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|
 Lotería boards | |
| Other names | Mexican bingo,[1] Chalupa |
|---|---|
| Languages | Spanish |
| Chance | High |
| Materials required | cards |
Lotería (Spanish word meaning "lottery") is a traditional Mexican boardgame of chance, similar tobingo, but played with a deck ofcards instead of numbered balls. Each card has an image of an everyday object, its name, and a number, although the number is usually ignored. Eachplayer has at least onetabla, a board with a randomly created 4 × 4 grid selected from the card images. Players choose atabla ("board") to play with, from a variety of previously createdtablas, each with a different selection of images.
The traditionalLotería card deck is composed of 54 different cards, each with a different picture. To start the game, the caller (cantor, "singer") shuffles the deck. One by one, the caller picks a card from the deck and announces it to the players by its name, sometimes using a verse before reading the card name. Each player locates the matchingpictogram of the card just announced on their board and marks it off with a chip or other kind of marker. In Mexico, it is traditional to use pennies,crown corks orpinto beans as markers. The winner is the first player that shouts"¡Lotería!" after completing a pattern on theirtabla, similar to bingo: row, column, diagonal, four corners, or unique to this game, four in a square (pozo).
The origin oflotería can be traced far back in history. The game originated in Italy in the 15th century and was brought toNew Spain (modern Mexico) in 1769.[citation needed] In the beginning,lotería was a hobby of the upper classes,[1] but eventually it became a tradition at Mexicanfairs.
Don Clemente Jacques began publishing the game in 1887.[1] His version of the game was distributed to Mexican soldiers along with their rations and supplies.[2]
The images Don Clemente used in his card designs have becomeiconic in Mexican culture, as well as gaining popularity in the U.S. and someEuropean countries. Don Clemente's cards also had a part in representing and normalizing different aspects of Mexico's national identity during the 19th century. This can be seen with the card ofEl Soldado ("the soldier"), which was used as a symbol to reference war as a part of Mexico's national identity during that time.[3] Many of the pictures used in Don Clemente'slotería resemble theMajor Arcana ofTarot cards used for divination (which, in turn, are based on cards used inTarot card games).[2] Other popularlotería sets areLotería Leo,Gacela andLotería de mi tierra.
Lotería de Pozo is a variant version of the traditional MexicanLotería, where the basic rules apply. For this version, before the game begins, players agree on how manypozos are to be completed in a row, column or diagonal pattern. Apozo is a group of images in a square. The square may contain 2 x 2 (4) or 3 x 3 (9) images[4] for a traditionaltabla.
During the 1930s, the Roman Catholic church devised its own version ofla lotería, most likely because of the connections between Don Clemente's popular images and Tarot cards;divination andfortune-telling are prohibited by Catholic doctrine.[5] This alternativelotería deck consisted of Catholic images instead of the traditional images used in the original game, likely allowing devout Catholics a way to enjoy the game without those "sinful" connotations and giving the Church a way to teach its beliefs by way of thelotería.[1]
With the rise of online gaming and app-based gaming, electronic versions such as theLoteria online game allow computer users to play an online version of theLotería Mexicana.[6]
The following is a list of the original 54lotería cards, traditionally and broadly recognized in Mexico. Along with each card name and number are the verses sometimes used to tell the players which card was drawn. However, there are several less traditional sets of cards, depicting different objects or animals.
| No. | Name | English | Verse | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El gallo | therooster | El que le cantó a San Pedro no le volverá a cantar. | The one that sang for St. Peter will never sing for him again. |
| 2 | El diablito | the littleDevil | Pórtate bien cuatito, si no te lleva el coloradito. | Behave yourself buddy, or the little red one will take you away. |
| 3 | La dama | thelady | Puliendo el paso, por toda la calle real. | Improving her gait, all along the main street. |
| 4 | El catrín | thedandy | Don Ferruco en la alameda, su bastón quería tirar. | Sir Ferruco in the poplar grove, wanted to toss away his cane. |
| 5 | El paraguas | theumbrella | Para el sol y para el agua. | For the sun and for the rain. |
| 6 | La sirena | themermaid | Con los cantos de sirena, no te vayas a marear. | Don't be swayed by the songs ofthe siren. (In Spanish, sirens and mermaids and their song are synonymous.) |
| 7 | La escalera | theladder | Súbeme paso a pasito, no quieras pegar brinquitos. | Ascend me step by step, don't try and skip. |
| 8 | La botella | thebottle | La herramienta del borracho. | The tool of the drunk. |
| 9 | El barril | thebarrel | Tanto bebió el albañil, que quedó como barril. | So much did the bricklayer drink, he ended up like a barrel. |
| 10 | El árbol | thetree | El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija. | He who nears a good tree, is blanketed by good shade. |
| 11 | El melón | themelon | Me lo das o me lo quitas. | Give it to me or take it from me. |
| 12 | El valiente | the brave man | Por qué le corres cobarde, trayendo tan buen puñal. | Why do you run, coward? Having such a good blade too. |
| 13 | El gorrito | the littlebonnet | Ponle su gorrito al nene, no se nos vaya a resfriar. | Put the bonnet on the baby, lest he catch a cold. |
| 14 | La muerte | Death | La muerte tilica y flaca. | Death, thin and lanky. |
| 15 | La pera | thepear | El que espera, desespera. | He who waits despairs. (A pun:espera "waits" andes pera "is a pear" are homophones in Mexican Spanish.) |
| 16 | La bandera | theflag | Verde blanco y colorado, la bandera del soldado. | Green, white, and red, the flag of the soldier. |
| 17 | El bandolón | themandolin | Tocando subandolón, está el mariachi Simón. | There playing his lute, is Simon the mariachi. |
| 18 | El violoncello | thecello | Creciendo se fue hasta el cielo, y como no fue violín, tuvo que ser violoncello. | Growing it reached the heavens, and since it wasn't a violin, it had to be a cello. |
| 19 | La garza | theheron | Al otro lado del río tengo mi banco de arena, donde se sienta mi chata pico de garza morena. | At the other side of the river I have my sand bank, where sits my darling short one, with the beak of a great blue heron. |
| 20 | El pájaro | thebird | Tu me traes a puros brincos, como pájaro en la rama. | You have me hopping here and there, like a bird on a branch. |
| 21 | La mano | thehand | La mano de un criminal. | The hand of a criminal. |
| 22 | La bota | theboot | Una bota igual que la otra. | A boot the same as the other. |
| 23 | La luna | themoon | El farol de los enamorados. | The street lamp of lovers. |
| 24 | El cotorro | theparrot | Cotorro cotorro saca la pata, y empiézame a platicar. | Parrot, parrot, stick out your claw and begin to chat with me. |
| 25 | El borracho | thedrunkard | A qué borracho tan necio ya no lo puedo aguantar. | Oh what an annoying drunk, I can't stand him any more. |
| 26 | El negrito | the littleblack man | El que se comió el azúcar. | The one who ate the sugar. |
| 27 | El corazón | theheart | No me extrañes corazón, que regreso en el camión. | Do not miss me, sweetheart, I'll be back by bus. |
| 28 | La sandía | thewatermelon | La barriga que Juan tenía, era empacho de sandía. | The swollen belly that Juan had, was from eating too much watermelon. |
| 29 | El tambor | thedrum | No te arrugues, cuero viejo, que te quiero pa' tambor. | Don't you wrinkle, dear old leather, since I want you for a drum. |
| 30 | El camarón | theshrimp | Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente. | The shrimp that slumbers is taken by the tides. |
| 31 | Las jaras | thearrows | Las jaras del indio Adán, donde pegan, dan. | The arrows of Adam the Indian, strike where they hit. |
| 32 | El músico | themusician | El músico trompas de hule, ya no me quiere tocar. | The rubber-lipped musician does not want to play for me anymore. |
| 33 | La araña | thespider | Atarántamela a palos, no me la dejes llegar. | Beat it silly with a stick, do not let it near me. |
| 34 | El soldado | thesoldier | Uno, dos y tres, el soldado pa'l cuartel. | One, two and three, the soldier heads to the fort. |
| 35 | La estrella | thestar | La guía de los marineros. | Sailor's guide. |
| 36 | El cazo | thesaucepan | El caso que te hago es poco. | The attention I pay you is little. (A pun:caso "attention" andcazo "saucepan" are homophones in Mexican Spanish) |
| 37 | El mundo | theworld | Este mundo es una bola, y nosotros un bolón. | This world is a ball, and we a great mob. (A pun:bola can mean both "ball, sphere" and "crowd, mob",bolón is asuperlative with the latter meaning) |
| 38 | El Apache | theApache | ¡Ah, Chihuahua! Cuánto apache con pantalón y huarache. | Ah, Chihuahua! So many Apaches with pants and sandals. |
| 39 | El nopal | theprickly pear cactus | Al nopal lo van a ver, nomás cuando tiene tunas. | People go to see the prickly pear, only when it bears fruit. |
| 40 | El alacrán | thescorpion | El que con la cola pica, le dan una paliza. | He who stings with his tail, will get a beating. |
| 41 | La rosa | therose | Rosita, Rosaura, ven que te quiero ahora. | Rosita, Rosaura, come, as I want you here now. |
| 42 | La calavera | theskull | Al pasar por el panteón, me encontré un calaverón. | As I passed by the cemetery, I came across a skull. |
| 43 | La campana | thebell | Tú con la campana y yo con tu hermana. | You with the bell and I with your sister. |
| 44 | El cantarito | the littlewater pitcher | Tanto va el cántaro al agua, que se quiebra y te moja las enaguas. | So often does the jug go to the water, that it breaks and wets yourslip. |
| 45 | El venado | thedeer | Saltando va buscando, pero no ve nada. | Jumping it goes searching, but it doesn't see anything. (A pun:venado "deer" sounds likeve nada "see nothing") |
| 46 | El Sol | thesun | La cobija de los pobres. | The blanket of the poor. |
| 47 | La corona | thecrown | El sombrero de los reyes. | The hat of kings. |
| 48 | La chalupa | thecanoe | Rema que rema Lupita, sentada en su chalupita. | Lupita rows as she may, sitting in her little boat. |
| 49 | El pino | thepine tree | Fresco y oloroso, en todo tiempo hermoso. | Fresh and fragrant, beautiful in any season. |
| 50 | El pescado | thefish | El que por la boca muere, aunque mudo fuere. | The one who dies by its mouth, even if he were mute. (In reference to a fish being hooked by its mouth, even though it doesn't utter a sound.) |
| 51 | La palma | thepalm tree | Palmero, sube a la palma y bájame un coco real. | Palmer, climb the palm tree and bring me a coconut fit for kings. (Lit: "A royal coconut. |
| 52 | La maceta | theflowerpot | El que nace pa'maceta, no sale del corredor. | He who is born to be a flowerpot, does not go beyond the hallway. |
| 53 | El arpa | theharp | Arpa vieja de mi suegra, ya no sirves pa'tocar. | Old harp of my mother-in-law, you are no longer fit to play. |
| 54 | La rana | thefrog | Al ver a la verde rana, qué brinco pegó tu hermana. | What a jump your sister gave, as she saw the green frog. |
In 2017, artist Mike Alfaro createdMillennial Lotería, reimagining the game for a millennial audience with new cards such as "La hashtag", "La feminist" and "La selfie".[7][8][9]
On December 9, 2019,Google celebratedLotería with aGoogle Doodle.[10] The doodle was a game oflotería that could be played with online players. Some new cards are added:El buscador ("thesearch engine"),El ajolote ("theaxolotl"),El emoji ("theemoji"), etc.
In July 2021,Netflix announced a film adaptation based around the game withJames Bobin set to direct andEugenio Derbez in a leading role.[11]
On October 2, 2023, a game show based onlotería premiered onCBS, titledLotería Loca and hosted byJaime Camil. On each episode, two contestants compete for a chance to win up to $1 million.
Media related toLotería (board game) at Wikimedia Commons
