Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a unique mosaic-style board game in the Mayan city of Nachtun, Guatemala, providing new insights into gaming practices in the ancient world.
Patolli is one of the oldest Ludo-like strategy board games played in the Americas by the Aztecs and early Mesoamerican cultures, often involving gambling elements.
It consists of a cross-shaped track of 52 spaces drawn on a cloth or even on the ground, while patrol beans marked with dots on one side are thrown, functioning similarly to dice.
But exactly how ancient Maya society played this game remains unclear.
Northern Petén was once the capital of the Maya region, and recent excavations at Nachtun have provided clues about how the game was played and its similarities to other games in the region.
Researchers found a carved wooden board on the ground made from small red mosaic tiles, likely collected from broken ceramic vessels, part of which dates back to the fourth century AD.
Aerial image of a game board (Latin American Antiquity 2025)
Since some parts of the circuit board were damaged, only the overall structure can be estimated.
Archaeologists estimate that the board was originally about 78 centimeters wide and 110 centimeters long, with 478 tiles made into 45 squares. Researchers say the mosaic tile sections make the board one of its kind in the ancient world.
They suspected that the use of mosaics suggested the panels “had to be included in the building design from the moment of construction”.
“Floor mosaics are extremely rare in Mayan architecture,” researchers note in a new study published in the journal Latin American Antiquity.
“While there are numerous examples of portable artifacts made or decorated with mosaic techniques, including shells, ironstone, jade, or turquoise, to our knowledge no clear examples of floor mosaics exist in this part of the Western Hemisphere prior to the colonial period,” they said.
Its construction technique provides new insights into how the Mayans played the board game, the researchers said, adding that the use of mosaics suggests a “longer lifespan” than etched or painted boards.
They suspect the board was likely incorporated into the design of certain spaces in the city from the outset.