Printable Day of the Dead Lotería

A Mexican lotería game, like bingo with pictures, for family or classroom play, with 18 full-color cards of Day of the Dead characters and symbols. The PDF includes 12 different boards and the calling cards, ready to print and cut.

Download the lotería PDF 5.6 MB

12 boards 18 cards Letter-size PDF

Day of the Dead Lotería board with 9 full-color cards

The 18 lotería cards

Each card shows its number and its name. Hover over a card to flip it and discover a fun fact.Each card shows its number and its name. Below each one there is a fun fact to learn while you play.

La Catrina
Engraver José Guadalupe Posada drew her over a hundred years ago, and Diego Rivera named her Catrina.
The Sugar Skull
Sugar skulls have a person’s name written on the forehead and are placed on the altar.
Pan de Muerto
The strips on top stand for bones and the little ball in the middle stands for the skull.
The Marigold
Its Nahuatl name means “twenty flowers.” Its color and scent guide the souls home.
The Offering
It welcomes back loved ones who have died, with the food and things they enjoyed.
The Papel Picado
It is made by cutting tissue paper. On the altar it stands for the wind.
The Candle
Candlelight lights the way for souls on their journey home.
The Copal Incense
It is a tree resin burned since pre-Hispanic times to scent the altar.
The Portrait
The altar holds a photo of the loved one being remembered.
The Altar
Altars can have two, three or seven levels.
The Water Jug
Water is set out so the souls can quench their thirst after the long journey.
The Salt
On the altar, salt stands for purification.
The Petate Mat
It is a woven palm mat. Some altars include one so the souls can rest.
The Xolo
In Aztec tradition, the xoloitzcuintle helps souls cross the river to Mictlán.
The Monarch Butterfly
It arrives in Mexico in early November, and in Michoacán people say it carries the souls of the dead.
The Alebrije
Artisan Pedro Linares invented them in Mexico City in the 1930s after dreaming about them.
El Catrín
He is la Catrina’s elegant partner, with a top hat and a cane.
Candied Pumpkin
It is pumpkin cooked with piloncillo and cinnamon, a classic sweet on the altar.

How to play lotería

Print the PDF. Cut out each board along the dotted line and cut out the calling cards.
Give each player a board and a handful of beans, pebbles or tokens to mark it.
The caller shuffles the cards and draws them one at a time, saying its name out loud.
If that card is on your board, place a bean on it.
The first player to fill their board shouts “¡Lotería!” and wins. For quicker games, complete a row or the four corners.