Librarian Ms. Martinez held Loteria games in the Library on Oct. 4-12, during both lunches, in honor of Spanish Heritage Month.
Loteria is a Mexican bingo-style game that originated in Italy but was brought over when Mexico was a colony of Spain. For many Mexicans, loteria symbolizes familial connections because the game is mainly played with friends and family.
“[Loteria is] something anyone can participate in,” Martinez said. “And students can just come in and spend a few minutes and participate in something they’ve never experienced before.”
The unsuspecting gateway to learning a new language and the culture are games especially ones that originated from there. They carry the general sense of humor of the culture and vocabulary that fits the setting.
“It is like the American game Bingo,” sophomore Frederik said, “but since it is in a different language, replaying the game can help you link the words to a picture in your mind which then helps you learn the word.”
For longtime student players, they find the library games as a fond reminder of their own family events in which a multigenerational audience are happily celebrating a chance of luck.
“I play loteria with my aunts and we go to their house and do little experiences like that…but it helps coming here and playing it,” senior Gabby said. “It’s like a little bit of my culture is here at school.”