Games of the Americas

Many of the games played in the American continents before European contact have been lost to us, but a few have survived well enough to be played today. Once the Europeans came, the American natives took to games from Europe and made them their own. In the nineteenth century some intriguing traditional games were invented in here, which have become popular around the world.

Awithlaknannai

The full name of this game is kolowis awithlaknannai, though it is usually known as awithlaknannai. It is a variant of alquerque, a game which also inspired the more common game of draughts, or checkers. Pieces in awithlaknannai move a single step from one point to an adjacent point along a marked line. They can capture enemy pieces by jumping, as in draughts. History of Awithlaknannai History of Awithlaknannai At some time after the Spanish conquest, the game of ... (read more...)

Grasshopper

The game of halma, whose name means "jump" in Greek, is an entertaining product of the Victorian era. An 18th century gaming board marked out like a halma board suggests it may have earlier origins, but it was not until the 1880s that it was published and came to the attention of the wider world. The object of the game is to race your pieces to the opposite corner of the board, before your opponent can do the same, ... (read more...)

Halma

The game of halma, whose name means "jump" in Greek, is an entertaining product of the Victorian era. An 18th century gaming board marked out like a halma board suggests it may have earlier origins, but it was not until the 1880s that it was published and came to the attention of the wider world. The object of the game is to get your pieces to the opposite corner of the board before your opponent(s) can do the same. ... (read more...)

Konane

A game already being played by the Hawaiians when Captain James Cook made contact with the islanders in the eighteenth century. This is a game of capture where the object is not to take the most pieces, but to leave your opponent without a legal move. There is the original version and a simplified modern version. In both games, you capture a piece of the opposing colour by jumping over it with one of your own pieces, horizontally ... (read more...)

Patolli

Played by the Aztecs, patolli was a race game on a cross-shaped board. Pieces raced around the board according to the throws of five beans, which were marked on one side and plain on the other. Complete rules for the game have not survived, but board game historian R. C. Bell proposed a plausible reconstruction for them. History of Patolli Patolli was played by the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish arrival in Mexico. It was a gambling ... (read more...)

Puluc

Puluc, also called Boolik and Bul, is a game played by the Kekchi people of North Guatemala in Central America. It is played in the outlying districts, often by the light of a fire. The Kekchi people are descendants of the Mayans, which induces some authors to speculate that Puluc is a Mayan game. It is a running fight game, a kind of war game played on a one-dimensional track, or “maize highway”. The forces of each player race ... (read more...)

Zohn Ahl

Zohn ahl is one of a family of "ahl" games, race games played on a circular board. The board contains special spaces at the cardinal compass points, one being the start/finish line and the others being hazards that should be avoided. The lack of any decisions in the game mean that it will not entertain modern adults. But its simple character suits young children, and with its history it can be regarded more as a cultural activity than a ... (read more...)