Hispanic Pictures La Loteria

Hispanic pictures La Loteria simply reminds us of how different we are even though we are all from Spanish speaking countries. For the most part we understand each other is Spanish, but dialects are everywhere.

In Puerto Rico, Loter�a is a lottery ticket sold weekly for fifty cents. The low-ticket price makes it affordable to play with a chance of winning big money prizes. It's an exciting weekly event!

When I showed this photograph to a friend from Mexico, she asked "what's this photo about?" since the photo did not coincide with the word Loter�a. She explained in Mexico, Loter�a is a board game.

With this example and photograph, I aim to bring attention to one difference among Latin American cultures. That is of the numerous languages and dialects that exist. Often necessitating my asking another Latino to explain what a certain Spanish word means, or my needing to do some explaining.

In some cases, it's not just misunderstanding one word but not recognizing a language at all.

While taking photographs in Ecuador, I asked a woman, in Spanish, if I could take her photo. She responded in a language I had never heard - Quechua - one of many local indigenous languages of Ecuador and South America. Although startling at first, the encounter was fun - I showed her my camera, she smiled, and I took the photo. It was an enlightening moment in which we both recognized we were Hispanic and yet we were so different.

To view my Ecuadorian "hermanita," tune in to next month's photo contribution. You can buy La Loter�a bilingual greeting cards on www.culturame.com

Debra Del Toro-Phillips is a photographer and Hispanic entrepreneur. This photo is available on a Cult�rame greeting card, making it a special gift for a loved one.
View this photo and others in our Fotograf�a of America Latina Collection at Cult�rame�