Lotería de la Salud / U k'aybuulil toj óolal

Illustrator, artist and educator Cecilia Moo was commissioned with illustrating each fruit and vegetable included in the game. Her delicate watercolors highlight the specific characteristics of each food and the variants that exist in Yucatán (for example, a certain type of mango, pepper, or corn). Her images of the fruits and vegetables still attached to the respective source plant, with leaves, or as growing in a specific type of earth, visualize their natural growth and origin. The scanned drawings were then integrated into the game by designer Mina Bárcenas, who added a rich pattern of typical local Mayan embroidery to the back of the card. The riddles in both languages were formulated and honed by poets Maria Elisa Chavarrea and Pedro Uc and translators Iván Jiménez Balam, Roseli Jiménez Balam, and Daniela Esther Cano.

Drawing of a melon for the "Loteria de la Salud" by Cecilia Moo

Playing card of the "Lotería de la Salud" with a drawing and a poem in Spanish and Maya

The colors of food not only tell whether a fruit or vegetable is ripe, but they also indicate what kinds of nutrients the food can provide. This is why U Yits Ka'an and Vanessa Gamboa suggested furthering their collaboration and to create posters that divide fruits and vegetables into five main pigment categories, each pigment indicating thereby the corresponding vitamins, minerals, and fibers contained in each. The posters are accompanied by a leaflet with a detailed nutritional chart showing the properties of 50 fruits and vegetables. It complements the Lotería de la Salud/U k'aybuulil toj ólolal with additional information about the unique properties of each local product.

Collective work process in the creation of the "Lotería de la Salud"
Spore Initiative

Dissemination of the "Lotería de la Salud" at a local market in Yucatan
U Yits Ka'an

Explanation of the importance of the colors of different fruits for health

The Lotería de la Salud / U k'aybuulil toj óolal was conceived to be activated and disseminated in Mayan community spaces and organizations and at the tianguis, open-air market, where regional farmers sell and exchange their ecological products, for example, in Telkom, Mayapán, Dzemucut, Kaxaytuk, where the game has already been played by children, grandparents, and adults of all ages in small and big groups. The game was also distributed to more distant communities and organizations that share the Peninsular Mayan language, thanks to the work of Julián Dzul Nah and Abrahan Collí, who delivered and introduced them personally.

Activation of the "Lotería de la Salud" at a local market in Yucatan
U Yits Ka'an

Activation of the "Lotería de la Salud" at a farmers market in Yucatan
U Yits Ka'an

Considering how much Yucatec Maya is a language that lives orally more than in a written form, U Yits Ka'an worked with the community radio "XEPET - La Voz de los Mayas" to produce audio capsules about each fruit and vegetable in Spanish and Peninsular Mayan. These approximately two-minute-long audio pieces are recorded readings of each card. They are designed to have a low data volume, so that they can be easily shared by phone and distributed, whether posted on social media or played via loudspeakers at a tianguis.