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Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a unique mosaic-style board game The Maya city of Nachtun, Guatemala, provides new insights into gaming practices in the ancient world.
Patoli is one of the oldest Ludo-like strategy board games played in the Americas during the time of the Aztecs and before. mesoamerican culturesUsually an element of gambling is involved.
This includes a cross-shaped track Of the 52 spots, drawn on cloth or even the ground, while patol beans marked with a dot on one side are thrown to act like dice.
But exactly how the game was played in ancient Maya societies is unclear.
Recent excavations at Nachtun in northern Petén, once the regional capital of the Maya, have revealed clues about how people played the game and how it compares to other games in the region.
Researchers discovered a board dug into the ground, probably made of small red mosaic tiles collected from broken ceramic pots, parts of which were dated to the 4th century AD.
Since parts of the board were destroyed, the overall structure could only be guessed at.
Archaeologists estimate that the board was originally about 78 cm wide and 110 cm long, using 478 tile segments forming 45 squares. Researchers say the mosaic tile sections make the board unique of its kind in the ancient world.
He suspects that the use of mosaics indicates that the board “must have been incorporated into the architectural design from the moment of construction”.
“Floor mosaics are exceptionally rare in Maya architecture,” say researchers in a new study published in the journal Nature. Latin American Antiquity.
“Although there are countless examples of portable artefacts made or decorated with the mosaic technique in shell, iron-ore, jade or turquoise,” he said, “to the best of our knowledge, no clear example of floor mosaic exists in this part of the Western Hemisphere before the colonial period.”
Researchers say its manufacturing technique provides a new perspective on how this board game was played by the Maya, and that the use of mosaics indicates a “longer use life” than carved or painted boards.
He suspects that the board may have been included in the design of some places in the city from the beginning.