Unraveling the Mysteries of Loteria and Tarot

Could a bingo night predict your future? Today, we’re diving into Loteria, Mexico's iconic game of chants that might just share some DNA with Tarot.

Like Tarot, Loteria started in fifteenth century Italy as a game for the rich. But unlike tarocchi, which was the precursor to modern-day bridge, Loteria is more of a bingo-style game. It hopped to Spain and then hit Mexico by 1769.

Fast forward to 1887, and Don Clemente Jacques, a French expat, printed fifty-four wild images from La Sirena to El Catrin. People went wild over it. And if the French connection sounds familiar, it's because Tarot exploded in Europe after it was mass-produced in France as the Tarot de Marseille.

But here’s the twist: Loteria is a very different game, but its archetypes echo Tarot. For example, there's Loteria’s El Corazon, which could parallel either the Lovers or the Three of Swords. I lean towards the Three of Swords.

And then there’s El Sol, like Tarot's Sun card. Loteria, like Tarot, has cards for Death, the Devil and the World. But most Loteria cards don't correspond at all. Take the yellow ladder, for instance--did this inspire the yellow ladder that kept reappearing in my favorite TV show, Lodge 49?

Loteria doesn't have suits like Tarot. However, the archetypal vibe is strikingly similar.

By the twentieth century, Tarot was full-on divination and magical work, while Loteria remained mostly a game of chance. That is, until some readers, especially in Mexican American circles, began to see more in it.

This caused some consternation in the Catholic Church. In the 1930s, the Church pressured Loteria producers to swap out some of the more tarot-like cards with more neutral images or even images of saints.

This brings me to something that I wasn’t expecting, although I probably should have: Much like Tarot, there is more than one version of a Loteria deck. Some have saints, while others feature regional variations. For instance, some decks, like this Don Clemente version, even have riddles on the backs of the cards. “Behave yourself, my little friend, or the red one will take you away.”

But there’s still one more piece of this puzzle. There is no official divination system for Loteria, just intuition and personal preference.

For example, las Jaras—these two arrows—could mean pursuit, love, focus, destiny, or sacrifice. I see a resemblance to the Two of Swords and personally lean towards interpreting it that way. But as usual, it would depend on the question and the cards around it.

Loteria and Tarot are cousins; they are not twins, but both prove that cards can do more than just win you a prize. They can spark a story, and as a writer, I find that idea absolutely enchanting. I think I need to use Loteria cards in one of my books!

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

In the end, whether you’re playing Loteria for fun or using tarot for divination, both can serve as tools for introspection and inspiration. So why not gather your friends, set up a cozy game night, and see what mysteries unfold?

You can learn more about Tarot with my guidebook and work of experimental fiction, The Mysteries of Tarot.

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