organized to collect funds for the poor. From there the numeric game migrated to other countries like France, where King Francis I founded the first state that sponsored a loteria. The first loterias arrived to Mexico in the 18th century from Spain. In the beginning "Lotería" was a hobby of the upper classes, but eventually it became a tradition at Mexican fairs. At present, "Lotería" has been adapted as a didactic tool, and several artists are using the "Lotería" pictograms as a base for their art projects.

The most famous maker of the card sets is "Pasatiempos Gallo, S.A. de C.V.", headquartered in the city of Santiago de Querétaro, (operating as Don Clemente, Inc. in the United States) which began publishing the game in 1887. The current images have become iconic in Mexican culture, as well as having "kitsch" value in the U.S. and some European countries.

Cards and associated riddles

The following is a list of all the original 54 Lotería cards, traditionally and broadly recognized in all of Mexico. Below each card name and number, are the riddles (in Spanish) that are sometimes used to tell the players which card was drawn. However, there are several less traditional set of cards, depicting different objects or animals.

1 El gallo (The Rooster):El que le cantó a San Pedro no le volverá a cantar. 2 El diablito (The Little Devil):Pórtate bien cuatito, si no te lleva el coloradito. 3 La dama (The Lady):Puliendo el paso, por toda la calle real. 4 El catrín (The Dandy/Fop):Don Ferruco en la alameda, su bastón quería tirar. 5 El paraguas (The Umbrella):Para el sol y para el agua. 6 La sirena (The Mermaid):Con los cantos de sirena, no te vayas a marear. 7 La escalera (The Ladder):Súbeme paso a pasito, no quieras pegar brinquitos. 8 La botella (The Bottle):La herramienta del borracho. 9 El barril (The Barrel):Tanto bebió el albañil, que quedó como barril. 10 El árbol (The Tree):El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija. 11 El melón (The Melon):Me lo das o me lo quitas. 12 El valiente (The Brave One):Por qué le corres cobarde, trayendo tan buen puñal. 13 El gorrito (The Bonnet):Ponle su gorrito al nene, no se nos vaya a resfriar. 14 La muerte (The Death):La muerte tilica y flaca. 15 La pera (The Pear):El que espera, desespera. 16 La bandera (The Flag):Verde blanco y colorado, la bandera del soldado. 17 El bandolón (The Sitar):Tocando su bandolón, está el mariachi Simón. 18 El violoncello (The Cello):Creciendo se fue hasta el cielo, y como no fue violín, tuvo que ser violoncello. 19 La garza (The Heron):Al otro lado del río tengo mi banco de arena, donde se sienta mi chata pico de garza morena. 20 El pájaro (The Bird):Tu me traes a puros brincos, como pájaro en la rama. 21 La mano (The Hand):La mano de un criminal. 22 La bota (The Boot):Una bota igual que la otra. 23 La luna (The Moon):El farol de los enamorados. 24 El cotorro (The Parrot):Cotorro cotorro saca la pata, y empiézame a platicar. 25 El borracho (The Drunk):¡Ah, qué borracho tan necio, ya no lo puedo aguantar! 26 El negrito (The Little Black Man):El que se comió el azúcar. 27 El corazón (The Heart):No me extrañes corazón, que regreso en el camión. 28 La sandía (The Watermelon):La barriga que Juan tenía, era empacho de sandía. 29 El tambor (The Drum):No te arruges, cuero viejo, que te quiero pa'tambor. 30 El camarón (The Shrimp):Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente. 31 Las jaras (The Arrows):Las jaras del indio Adán, donde pegan, dan. 32 El músico (The Musician):El músico trompas de hule, ya no me quiere tocar. 33 La araña (The Spider):Atarántamela a palos, no me la dejes llegar. 34 El soldado (The Soldier):Uno, dos y tres, el soldado p'al cuartel. 35 La estrella (The Star):La guía de los marineros. 36 El cazo (The Ladle):El caso que te hago es poco. 37 El mundo (The World):Este mundo es una bola, y nosotros un bolón. 38 El apache (The Apache):¡Ah, Chihuahua! Cuánto apache con pantalón y huarache. 39 El nopal (The Cactus):Al nopal lo van a ver, nomás cuando tiene tunas. 40 El alacrán (The Scorpion):El que con la cola pica, le dan una paliza. 41 La rosa (The Rose):Rosita, Rosaura, ven que te quiero ahora. 42 La calavera (The skull):Al pasar por el panteón, me encontre un calaverón. 43 La campana (The Bell):Tú con la campana y yo con tu hermana. 44 El cantarito (The Water Pitcher):Tanto va el cántaro al agua, que se quiebra y te moja las enaguas. 45 El venado (The Deer):Saltando va buscando, pero no ve nada. 46 El sol (The Sun):La cobija de los pobres. 47 La corona (The Crown):El sombrero de los reyes. 48 La chalupa (The Canoe):Rema que rema Lupita, sentada en su chalupita. 49 El pino (The Pine):Fresco y oloroso, en todo tiempo hermoso. 50 El pescado (The Fish):El que por la boca muere, aunque mudo fuere. 51 La palma (The Palm):Palmero, sube a la palma y bájame un coco real. 52 La maceta (The Flowerpot):El que nace pa'maceta, no sale del corredor. 53 El arpa (The Harp):Arpa vieja de mi suegra, ya no sirves pa'tocar. 54 La rana (The Frog):Al ver a la verde rana, qué brinco pegó tu hermana.

ymbolism

There are arguments that some of the cards in the "Lotería" game are offensive because in the original game there are cards that depict a drunk person (25, "El borracho"), a black person (26, "El negrito"), and a Native American (38, "El apache"). These arguments are based on the perspective of American history, which differs from the Mexican culture and history.

To understand the "Lotería" icons and what they represent, it is necessary to review some of the most significant icons in Mexican culture, such as the Our Lady of Guadalupe or San Martin De Porres, per example. The virgin has all the appearance of a native Aztec woman and San Martin is a black saint whom most Mexicans venerate.

ources

Books
*"Playing Lotería: El Juego de La Lotería", by René Colato Laínez
*"El Arte De La Suerte", by Artes De Mexico Número 13, Otoño 1991, Nueva Época

ee also

* Bingo (US)

External links

* [http://www.somethingsowrong.com/features/loteria/index.asp Lotería pictures (not the famous Pasatiempos Gallo version)]
* [http://gallery.elsewhere.org/v/loteria/ Scans of Lotería decks from multiple manufacturers]
* [http://www.lotmex.com/loteriareglas.htm Lotería rules]
* [http://www.lotmex.com Software to Print Lotería]