✨️LET'S LEARN LOTERÍA✨️1 - EL GALLO✨️

1: EL GALLO (THE ROOSTER)

Alright friends, I’m about to take you all on a journey – we are going to learn about a game first created in Mexico during the 1700s by the Don Clemente company, a game called lotería, or “lottery.” And while the direct translation of lotería is indeed “lottery,” the game is more closely related to Bingo.

There are fifty-four different cards in a lotería deck, each with a rather colorful and easily recognizable object, animal, or person. Each player receives a plaque with several rows of corresponding objects, animals, or people. When a card is drawn from the deck such as “La Maceta,” or The Flowerpot, the card-drawer will say the name of the picture, then its “grito” or saying (the grito for La Maceta is “El que nace pa'maceta no sale del corredor” or “He who is born to a flower pot won't leave the corridor” in English), and everyone that has the same picture of la maceta on their plaque would put down a bean or corn kernel or coin to mark that same picture. The game is won in either of two ways: in the first, the first person to get an entire row or column filled wins; in the second, the first person to get the entire plaque filled wins.

I give this information because lotería is first and foremost a party game. At least, that is what it was designed to accomplish. But for many Latinos like myself, we wanted a system of divination that felt particularly our own. There’s a certain shared history with tarot, and oracle is obviously open to all.

But lotería feels like home; it reminds of us of our childhoods, of carne asadas for every celebration big or small, of huge birthday parties where we’d end up sleeping rather peacefully on a chair next to our cousins in the living room by eleven while the adults partied outside until three in the morning. It’s a testament to how Latinos have taught one another to “not take life too seriously.” Lotería is a game. But it is also a reminder.

The first card in the fifty-four-card deck is El Gallo. Directly translated, this means “the chicken;” however, it is also a more colloquial term for “the rooster,” which is the more common translation. El Gallo’s “grito” or saying is “El que le cantó a San Pedro no le volverá a cantar” which translates to “The one who sang for Saint Peter won't return to sing again.” This card is HEAVY with meaning.

On the surface, The Rooster is a proud animal, one who remains alert and warns others of coming danger. He sees all and is ready to tackle all. But underneath this message of pride is that of betrayal.

Latinos, especially Mexicans and those of Mexican descent in the states, largely grow up Catholic. Many remain so well into adulthood, though many leave the faith as well. This is to say that for Latinos and Mexicanos, regardless of loyalty to the faith, Catholicism is really more of a lifestyle than it is a rigid system of religious existence. Yes, at the center of the religion is the fear of God and always doing good works in God’s name. But beyond that, there is much less emphasis on Hell and damnation than, say, Evangelism. Catholics focus on what they can do to be good people, rather than what they can do to avoid hell. There’s a big difference. And while the Catholic church has DECADES of atrocities to atone for, it is often Catholics who are at the center of progressive movements… ironically.

Why bring religion into this?

Well, El Gallo’s grito focuses on “El que le cantó a San Pedro” or “The one that sang for Saint Peter.” This is largely a reference to the crucifixion of Christ, in which Simon Peter, a follower of Jesus, was told he would deny knowing who Jesus was three times before the rooster crowed – a prophecy that did indeed come to pass in the story. Simon Peter betrayed Jesus, as Judas did, and so the rooster crowing often warns of an impending betrayal related to us or someone else.

Generally speaking, lotería doesn’t really take reversed cards/meanings into account. Some card meanings have a sort of shadow work system built in, others do not. This is largely where interpretation comes into play, and individual reading styles.

For instance, as I mentioned, many do not read reversed meanings. I do. And in the case of El Gallo, I would say its reversed meaning is the definition that leans on betrayal, rather than the proud and noble creature who watches over the hens.

To add to this, Xelena González, a Mexican artist and writer, who works in the spiritual realm created an “oracle” lotería deck. This is where we start to see those individual interpretations, even in card design (see González’s card 1, Don Clemente original design 2, and my design 3). González, like me, sees the proud and noble aspects of the rooster in our interpretations. We agree on the rooster’s ability to be all-seeing, and to be the alarm in desperate times.

But González doesn’t have a reversed meaning for the card so much as an alternative definition/interpretation that leans on the idea of finding one’s voice through meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth. This is fantastic interpretation! But it isn’t one I’d personally give the card under most circumstances. However, would I be open to using this definition/interpretation if it felt right in the moment? Absolutely!

Now, to start to wrap up, I’m sure a big question a lot of people have is… is lotería an OPEN PRACTICE?? And to that I say… I don’t speak for every Latino or Mexican person. There are plenty of us who LOVE opening every aspect of our culture to others, from carne asadas to Día de Los Muertos. But there are still a few of us who like to keep some things to ourselves. It’s nothing personal; I don’t like telling people no. But the fact remains: Latinos still struggle today: mentally, physically, politically. However, I’m not here to get political. I’m here as a reminder that oppression can often mean that traditions and beliefs are colonized and watered down. This is something I, and others, want to avoid: so, if you’re Latino or of Latine descent, please feel free to read! If you’re not, then yes) you can absolutely play lotería as a game! and two) you can own a lotería deck for divination as long as you’re not profiting off its use.

And now to really wrap up – it’s important to take a lot of elements into account when looking, interpreting, and reading lotería cards; culture, family, history, religion, symbolism, etc. There’s a LOT to unpack! But it’s a fun system of divination, a fun party game, and a great way to connect with the ancestors and spirituality.

I hope you all enjoyed this lesson! I’ll be back with another in a few days. For now, please feel free to leave any comments or questions you have below, and I’ll try to answer as soon as I can!

Thanks again for reading if you did!!