Loteria Card Project

I grew up in a country that prides itself on its diversity. While growing up in Houston allowed me to grow up in a diverse environment, it was in the 8th grade, I truly learned about racism. In 2010, Arizona passed a bill, Senate Bill 1070, which allowed the state of Arizona to deport Latinx-looking citizens despite citizenship status. Possibilities of Texas passing a similar bill and the responses from the public, stowed fear in my heart. My worries were met with the phrase “You were born here. You will be fine.”

Loteria cards are a staple in Mexican culture. This game is similar to Bingo, but instead of numbers and letters, this game uses colorful imagery. These images have grown into iconic symbols within Latinx culture. This imagery has been re-purposed for other usages such as flashcards to teach Spanish, and methods for divination, and even has been modernized with parodical humor as seen with “Millennial Loteria” created by Mike Alfaro.