Lotería is a Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 game of chance

Game of chance

A game of chance is a game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device, and upon which contestants may or may not wager money or anything of monetary value...

, similar to Bingo

Bingo (US)

Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...

, but using images on a deck of cards

Playing card

A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...

 instead of plain numbers on ping pong balls. Every image

Image

An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...

 has a name and an assigned number, but the number is usually ignored. Each player

Player (game)

A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....

 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.

Lotería is the Spanish word for lottery. The deck 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

Riddle

A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...

 or humorous patter

Patter

Patter is a prepared and practiced speech, that is designed to produce a desired response from its audience. Examples of occupations with a patter might include the: auctioneer, salesperson, dance caller, or comedian....

 instead of reading the card name. The players with a matching pictogram

Pictogram

A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...

 on their board mark it off with a chip or other kind of marker (many Mexican families traditionally use small rocks, crown cork

Crown Cork

The crown cork , the first form of bottle cap, was invented by William Painter in 1891 in Baltimore. The company making it was originally called the Bottle Seal Company, but it changed its name with the almost immediate success of the crown cork to the Crown Cork and Seal Company...

s or pinto beans as markers). The first player with four chips in a horizontal

Horizontal plane

In geometry, physics, astronomy, geography, and related sciences, a plane is said to be horizontal at a given point if it is perpendicular to the gradient of the gravity field at that point— in other words, if apparent gravity makes a plumb bob hang perpendicular to the plane at that point.In...

, vertical

Vertical direction

In astronomy, geography, geometry and related sciences and contexts, a direction passing by a given point is said to be vertical if it is locally aligned with the gradient of the gravity field, i.e., with the direction of the gravitational force at that point...

 or diagonal

Diagonal

A diagonal is a line joining two nonconsecutive vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word "diagonal" derives from the Greek διαγώνιος , from dia- and gonia ; it was used by both Strabo and Euclid to refer to a line connecting two vertices of a...

 row, squared pattern,any other previously specified pattern, or fills the tabla first shouts "¡Lotería!" (Lottery!) or "¡Buena!" (Good!) and is the winner.

History

The origin of lottery

Lottery

A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...

can be traced far back in history. The Lotería game originated in Italy in the 1400s and was brought to New Spain (Mexico) in 1769 . In the beginning Lotería was a hobby of the upper classes, but eventually it became a tradition at Mexican fair

Fair

A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...

s. At present, the Lotería has been adapted as a didactic tool, and several artists are using its pictograms as a base for their art projects.

The most famous maker of the card sets nowadays is Pasatiempos Gallo, S.A. de C.V., headquartered

Headquarters

Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

 in the city of Santiago de Querétaro

Santiago de Querétaro

Santiago de Querétaro is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro, located in central Mexico. It is located 213 km northwest of Mexico City, 96 km southeast of San Miguel de Allende and 200 km south of San Luis Potosí...

, (operating as Don Clemente, Inc. in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

) which began publishing the game in 1887 when Clemente Jacques started to produce the cards. The current images have become iconic

Secular icon

A secular icon is an image or pictograph of a person or thing used for other than religious purpose. -Icons versus symbols:...

 in Mexican culture, as well as having "kitsch

Kitsch

Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...

" value in the U.S. and some European countries

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

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

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

) 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 Rooster A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels... ) El que le cantó a San Pedro no le volverá a cantar. 2 El diablito (The Little Devil Devil The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly... ) Pórtate bien cuatito, si no te lleva el coloradito. 3 La dama (The Lady Lady The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman... ) Puliendo el paso, por toda la calle real. 4 El catrín (The Gentlemen) Don Ferruco en la alameda, su bastón quería tirar. 5 El paraguas (The Umbrella Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain... ) Para el sol y para el agua. 6 La sirena (The Mermaid Mermaid A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"... ) Con los cantos de sirena, no te vayas a marear. 7 La escalera (The Ladder Ladder A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually... ) Súbeme paso a pasito, no quieras pegar brinquitos. 8 La botella (The Bottle Bottle A bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft... ) La herramienta del borracho. 9 El barril (The Barrel Barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a... ) Tanto bebió el albañil, que quedó como barril. 10 El árbol (The Tree Tree A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to... ) El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija. 11 El melón (The Melon Melon thumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit... ) 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 Bonnet (headgear) Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material... ) Ponle su gorrito al nene, no se nos vaya a resfriar. 14 La muerte (The Death Death Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury.... ) La muerte tilica y flaca. 15 La pera (The Pear Pear The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent.... ) El que espera, desespera. 16 La bandera (The Flag Flag A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist... ) Verde blanco y colorado, la bandera del soldado. 17 El bandolón (The Mandolin Mandolin A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... ) Tocando su bandolón, está el mariachi Simón. 18 El violoncello (The Cello Cello The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... ) Creciendo se fue hasta el cielo, y como no fue violín, tuvo que ser violoncello. 19 La garza (The Heron Heron The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "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 Bird Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from... ) Tu me traes a puros brincos, como pájaro en la rama. 21 La mano (The Hand Hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs... ) La mano de un criminal. 22 La bota (The Boot Boot A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece.... ) Una bota igual que la otra. 23 La luna (The Moon Moon The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more... ) El farol de los enamorados. 24 El cotorro (The Parrot Parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae... ) 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 Black people The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a... ) El que se comió el azúcar. 27 El corazón (The Heart Heart The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions... ) No me extrañes corazón, que regreso en el camión. 28 La sandía (The Watermelon Watermelon Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center... ) La barriga que Juan tenía, era empacho de sandía. 29 El tambor (The Drum Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a... ) No te arruges, cuero viejo, que te quiero pa'tambor. 30 El camarón (The Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important... ) Camarón durmiente, se lo lleva la corriente. 31 Las jaras (The Arrow Arrow An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:... s) Las jaras del indio Adán, donde pegan, dan. 32 El músico (The Musician Musician A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession.... ) El músico trompas de hule, ya no me quiere tocar. 33 La araña (The Spider Spider Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms... ) Atarántamela a palos, no me la dejes llegar. 34 El soldado (The Soldier Soldier A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary... ) Uno, dos y tres, el soldado p'al cuartel. 35 La estrella (The Star Star A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth... ) La guía de los marineros. 36 El cazo (The Ladle Ladle (spoon) A ladle is a type of spoon used to scoop up and serve soup, stew, or other foods. Although designs vary, a typical ladle has a long handle terminating in a deep bowl, frequently with the bowl oriented at an angle to the handle to facilitate lifting liquid out of a pot or other vessel and conveying... ) El caso que te hago es poco. 37 El mundo (The World World World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth.... ) Este mundo es una bola, y nosotros un bolón. 38 El Apache (The Apache Apache Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan... ) ¡Ah, Chihuahua! Cuánto apache con pantalón y huarache. 39 El nopal (The Cactus Cactus A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines... ) Al nopal lo van a ver, nomás cuando tiene tunas. 40 El alacrán (The Scorpion Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger... ) El que con la cola pica, le dan una paliza. 41 La rosa (The Rose Rose A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows... ) Rosita, Rosaura, ven que te quiero ahora. 42 La calavera (The skull Human skull The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones... ) Al pasar por el panteón, me encontre un calaverón. 43 La campana (The Bell Bell (instrument) A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck... ) 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 Deer Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year... ) Saltando va buscando, pero no ve nada. 46 El Sol (The Sun Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields... ) La cobija de los pobres. 47 La corona (The Crown Crown (headgear) A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to... ) El sombrero de los reyes. 48 La chalupa (The Canoe Canoe A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian... ) Rema que rema Lupita, sentada en su chalupita. 49 El pino (The Pine Pine Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:... ) Fresco y oloroso, en todo tiempo hermoso. 50 El pescado (The Fish Fish Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups... ) 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 Flowerpot A flower pot or plant pot is a container in which flowers and other plants are cultivated. Historically, and still to a significant extent today, they are made from terracotta. Flower pots are now often made from plastic, wood, stone, or sometimes biodegradable material. An example of... ) El que nace pa'maceta, no sale del corredor. 53 El arpa (The Harp Harp The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings... ) Arpa vieja de mi suegra, ya no sirves pa'tocar. 54 La rana (The Frog Frog Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail... ) Al ver a la verde rana, qué brinco pegó tu hermana.

Sources

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

External links

• Lotería Workshop Software to print Loterias and Bingo Games
• Scans of Lotería decks from multiple manufacturers
• Lotería rules
• iPhone Loteria Digital Mobile Deck
• Oldest Loteria Online
• Lotería Grill Lotería themed restaurants in California
• Official Site for Online Lotería Game
• YouTube Lotería Channel
• Facebook Lotería Fan Site