{"id":7106,"date":"2022-05-05T08:30:35","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T06:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bahia-principe.com\/blog\/?p=7106"},"modified":"2024-11-26T09:59:39","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T08:59:39","slug":"mexican-game-of-loteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/curiosities\/mexican-game-of-loteria\/","title":{"rendered":"How to play lottery mexican game?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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No doubt you\u2019ll have seen these cards in films or TV series. And you might be surprised to learn that Google also made a Doodle<\/i><\/a> based on this game.But you really should know that Loter\u00eda<\/i> is a very important part of popular Mexican culture, as it reflects customs, beliefs and traditions. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Loter\u00eda is a game of chance, one of the most famous in Mexico. It consists of 54 cards and an indefinite number of \u201cboards\u201d (usually between 2 and 30, but more if a lot of people are playing), with 16 of the cards appearing randomly on each board in a 4×4 grid. However, there are also smaller 3×3 versions for children, as well as larger 5×5 versions. Each time a card is taken from the deck at random it\u2019s announced, and each player who has that card marks it on their board.<\/p>


<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a family game, and is unrelated to traditional lottery games in which the winner takes away a cash prize. In the past, it was a game played by soldiers to keep themselves busy during the Mexican War of Independence. If you visit any of the travelling fairs to be found in Mexico, you\u2019ll find that this game (also called La Loter\u00eda) comes with boards decorated with all sorts of different images. It\u2019s a game you can play with all your friends and family.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Lottery history<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Many of the authors consulted for this article agree that the origins of <\/span>Loter\u00eda<\/i> are to be found in 15th century Italy. At that time, there was a game known as <\/span>lotto.<\/i>It is thought that this game reached Spain, and so was then introduced in Mexico. When it landed in Mexico thanks to the Spanish, it was initially only played by the upper classes.<\/span>
<\/p>\n


However, it became so popular that soldiers started playing it during the War of Independence, taking it back home with them once the war ended, and so further popularising it among the general population. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

It was really common to find people playing it on every street corner and at travelling
fairs, but there was more than just one version. Everybody had their own home-made version with different objects and characters, all based on the personal tastes or preferences of whoever did the illustrations for the cards. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A number of very popular versions of the game exist today, such as the one created by Mexican artist Jos\u00e9 Guadalupe Posada, the Clemente Jacques version, and another popularly known as the \u201cLoter\u00eda del Comal\u201d<\/i>.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Shall we play?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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You need a deck of cards to play this game. The deck consists of 54 different images, which include different objects and characters, such as the mermaid, the barrel, the star, and many others. The aim of the game is for each player to fill the board they choose before the game begins, or to complete a pattern previously selected by the players, such as a row, a diagonal, or the corners. The player who\u2019s the first to complete their board has to shout \u201cLoter\u00eda!\u201d<\/span>
<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

One person is responsible for announcing the cards based on the image as each is drawn from the deck. This person is called the grit\u00f3n<\/i> (caller). They are responsible for calling out the cards so that the players can mark them on their boards. The caller accompanies each card with a phrase or saying that refers to the image in some way. In Mexico, these are called coplas<\/i>, \u201cshort rhyming poems that are used to refer to Mexican popular culture\u201d. The coplas <\/i>are recognised by the mention of something related to the image without necessarily using its name, and this has become a tradition associated with Mexican lyric poetry as well as becoming a part of Mexican folklore. These references used to help players who didn\u2019t know how to read, and who were guided by the images in the deck and the saying shouted out by the caller. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few coplas <\/i>from the Mexican Loter\u00eda<\/i> game from the magazine Literaturas
Populares<\/i><\/a> in case you feel like giving it a go yourself.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

The rooster:<\/span><\/b> The one that sang for St. Peter will never sing for him again<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The bottle:<\/span><\/b>  A bottle of tequila, a bottle of mezcal<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The flag:<\/span><\/b> Beautiful 5th of May, the national flag<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The star:<\/span><\/b> The pole star, that never stops shining<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The crown:<\/span><\/b> If you die, I\u2019ll put it on your head, the imperial crown<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

The prickly pear:<\/span><\/b> Succour for St. Luis, who they call the prickly pear<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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If you\u2019d like to know more about this game after reading this article, we thoroughly recommend visiting Mexico and learning how it\u2019s played, in real life, with local people. If you\u2019re interested, the best place to stay is the Riviera Maya, at one of our four hotels<\/a>. The birthplace of civilisations and extraordinary natural landscapes. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

A fascinating destination where you can explore the traces of one of the world’s most ancient cultures. Take a stroll around Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1, Coba, or Tulum. Or relax on the beaches of Akumal, Xpu-h\u00e1, or Cozumel. Mexico will surprise you with the simplicity and feeling of ease that\u2019s to be found absolutely everywhere. <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

Landscapes that contrast with the enthusiasm and vitality of the people, with the majesty of the cities, with the natural heritage, and with the ancient monuments. We recommend checking out the Bahia Principe Grand Tulum,<\/a> a hotel a hotel that\u2019s steeped in history and culture. <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No doubt you\u2019ll\u00a0have seen these cards in films or TV series. And you might be surprised to\u00a0learn that Google also made a Doodle\u00a0based on this game.But you really should know that Loter\u00eda is a very\u00a0important part of popular Mexican culture, as it reflects customs, beliefs and\u00a0traditions. Loter\u00eda is a game of chance, one of the most famous in Mexico. It consists of 54 cards and an indefinite number of \u201cboards\u201d (usually between 2 and 30, but more if a lot of people are playing), with 16 of the cards appearing randomly on each board in a 4×4 grid. However, there are also smaller 3×3 versions for children, as well as larger 5×5 versions. Each time a card is taken from the deck at random it\u2019s announced, and each player who has that card marks it on their board. It\u2019s a family game, and is unrelated to traditional lottery games in which the winner takes away a cash prize. In the past, it was a game played by soldiers to keep themselves busy during the Mexican War of Independence. If you visit any of the travelling fairs to be found in Mexico, you\u2019ll find that this game (also called La Loter\u00eda) comes with boards decorated with all sorts of different images. It\u2019s a game you can play with all your friends and family. Lottery history Many of the\u00a0authors consulted for this article agree that the origins of Loter\u00eda are\u00a0to be found in 15th century Italy. At that time, there was a game known as lotto.It is thought that this game\u00a0reached Spain, and so was then introduced in Mexico. When it landed in Mexico\u00a0thanks to the Spanish, it was initially only played by the upper classes. However, it became so popular that soldiers started playing it during the War\u00a0of Independence, taking it back home with them once the war ended, and so\u00a0further popularising it among the general population. It was really\u00a0common to find people playing it on every street corner and at travelling fairs, but there was more than just one version. Everybody had their own\u00a0home-made version with different objects and characters, all based on the\u00a0personal tastes or preferences of whoever did the illustrations for the cards. A number of very\u00a0popular versions of the game exist today, such as the one created by Mexican\u00a0artist Jos\u00e9 Guadalupe Posada, the Clemente Jacques version, and another\u00a0popularly known as the \u201cLoter\u00eda del\u00a0Comal\u201d. Shall we play? You need a deck\u00a0of cards to play this game. The deck consists of 54 different images, which\u00a0include different objects and characters, such as the mermaid, the barrel, the\u00a0star, and many others. The aim of the game is for each player to fill the board\u00a0they choose before the game begins, or to complete a pattern previously\u00a0selected by the players, such as a row, a diagonal, or the corners. The player\u00a0who\u2019s the first to complete their board has to shout \u201cLoter\u00eda!\u201d One person is\u00a0responsible for announcing the cards based on the image as each is drawn from\u00a0the deck. This person is called the grit\u00f3n (caller). They are\u00a0responsible for calling out the cards so that the players can mark them on\u00a0their boards. The caller accompanies each card with a phrase or saying that\u00a0refers to the image in some way. In Mexico, these are called coplas,\u00a0\u201cshort rhyming poems that are used to refer to Mexican popular culture\u201d. The coplas\u00a0are recognised by the mention of something related to the image without\u00a0necessarily using its name, and this has become a tradition associated with\u00a0Mexican lyric poetry as well as becoming a part of Mexican folklore. These\u00a0references used to help players who didn\u2019t know how to read, and who were\u00a0guided by the images in the deck and the saying shouted out by the caller. Here are a few coplas\u00a0from the Mexican Loter\u00eda game from the magazine Literaturas Populares in case you feel like giving it a go yourself. The rooster: The one that\u00a0sang for St. Peter will never sing for him again The bottle:\u00a0 A bottle of tequila, a bottle of mezcal The flag: Beautiful 5th of\u00a0May, the national flag The star: The pole star,\u00a0that never stops shining The crown: If you die,\u00a0I\u2019ll put it on your head, the imperial crown The prickly pear: Succour\u00a0for St. Luis, who they call the prickly pear If you\u2019d like to\u00a0know more about this game after reading this article, we thoroughly recommend\u00a0visiting Mexico and learning how it\u2019s played, in real life, with local people.\u00a0If you\u2019re interested, the best place to stay is the Riviera Maya, at one of our\u00a0four\u00a0hotels. The birthplace of civilisations and extraordinary natural\u00a0landscapes. A fascinating destination where you can explore the traces of one\u00a0of the world’s most ancient cultures. Take a stroll around Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1, Coba,\u00a0or Tulum. Or relax on the beaches of Akumal, Xpu-h\u00e1, or Cozumel. Mexico will\u00a0surprise you with the simplicity and feeling of ease that\u2019s to be found\u00a0absolutely everywhere. Landscapes that contrast with the enthusiasm and vitality of the\u00a0people, with the majesty of the cities, with the natural heritage, and with the\u00a0ancient monuments. We recommend checking out the Bahia\u00a0Principe Grand Tulum, a hotel a hotel that\u2019s steeped in history and\u00a0culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1341,367,1249,1326],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-curiosities","category-mexico-en","category-riviera-maya-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/loteria-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7106"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12487,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7106\/revisions\/12487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.bahia-principe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}