Bingo! Beano! Lotería! Let's Play!


Lotería–Tabla Llena Today's Bingo is a variation of a European game called Lotto, which was introduced in the United States by toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe in 1929.

Originally named for the beans used to cover the numbered squares, Beano was altered when one excited player yelled "Bingo" by mistake. The rest is history.

Lotería is a traditional Mexican game similar to Bingo. In her art, Carmen Lomas Garza recounts memories from her childhood in a Mexican-American family in Kingsville, Texas. Learn more about Lotería and the artist's traditions on ¡del Corazón!, an interactive, educational webzine for teachers and students.


Lotería–Segunda Tabla Pictured top: Carmen Lomas Garza, born 1948, Lotería–Tabla Llena, 1972, hand-colored etching and aquatint, 16 3/4 x 21 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tomas Ybarra-Frausto.

Pictured bottom: Carmen Lomas Garza, born 1948, Lotería–Segunda Tabla, 1972, color etching, 16 x 15 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in part through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program.