Cards In Loteria
In classic loteria cards, la dama will look like a lady dressed in a two-piece teal dress suit with a fuschia hat and shirt. She holds a bouquet of pink flowers in one hand and a red clutch in the other. A common riddle for la dama is: Polishing as she steps, all along the royal street. Loteria cards are FIRST AND FOREMOST made for and used as a GAME. Not a divination system. Over time and on cards produced by the major suppliers (especially Don Clemente) the images have stayed more or less the same and in roughly the same order. Order of the images means nothing.
So we’ve written about why everyone loves lotería, how people have adapted lotería for artistic purposes, and now comes the most important question: which is your favorite lotería card? Or can you name just one? For a long time, my favorite was La Sirena, but as time has passed, I’ve come to appreciate the value of just about each and every card. In any case, here’s our list of the top cards.
La Sirena – People love La Sirena, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just because she’s topless. The images is beautiful and evocative, very poetic and definitely the most iconic mermaid images I’ve ever seen.
El Diablito – I’ve seen the lotería version of El Diablito all over the place, most recently on t-shirts at the pulga, but I think he’s definitely a memorable representation of pure evil.
:strip_icc()/pic21958.jpg "Cards")
El Catrín – Aside from being a really cool Café Tacuba song, El Catrín is one of those figures that I’ve always seen mentioned casually by men, either when they’re messing with each other or dressing up. Whatever the case, he sure is a dapper fellow!
El Borracho – I’ve been seeing the El Borracho image used to sell tourists t-shirts since I was a kid, from Tijuana to Matamoros, this drunk guy seems to be all the rage with the tourists.
El Soldado – This image of a soldier standing at attention is not only iconic, but it’s adaptable, especially given that we live in an almost perpetually bellicose nation. And, as we’ve reported before, Latinos are an important part of the U.S. military.
La Luna – La Luna is all over the place, whether’ is a light switch plate, pair of earrings, or ceramic pottery. This particular version of the moon, with the feminine features in the crescent profile, is popular as heck.
El Sol – Perhaps for similar reasons, this version of the sun has been adapted to ceramic pottery, jewelry, plates, postcards and more.
Did we miss any? What’s your favorite lotería card and why?
Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD