Tabletop time machine
PATOLLI
To describe patolli as Mexico’s traditional game would be a gross understatement. It’s not so much traditional as ancient, going back to the Aztec civilisation overrun by Cortés’ conquistadors in the early 1500s, and probably further back than their predecessors the Toltecs. Furthermore, it wasn’t restricted to Mexico, but was widespread throughout central America – not just as a ‘game’, but serving also other cultural purposes such as divination and calendrics. And finally, it has been greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted – probably because it is no longer widespread but nowadays restricted to a few remote villages, and so less explored by modern games researchers.