Spanish Tarot: The 40-Card Deck And How To Read It

The Spanish tarot is read with the baraja española, the 40-card Spanish deck. That is exactly where its strength lies: a direct, no-nonsense reading, ideal when you want a concrete answer about love, work or money in the weeks ahead.

The origins of the Spanish tarot

The Spanish deck was born in the 14th century, at the same time as other packs of playing cards in France, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium. Back then every card was drawn by hand, one at a time.

With the movable-type press, in the 15th century, cards began to be printed in series — though they went on being coloured by hand until the 19th century.

The design we recognise instantly today comes from Heraclio Fournier, who set up his card workshop in Vitoria, Spain, around 1868-1870. In 1889, Augusto Rius redrew the deck for Fournier: that artwork became the Castilian pattern used the world over, and that same year the deck was awarded a prize at the Paris Universal Exposition.

And the divination? Reading these cards to tell the future was popularised above all by the Roma, who carried the deck with them from town to town. That legacy is why many people still ask for a "gypsy tarot" reading when what they mean is a reading of the Spanish deck.

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The 4 suits of the Spanish deck

The Spanish tarot takes its inspiration from the Tarot of Marseille, but one difference changes everything: it has no major arcana and no queens. The court cards stop at the Jack (sota), the Knight (caballo) and the King (rey). There is no High Priestess and no Hanged Man to carry the symbolism here: the 4 suits hold up the whole structure of the deck on their own.

The deck is made up of 40 cards in 4 suits of 10, each matching one of the four elements:

That split is no accident: the four suits were born standing for the estates of medieval Spanish society — swords for the nobility and the military, cups for the clergy, coins for merchants and money, clubs for the land and manual work. In divination each suit keeps that colour: swords speak of conflict and courage, cups of love and emotional life, coins of prosperity, clubs of effort and productivity.

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A reading built on numbers

What makes the Spanish tarot rich is not a set of unique "archetype" cards, as in other decks, but a numerological system that belongs to each suit.

Every number, from the Ace to the 7, marks a stage within the theme of its suit: a beginning, a progression, a culmination. Then the court cards (Jack, Knight, King) stand for people or for situations.

Take the suit of Cups (emotions, love) as an example:

The same logic — from the beginning (Ace) to mastery (King) — applies to the 3 other suits, each on its own theme: material life for Coins, action for Clubs, decisions for Swords.

Let's try again. Another example, to show that the progression does not always sit on the same ranks:

The reading no longer starts from the heart (Cups) but from action (Clubs): the starting point here is your own drive and your confidence to act, rather than a feeling already in place. The new romantic beginning (Ace of Cups) then becomes a consequence of that energy, placed as an "outside influence" rather than as the starting point.

One and the same card does not carry the same weight depending on where it lands: the 4 of Clubs in first position "opens" the story, whereas in second or third position it would only be one factor among others.

And as with any divinatory tarot, it is finally the way the cards relate to one another that sharpens the reading.

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The main Spanish tarot spreads

There are several ways to question the Spanish deck, from a quick read to the most thorough layout. Here are some of the most widely used.

Not sure which layout fits what you want to ask? Our guide to choosing the right tarot spread walks you through it.

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How to get a good Spanish tarot reading 🔮

The Spanish deck reads the near future and delivers a great deal of concrete detail. Four simple steps are enough to connect with it.

Start your Spanish tarot reading 💫

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Your questions about the Spanish tarot

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Going further

Carry on exploring the world of tarot