Rules to ¡Lotería!

Lotería is played with one person taking the role of the caller. The caller flips one of the cards and reads the associated phrase out loud(they are listed on the bottom of this document.)

Every player takes a random playing board and 16 chips.

The object depends on the house rules but the most common ones are...

  • Linea, four in a row. Vertical, horizontal or diagonal.
  • Carta llena, blackout.
  • Esquinas, corners. All four corners of the card.

When one person completes the objective they call out Lotería and the round is over. Everyone clears their boards and a new round can begin.

The traditional verses and their translations are listed below.

No. Name English Verse Translation
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 calle real. Improving her gait, all along the main street.
4 El catrín the dandy Don Ferruco en la alameda, su bastón quería tirar. Sir Ferruco in the poplar grove, wanted to toss away his cane.
5 El paraguas the umbrella Para el sol y para el agua. For the sun and for the rain.
6 La sirena the mermaid Con los cantos de sirena, no te vayas a marear. Don't be swayed by the songs of the siren. (In Spanish, sirens and mermaids and their song are synonymous.)
7 La escalera the ladder Súbeme paso a pasito, no quieras pegar brinquitos. Ascend me step by step, don't try and skip.
8 La botella the bottle La herramienta del borracho. The tool of the drunk.
9 El barril the barrel Tanto bebió el albañil, que quedó como barril. So much did the bricklayer drink, he ended up like a barrel.
10 El árbol the tree 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 the melon 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 little bonnet 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 the pear El que espera, desespera. He who waits despairs. (A pun: espera "waits" and es pera "is a pear" are homophones in Mexican Spanish.)
16 La bandera the flag Verde blanco y colorado, la bandera del soldado. Green, white, and red, the flag of the soldier.
17 El bandolón the mandolin Tocando su bandolón, está el mariachi Simón. There playing his lute, is Simon the mariachi.
18 El violoncello the cello 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 the heron 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 the  bird 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 the  hand La mano de un criminal. The hand of a criminal.
22 La bota the boot Una bota igual que la otra. A boot the same as the other.
23 La luna the moon El farol de los enamorados. The street lamp of lovers.
24 El cotorro the parrot Cotorro cotorro saca la pata, y empiézame a platicar. Parrot, parrot, stick out your claw and begin to chat with me.
25 El borracho the drunkard 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 little black man El que se comió el azúcar. The one who ate the sugar.
27 El corazón the heart No me extrañes corazón, que regreso en el camión. Do not miss me, sweetheart, I'll be back by bus.
28 La sandía the watermelon La barriga que Juan tenía, era empacho de sandía. The swollen belly that Juan had, was from eating too much watermelon.
29 El tambor the drum 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 the shrimp Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente. The shrimp that slumbers is taken by the tides.
31 Las jaras the arrows Las jaras del indio Adán, donde pegan, dan. The arrows of Adam the Indian, strike where they hit.
32 El músico the musician 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 the spider Atarántamela a palos, no me la dejes llegar. Beat it silly with a stick, do not let it near me.
34 El soldado the soldier Uno, dos y tres, el soldado pa'l cuartel. One, two and three, the soldier heads to the fort.
35 La estrella the star La guía de los marineros. Sailor's guide.
36 El cazo the saucepan  El caso que te hago es poco. The attention I pay you is little. (A pun: caso "attention" and cazo "saucepan" are homophones in Mexican Spanish)
37 El mundo the world 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 a superlative with the latter meaning)
38 El Apache the Apache ¡Ah, Chihuahua! Cuánto apache con pantalón y huarache. Ah, Chihuahua! So many Apaches with pants and sandals.
39 El nopal the prickly 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 the scorpion  El que con la cola pica, le dan una paliza. He who stings with his tail, will get a beating.
41 La rosa the rose Rosita, Rosaura, ven que te quiero ahora. Rosita, Rosaura, come, as I want you here now.
42 La calavera the skull Al pasar por el panteón, me encontré un calaverón. As I passed by the cemetery, I came across a skull.
43 La campana the bell Tú con la campana y yo con tu hermana. You with the bell and I with your sister.
44 El cantarito the little water 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 your slip.
45 El venado the deer Saltando va buscando, pero no ve nada. Jumping it goes searching, but it doesn't see anything. (A pun: venado "deer" sounds like ve nada "see nothing")
46 El Sol the sun La cobija de los pobres. The blanket of the poor.
47 La corona the crown El sombrero de los reyes. The hat of kings.
48 La chalupa the canoe Rema que rema Lupita, sentada en su chalupita. Lupita rows as she may, sitting in her little boat.
49 El pino the pine tree Fresco y oloroso, en todo tiempo hermoso. Fresh and fragrant, beautiful in any season.
50 El pescado the fish 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 the palm 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 the flowerpot 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 the harp 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 the frog Al ver a la verde rana, qué brinco pegó tu hermana. What a jump your sister gave, as she saw the green frog.