Pachisi-Patolli-Parcheesi

From The National Geographic
Prehistoric Parcheesi?
Photograph by Kenneth Garrett, National Geographic

Mexican archaeologist Rodolfo Cid sits near mysterious circles carved into stone not far from the pyramids of Teotihuacan, Mexico (file picture). The circles may have been surveyor's marks, calendars, or scoreboards for a Parcheesi-like game of chance called patolli, according to National Geographic magazine.

Though Voorhies will likely never know the purpose of the Chantuto circles [see earlier post], the new theory has already changed how she sees the prehistoric foragers, she said.

"I've spent a great deal of my life thinking about these particular people," she said, and the unexpected insight into their amusements "makes them seem more real to me."

Published December 13, 2010

Here is a modern American parcheesi board, from Wikipedia:

Here is a 19th century Pachisi cloth board with playing pieces, Sri Lanka, from the British Museum:

A graphic from 1569
Codex Florentinus from Historia de las cosas de Nueva España by Bernardino de Sahagún showing the board game Patolli
from Wikipedia

Korean Nyout, a "circle and cross" game
(Yut Nori - at Boardgamegeek.com)