thumb|300px|right|Patolli game being watched by [[Xochipilli|Macuilxochitl as depicted on page 048 of the Codex Magliabechiano.]]

Patolli () or patole () is a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican game attested in Central Mexico and the Maya region, with examples dating at least to the Early Classic period. It was reported by the conquistadors that Moctezuma Xocoyotzin often enjoyed watching his nobles play the game at court.

The game is best documented among the Aztecs, who portrayed it as a race-and-chance game associated with gambling, offerings, and the deity Macuilxochitl. In contrast, the forms of patolli used by the Maya are known only from archaeological remains, and their gameplay rules have not survived. Patolli boards appear throughout Mesoamerica in a variety of layouts, materials, and cultural contexts. While Aztec sources describe portable painted mats with standardized 52-square X-shaped designs, most Maya boards are etched or carved into plaster floors and benches within palaces, temples, and elite residential compounds. A unique example from Naachtun, Guatemala, consists of a mosaic of hundreds of ceramic sherds embedded into a plaster floor, representing the only known patolli board of its kind in Mesoamerica.

Versions of Aztec Patolli were played by the Teotihuacanos (the builders of Teotihuacan, 200 BC - 650 AD), the Toltecs ( 750 - 1000), the Aztecs (1168 - 1521) and all of the people under vassalage (practically all of Mesoamerica, including the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs).

Maya Patolli

The Maya peoples played patolli-type games during the Classic period, with archaeological examples dating at least to the Early Classic ( 300–550 AD). No associated gaming pieces have been found for Maya boards, and the gameplay rules used by the Maya are not preserved. In the Maya region, patolli boards vary in size and configuration, including rectangular frames with central crosses and differing numbers of squares. Most known Maya boards are etched or carved into plaster floors and benches, and one example from Naachtun was constructed as a ceramic mosaic set into a plaster floor.

Archaeological context

Archaeological patolli boards in the Maya Lowlands are found primarily in palaces, temples, and large residential compounds, often incised directly into plaster floors, benches, or other architectural surfaces. These boards typically occur in aristocratic or semi-public spaces rather than in peripheral domestic areas. Recent studies at sites such as Xunantunich and in Campeche identify clusters of patolli boards within single architectural groups, suggesting that some rooms or buildings served as designated gathering places for gaming, ritual activity, or other communal functions.]]

The object of patolli is to move six game pieces to the end of a board composed of specially-marked squares. To represent this, there is a special area near the game board reserved for offerings to Macuilxochitl. A player must place one of their treasures into this space each time their toss results in a score of zero (no holes showing). After each round of play, the winner of the round receives all the treasure from this space as a gift from Macuilxochitl. There is no known Maya equivalent deity explicitly linked to patolli.

See also

  • Bul

References

  • https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/gambling-and-patolli-the-aztecs-favourite-game