Often called “Mexican bingo,” Lotería consists of fifty-four distinct numbered images, such as #1, el gallo (the rooster), #6, la sirena (the mermaid), and #27, el corazón (the heart). Players use tablas (boards) that have a random selection of sixteen of the images. The announcer has a deck of fifty-four cards, each with one of the images. After picking a card, the announcer either tells the card’s name, or for a twist, gives a short riddle about the card. For example, if he picked #47, la corona (the crown), he might say, “El sombrero de los reyes” (“The hat of kings”). Those players who have the crown on their boards would mark it with a pinto bean. The first player to get four beans in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (is the winner and shouts, “Lotería!”
The colorful Lotería images have become iconic. The most famous version of the pictures, made by a company called Don Clemente Gallo, has gone unchanged since 1887. These images have inspired fine artists from both abroad (such as Teresa Villegas, an American painter), and from Puerto Vallarta (such as La Malagua, a collective of four local artists). Lotería-inspired folk-art and crafts are also very common in the shops of Vallarta; the images appear on bags, frames, decorative boxes, and compact mirrors.
