Ancient mosaic board game found in Mayan city in a first-of-its-kind discovery

The discovery represents the first example of its kind to be found in mosaic form at a Mayan settlement.

Patolli holds considerable historical importance as one of the oldest strategy-based board games documented across the American continents.

The findings from Naachtun were published in Latin American Antiquity, with lead researchers Dr Julien Hiquet and Dr Rémi Méreuze analysing the remains.

Due to its uniqueness, the researchers believe the discovery may offer fresh perspectives on the way the game was played and by whom.

Dr Hiquet said: "The ethnohistoric chronicles written by Spaniards during the early colonial period indicate that in central Mexico, among the Mexica, the patolli game was played using colored pebbles—blue and red—as counters ('piedras,' according to Diego Durán, Libro de dioses y ritos [1574–1576]).

"As for the dice, they were made from beans marked with a dot on one side.

"These 'patol' beans gave the game its name.

"In the case of the board described in my publication, no artefacts that could be considered counters were found in proximity."

Naachtun, where the game was found, is located in northern Petén, Guatemala, a regional capital during the Classic Period.

Although the site was found by scientists in the early 1920s, excavations did not begin until 2004.

The board was uncovered during a 2023 excavation of structures within the Group 6L13 complex first mapped in the 1930s.

According to the scientists, the Naachtun patolli board consisted of small red tiles that had likely been collected from broken ceramic vessels.

The board was found partially destroyed but is thought to have been around 78cm wide and 110cm long.

Some 45 squares and around 478 tesserae (tiles used to create mosaics) are thought to have been the game's components.

"This mosaic board appears to be exceptional," Dr Hiquet explained.

"Dozens of patolli boards have been found throughout the Maya area, but all of them are scratched or painted rather than made in mosaic."

Researchers believe the board was originally made during the Early Classic Period, making it one of the earliest known instances of the game.

Dr Hiquet went on to give his hypothesis on why the mosaic was partially covered it with a thin wall.

He said: "[The board] was used only during the interval between the construction of the floor and the construction of the overlying room, possibly by the construction workers during their leisure time.

"Similar cases have been observed elsewhere … But again, even in that case, the question arises: why use such an elaborate technique instead of simply scratching the board on the floor with a stick or a stone?

"My hypothesis is that it was indeed made for the workers, but in a specific social context: possibly during a construction banquet sponsored by the wealthy patrons who commissioned the building.

"In preindustrial societies, mobilisation of labour for private construction projects could take place through 'festive mobilisation,' where workers were compensated not with money but with elaborate meals and entertainment.

"Another, even more speculative hypothesis would be that the two parallel structures nearby mimicked a ballcourt.

"In ancient Mesoamerica, there existed a symbolic equivalence between the patolli game and the ballgame.

"In the codices, patolli boards and ballcourts are frequently depicted together, and often under the patronage of the same gods.

"Some scholars even propose that the patolli board itself could be viewed as a ballcourt."

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