Hoodoo Divination

Loteria Cards and Their Riddles

1 El gallo The Rooster

El que le cantó a San Pedro no le volverá a cantar.
He that sang to St. Peter will not return to sing again.

2 El diablito (The Little Devil)

Pórtate bien cuatito, si no te lleva el coloradito.
Behave yourself so that the little red one doesn't carry you off.

3 La dama The Lady

Puliendo el paso, por toda la calle real.
Polishing the path, along the entire royal street

4 El catrín The Dandy

Don Ferruco en la alameda, su bastón quería tirar.
Don Ferruco in the Alameda, he wanted to toss away his cane.

5 El paraguas The Umbrella

Para el sol y para el agua.
For the sun and the rain.

6 La sirena The Mermaid

Con los cantos de sirena, no te vayas a marear.
Don't get dizzy with the songs of the mermaid.

7 La escalera The Ladder

Súbeme paso a pasito, no quieras pegar brinquitos.
Climb me step by step. You don't want to hop up.

8 La botella The Bottle

La hermienta del borracho.
The tool of the drunk.

9 El barril The Barrel

Tanto bebió el albañil, que quedó como barril.
The bricklayer drank so much, 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, good shade blankets him.

11 El melón The Melon

Me lo das o me lo quitas.
Give it to me or take it away.

12 El valiente The Brave One

Por qué le corres cobarde, trayendo tan buen puñal .
Why do you run from him, coward? Having such a good dagger .

13 El gorrito The 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 The Death

La muerte tilica y flaca.
Death, lank and skinny.

15 La pera (The Pear)

El que espera, desespera.
He who waits despairs.

16 La bandera (The Flag)

Verde blanco y colorado, la bandera del soldado.
Green, white, and red, the soldier's flag.

17 El bandolón (The Mandolin)

Tocando su bandolón, está el mariachi Simón.
Simon the mariachi is there playing his mandolin.

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 my flat-nosed brunette with a heron's beak sits.

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 just like the other.

23 La luna (The Moon)

El farol de los enamorados.
The lamp of lovers.

24 El cotorro (The Parrot)

Cotorro cotorro saca la pata, y empiézame a platicar.
Parrot parrot, put out your claw and start to talk.

25 El borracho (The Drunk)

A qué borracho tan necio ya no lo puedo aguantar.
I cannot put up with the foolish drunk.

26 El negrito (The Negro)

El que se comió el azúcar.
He 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.
Juan's swollen belly was due to eating too much watermelon.

29 El tambor (The Drum)

No te arruges, cuero viejo, que te quiero pa'tambor.
Do not wrinkle, old leather, I want you for a drum.

30 El camarón (The Shrimp)

Camarón durmiente, se lo lleva la corriente.
The shrimp that falls asleep is carried away by the water's current.

31 Las jaras (The Arrows)

Las jaras del indio Adán, donde pegan, dan.
The Indian Adán's arrows, where they hit, they strike.

32 El músico (The Musician)

El músico trompas de hule, ya no me quiere tocar.
The leather-mouthed musician does not want to play for me any more.

33 La araña (The Spider)

Atarántamela a palos, no me la dejes llegar.
Beat it silly, do not let it reach me!

34 El soldado (The Soldier)

Uno, dos y tres, el soldado p'al cuartel.
One, two and three, the soldier heads to headquarters.

35 La estrella (The Star)

La guía de los marineros.
The guide of the sailors.

36 El cazo (The Billycan)

El caso que te hago es poco.
I do not pay much attention to you. (It's a pun: caso = attention; cazo = billycan.)

37 El mundo (The World)

Este mundo es una bola, y nosotros un bolón.
This world is a sphere and we are too many. (It's a pun: bola = ball or sphere; bolón = many of something, a lot of something)

38 El Apache (The Apache)

¡Ah, Chihuahua! Cuánto apache con pantalón y huarache.
Ah, Chihuahua! So many Apaches with pants and huaraches.

39 El nopal (The Cactus)

Al nopal lo van a ver, nomás cuando tiene tunas.
The nopal only receives attention 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 receives a beating.

41 La rosa (The Rose)

Rosita, Rosaura, ven que te quiero ahora.
Rosita, Rosaura, come here, I want you now.

42 La calavera (The Skull)

Al pasar por el panteón, me encontré un calaverón.
While passing by the cemetery, I found 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 Water Pitcher)

Tanto va el cántaro al agua, que se quiebra y te moja las enaguas.
The water pitches goes to the water so often, it breaks and wets your slip.

45 El venado (The Deer)

Saltando va buscando, pero no ve nada.
It jumps around searching, but finds nothing.

46 El Sol (The Sun)

La cobija de los pobres.
The Sun is the blanket of the poor.

47 La corona (The Crown)

El sombrero de los reyes.
The hat of the kings.

48 La chalupa (The Canoe)

Rema que rema Lupita, sentada en su chalupita.
Lupita rows and rows, sitting in her little boat.

49 El pino (The Pine)

Fresco y oloroso, en todo tiempo hermoso.
Fresh and pleasantly scented, beautiful all the time.

50 El pescado (The Fish)

El que por la boca muere, aunque mudo fuere.
This one dies by its mouth, even if it was mute in life. (It refers to how fish are hooked by their mouth when fished out of the water.)

51 La palma (The Palm)

Palmero, sube a la palma y bájame un coco real.
Palmer, climb the palm tree and bring me a real coconut.

52 La maceta (The Flowerpot)

El que nace pa'maceta, no sale del corredor.
He who is born to be a plant pot will not leave the hallway.

53 El arpa (The Harp)

Arpa vieja de mi suegra, ya no sirves pa'tocar.
My wife's old harp: you are no longer fit to play.

54 La rana (The Frog)

Al ver a la verde rana, qué brinco pegó tu hermana.
When she saw the green frog, how high your sister jumped!