Patolli

Patolli (Nahuatl: [paˈtoːlːi]) or patole (Spanish: [paˈtole]) 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.

Across regions, patolli served multiple functions, including recreation, social competition, divination, and ritual activity. Its wide distribution and cultural variation make it one of the most enduring and adaptable games in pre-Columbian North and Central America.