ost famous maker of the card sets

nowadays 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
when Don Clemente Jacques started to
produce the cards.[2] The current images
have become iconic in Mexican
culture,[3] as well as gaining popularity in
the US and some European
countries.[citation needed] Other popular
Loteria sets are Loteria Leo and Loteria
de mi tierra.
During the 1930s, the Catholic church
came up with their own version of la
Loteria. It consisted of Catholic images
instead of the traditional images used in
the original game. The Catholic church
did this to promote their beliefs by
making their very own game board
similar to the Loteria.[4]
Cards and associated riddles[edit]

Catrina in Chapala, Jalisco with dress

of lotería cards
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) sometimes used to tell the
players which card was drawn. However,
there are several less traditional sets of
cards, depicting different objects or
animals.
1 El
gallo ("the rooster"
)
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
little Devil")
Pórtate bien
cuatito, si no te
lleva el
coloradito.
Behave
yourself
buddy, or the
little red one
will take you
away.
3 La
dama ("the
lady")
Puliendo el
paso, por toda La barriga que Juan
la calle real. tenía, era empacho
Polishing as de sandía.
she steps, all The swollen belly
along the royal that Juan had, was
street from eating too much
watermelon.
4 El
catrín
("the d
andy")
Don Ferruco
en la alameda,
su bastón
quería tirar.
Sir Ferruco in
the lane,
wanted to toss
away his cane.
5
El
pa
ra
gu
as
("t
he
um
bre
lla
") No te arrugues,
Para el sol y cuero viejo, que te
para el agua. quiero pa' tambor.
For the sun and Don't you wrinkle,
for the rain. dear old leather,
since I want you for
6
a drum.
L
a
s
i
r
e
n
a

(
"
t
h
e

m
e
r
m
a
i
d
 "
)
Con los cantos
de sirena, no te
vayas a Camarón que se
marear. duerme, se lo lleva la
Don't be corriente.
swayed by the The shrimp that
songs of the slumbers is taken by
siren. (In the tides.
Spanish, sirens
and mermaids
and their song
is
synonymous.)
7

L
a
e
s
c
a
 l
e
r
a

(
"
t
h
e

l
a
dLas jaras del indio
dAdán, donde pegan,
edan.
rThe arrows of Adam
"the Indian, strike
)where they hit.
Súbeme paso a
pasito, no
quieras pegar
brinquitos.
Ascend me
step by step,
don't try and
skip.
8

L
a
b
o
t
e
l
l
a

(
"
t
h
e

b
 o
t
t
El músico trompas
l
de hule, ya no me
e tocar.
quiere
The"rubber-lipped
)
musician does not
La herramienta want to play for me
del borracho. anymore.
The tool of the
drunk.
9

E
l
b
a
r
r
i
l

(
 "
t
h
e

b
a
r
r
e
l
"
Atarántamela a
) me la dejes
palos, no
Tanto bebió el llegar.
albañil, que Beat it silly with a
quedó como stick, do not let it
barril. near me.
So much did
the bricklayer
drink, he ended
up like a
barrel.
1
0

E
l
á
r
b
o
l

(
"
t
h
e

t
r
e
e
"
)
El que a buen Uno, dos y tres, el
árbol se soldado p'al cuartel.
arrima, buena One, two and three,
sombra le the soldier heads to
cobija. the fort.
He who nears a
good tree, is
blanketed by
good shade.
1
1

E
l
m
e
l
ó
n

(
"
t
 h
e

m
e
l
o
n
La guía de los "
marineros. )
Me lo das o me Sailor's guide.
lo quitas.
Give it to me
or take it from
me.
1
2

E
l
v
a
l
 i
e
n
t
e

(
"
t
h
e

b
r
El caso que te hagoa
es poco. v
The attention I pay e
you is little. (A m
a
pun: caso "attention"
and cazo"saucepan"n
are homophones in "
Mexican Spanish) )
Por qué le
corres
cobarde,
trayendo tan
buen puñal.
Why do you
run, coward?
Having such a
good blade too.
1
3

E
l
g
o
r
r
i
t
o

(
 "
t
Este mundo es una h
bola, y nosotros un e
bolón. l
This world is a ball, i
and we a great mob. t
(A pun: bola can t
mean both "ball, l
sphere" and "crowd, e
mob", bolón is
a superlative with the b
latter meaning) o
n
n
e
t
"
)
Ponle su
gorrito al nene,
no se nos vaya
a resfriar.
Put the bonnet
on the baby,
lest he catch a
cold.
1
4

L
a
m
u
e
r
t
e

¡Ah, Chihuahua! (
Cuánto apache con "
pantalón y huarache. D
Ah, Chihuahua! So e
many Apaches with a
pants and sandals. t
h
 "
)
La muerte
tilica y flaca.
Death, thin and
lanky.
El que espera,
desespera.
He who waits
despairs. (A
pun: espera "to
wait" and es
pera " to be a
pear" are
homophones in Al nopal lo van a
Mexican ver, nomás cuando
Spanish.) tiene tunas.
People go to see the
prickly pear, only
when it bears fruit .
Verde blanco y
colorado, la
bandera del
soldado.
Green, white,
and red, the
flag of the El que con la cola
soldier. pica, le dan una
paliza.
He who stings with
his tail, will get a
beating.
 Rosita, Rosaura, ven
que te quiero ahora.
Rosita, Rosaura,
come, as I want you
Tocando here now.
su bandolón,
está el
mariachi
Simón.
There playing
his lute, is
Simon the
mariachi.
Al pasar por el
panteón, me encontré
un calaverón.
As I passed by the
cemetery, I found
myself a skull.
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.
 Tú con la campana y
yo con tu hermana.
You with the bell
and I with your
sister.

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
your slip.
Al otro lado
del río tengo Saltando va
mi banco de buscando, pero no ve
arena, donde nada.
se sienta mi Jumping it goes
searching, but it
chata pico de doesn't see anything.
garza morena. (A
At the other pun: venado "deer"
side of the sounds like ve
river I have my nada"see nothing")
sand bank,
where sits my La cobija de los
darling short pobres.
one, with the The blanket of the
beak of a dark poor.
heron.

El sombrero de los
reyes.
The hat of kings.

Rema que rema

Lupita, sentada en su
chalupita.
Lupita rows as she
may, sitting in her
little boat.
 Fresco y oloroso, en
todo tiempo
hermoso.
Fresh and fragrant,
beautiful in any
season.

El que por la boca

muere, aunque mudo
fuere.
Tu me traes a The one who dies by
puros brincos, its mouth, even if he
como pájaro were mute. (In
en la rama. reference to a fish
You have me being hooked by its
hopping here mouth, even though
and there, like it doesn't utter a
a bird on a sound.)
branch.
 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.")

El que nace
pa'maceta, no sale
del corredor.
He who is born to be
a flowerpot, does not
go beyond the
hallway.

Arpa vieja de mi
suegra, ya no sirves
La mano de un pa'tocar.
criminal. Old harp of my
mother-in-law, you
The hand of a are no longer fit to
criminal. play.

Al ver a la verde
rana, qué brinco
pegó tu hermana.
What a jump your
sister gave, as she
saw the green frog.
Una bota igual
que la otra.
A boot the
same as the
other.
El farol de los
enamorados.
The street lamp
of lovers.
Cotorro
cotorro saca la
pata, y
empiézame a
platicar.
Parrot, parrot,
stick out your
claw and begin
to chat with
me.
A qué
borracho tan
necio ya no lo
puedo
aguantar.
Oh what an
annoying
drunk, I can't
stand him any
more.
El que se
comió el
azúcar.
The one who
ate the sugar.
No me extrañes
corazón, que
regreso en el
camión.
Do not miss
me, sweetheart,
 I'll be back by
bus.
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Hope College
PR. “Depree Gallery to Exhibit
Loteria“, Hope College, Retrieved on
12 January 2017.
2. Jump up^ Villegas,
Teresa. "History of La
Lotería", www.teresavillegas.com,
retrieved on 12 January 2017.
3. Jump up^ Rivas, Jorge, “This
artist is giving a queer twist to one of
Mexico’s most iconic board
games,” [1], Fusion, 10-26-2016
4. Jump up^ "History of La
Lotería". Teresa Villegas. 2012-08-
25. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
Further reading[edit]
• Lotería: A Novel, by Mario Alberto
Zambrano
• 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[edit]
Media related to Lotería (board
game) at
ost famous maker of the card sets
nowadays 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
when Don Clemente Jacques started to
produce the cards.[2] The current images
have become iconic in Mexican
culture,[3] as well as gaining popularity in
the US and some European
countries.[citation needed] Other popular
Loteria sets are Loteria Leo and Loteria
de mi tierra.
During the 1930s, the Catholic church
came up with their own version of la
Loteria. It consisted of Catholic images
instead of the traditional images used in
the original game. The Catholic church
did this to promote their beliefs by
making their very own game board
similar to the Loteria.[4]
Cards and associated riddles[edit]

Catrina in Chapala, Jalisco with dress

of lotería cards
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) sometimes used to tell the
players which card was drawn. However,
there are several less traditional sets of
cards, depicting different objects or
animals.
1 El
gallo ("the rooster"
)
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
little Devil")
Pórtate bien
cuatito, si no te
lleva el
coloradito.
Behave
yourself
buddy, or the
little red one
will take you
away.
3 La
dama ("the
lady")
Puliendo el
paso, por toda La barriga que Juan
la calle real. tenía, era empacho
Polishing as de sandía.
she steps, all The swollen belly
along the royal that Juan had, was
street from eating too much
watermelon.
4 El
catrín
 ("the d
andy")
Don Ferruco
en la alameda,
su bastón
quería tirar.
Sir Ferruco in
the lane,
wanted to toss
away his cane.
5
El
pa
ra
gu
as
("t
he
um
bre
lla
")
Para el sol y No te arrugues,
para el agua. cuero viejo, que te
For the sun and quiero pa' tambor.
for the rain. Don't you wrinkle,
6 dear old leather,
since I want you for
L a drum.
a
s
i
r
e
n
a

(
"
t
h
e

m
e
 r
m
a
i
d
"
)
Con los cantos
de sirena, no te
vayas a
marear.
Don't be Camarón que se
swayed by the duerme, se lo lleva la
songs of the corriente.
siren. (In The shrimp that
Spanish, sirens slumbers is taken by
and mermaids the tides.
and their song
is
synonymous.)
7

L
a
e
s
c
a
l
e
r
a

(
"
t
h
e

l
a
d
d
eLas jaras del indio
rAdán, donde pegan,
dan.
 "The arrows of Adam
)the Indian, strike
Súbeme paso a where they hit.
pasito, no
quieras pegar
brinquitos.
Ascend me
step by step,
don't try and
skip.
8

L
a
b
o
t
e
l
l
a

(
 "
t
h
e

b
o
t
t
El músico trompas
l
de hule, ya no me
e tocar.
quiere
The"rubber-lipped
)
musician does not
La herramienta want to play for me
del borracho. anymore.
The tool of the
drunk.
9

E
l
b
a
 r
r
i
l

(
"
t
h
e

b
a
r
r
e
l
"
Atarántamela a
) me la dejes
palos, no
Tanto bebió el llegar.
albañil, que Beat it silly with a
quedó como stick, do not let it
barril. near me.
So much did
the bricklayer
drink, he ended
up like a
barrel.
1
0

E
l
á
r
b
o
l

(
"
t
h
e

t
 r
e
e
"
)
El que a buen Uno, dos y tres, el
árbol se soldado p'al cuartel.
arrima, buena One, two and three,
sombra le the soldier heads to
cobija. the fort.
He who nears a
good tree, is
blanketed by
good shade.
1
1

E
l
m
e
l
ó
 n

(
"
t
h
e

m
e
l
o
n
La guía de los "
marineros. )
Me lo das o me Sailor's guide.
lo quitas.
Give it to me
or take it from
me.
1
2
 E
l
v
a
l
i
e
n
t
e

(
"
t
h
e

b
r
El caso que te hagoa
es poco. v
The attention I pay e
you is little. (A m
 pun: caso "attention"
a
and cazo"saucepan"n
are homophones in "
Mexican Spanish) )
Por qué le
corres
cobarde,
trayendo tan
buen puñal.
Why do you
run, coward?
Having such a
good blade too.
1
3

E
l
g
o
r
r
i
 t
o

(
"
Este mundo es una t
bola, y nosotros un h
bolón. e
This world is a ball, l
and we a great mob. i
(A pun: bola can t
mean both "ball, t
sphere" and "crowd, l
mob", bolón is e
a superlative with the
latter meaning) b
o
n
n
e
t
"
)
Ponle su
gorrito al nene,
no se nos vaya
a resfriar.
Put the bonnet
on the baby,
lest he catch a
cold.
1
4

L
a
m
u
e
r
t
e
¡Ah, Chihuahua!
Cuánto apache con (
pantalón y huarache. "
D
 Ah, Chihuahua! So e
many Apaches with a
pants and sandals. t
h
"
)
La muerte
tilica y flaca.
Death, thin and
lanky.
El que espera,
desespera.
He who waits
despairs. (A
pun: espera "to
wait" and es
pera " to be a
pear" are Al nopal lo van a
homophones in ver, nomás cuando
Mexican tiene tunas.
Spanish.) People go to see the
prickly pear, only
when it bears fruit .
Verde blanco y
colorado, la
bandera del
soldado.
Green, white,
and red, the
flag of the El que con la cola
soldier. pica, le dan una
paliza.
He who stings with
his tail, will get a
beating.
 Rosita, Rosaura, ven
que te quiero ahora.
Rosita, Rosaura,
come, as I want you
Tocando here now.
su bandolón,
está el
mariachi
Simón.
There playing
his lute, is
Simon the
mariachi.

Al pasar por el
panteón, me encontré
un calaverón.
 As I passed by the
cemetery, I found
myself a skull.

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.
Tú con la campana y
yo con tu hermana.
You with the bell
and I with your
sister.

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
your slip.
Al otro lado Saltando va
del río tengo buscando, pero no ve
mi banco de nada.
arena, donde Jumping it goes
se sienta mi searching, but it
chata pico de doesn't see anything.
garza morena. (A
At the other pun: venado "deer"
side of the sounds like ve
river I have my nada"see nothing")
sand bank,
where sits my La cobija de los
darling short
pobres.
one, with the
The blanket of the
beak of a dark
poor.
heron.

El sombrero de los
reyes.
The hat of kings.
 Rema que rema
Lupita, sentada en su
chalupita.
Lupita rows as she
may, sitting in her
little boat.

Fresco y oloroso, en
todo tiempo
hermoso.
Fresh and fragrant,
beautiful in any
season.

El que por la boca

muere, aunque mudo
Tu me traes a fuere.
puros brincos, The one who dies by
como pájaro its mouth, even if he
en la rama. were mute. (In
You have me reference to a fish
hopping here being hooked by its
and there, like mouth, even though
a bird on a it doesn't utter a
branch. sound.)

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.")

El que nace
pa'maceta, no sale
del corredor.
He who is born to be
a flowerpot, does not
go beyond the
hallway.
 Arpa vieja de mi
suegra, ya no sirves
La mano de un pa'tocar.
criminal. Old harp of my
The hand of a mother-in-law, you
criminal. are no longer fit to
play.

Al ver a la verde
rana, qué brinco
pegó tu hermana.
What a jump your
sister gave, as she
saw the green frog.
Una bota igual
que la otra.
A boot the
same as the
other.
El farol de los
enamorados.
The street lamp
of lovers.
Cotorro
cotorro saca la
pata, y
empiézame a
platicar.
Parrot, parrot,
stick out your
claw and begin
to chat with
me.
A qué
borracho tan
necio ya no lo
puedo
aguantar.
Oh what an
annoying
drunk, I can't
stand him any
more.
El que se
comió el
azúcar.
The one who
ate the sugar.
No me extrañes
corazón, que
 regreso en el
camión.
Do not miss
me, sweetheart,
I'll be back by
bus.
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Hope College
PR. “Depree Gallery to Exhibit
Loteria“, Hope College, Retrieved on
12 January 2017.
2. Jump up^ Villegas,
Teresa. "History of La
Lotería", www.teresavillegas.com,
retrieved on 12 January 2017.
3. Jump up^ Rivas, Jorge, “This
artist is giving a queer twist to one of
Mexico’s most iconic board
games,” [1], Fusion, 10-26-2016
4. Jump up^ "History of La
Lotería". Teresa Villegas. 2012-08-
25. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
Further reading[edit]
• Lotería: A Novel, by Mario Alberto
Zambrano
• 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[edit]
Media related to Lotería (board
game) at