On The Game of Patolli in Ancient Mexico, and Its Probably Asiatic Origin

On the Game of Patolli in Ancient Mexico, and its Probably Asiatic Origin.
Author(s): E. B. Tylor
Source: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 8
(1879), pp. 116-131
Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
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116 E. B. TYLOR.-On theGame
of the unit,is based on thatof Newtonin his " Dissertationon
Cubits,"butmakesan advanceuponit bysubjectingthe probable
errorsofmeasurement, &c.,to calculationaccordingto the theory
of probabilities.Mr. Tylorhoped Mr. Petrie's resultswouldbe
subjectedto carefulcriticism,
as if foundcorrecttheywouldafford
greathelpin tracingthelines by whichcivilizationhas travelled.
To studentsof barbaricculture,Mr.Petrie'sattemptin his bookto
provetheexistenceamongthe mound-builders of NorthAmerica
of a unit closelyapproachinga measureused in the Old World
deservedcarefulconsideration. With referenceto the elliptic
enclosuredescribedby Mr. Petrie,Mr. Tylorthoughtthe evidence
tendingagainstthenotion of its having been drawnwith a line
fromtwosetfoci,andthattheelongation or diminishing
oftheordi-
natesofa smalleror largercirclewas rathermorelikely.
OntheGAMEof PATOLLIin ANCIENT MEXICO,and its PROBABLY

ASIATICORIGIN. By E. B. TYLOR,Esq. D.C.L., F.R.S.
THE groupofgamestowhichour backyantmon belongsis ancient
and widelyspreadoverthe world. In it a numberofpiecesare
movedon a diagramor board,inotat the player'sfreechoice as
in draughtsor chess,but conformably to the throwsof lots or
dice. One can hardlydoubt,fromthe peculiar combinationof
chanceand skill hereinvolved,thatall the gamescomingunder
this definitionmust be sprungfromone originalgame,though
this cannotnow be clearlyidentified,and may indeedhave dis-
appeared many ages since. The closeness of correspondence
betweenthe abacus or reckoning-board with its little stonesor
calculi movedon its lines or spaces,and the board and pieces
forancientbackgammon, which were even called by the same
names,stronglysuggeststhe idea that the originalbackgammon
arose out of the sportive use of the calculating-board. Its
descendants,the backgammonfamily,fall into two,groups of
games: thoseplayedwithnumbereddice,and thoseplayedwith
two-facedlots whichcan onlyfallin two ways,as we say " head
or tail." These two groupsofgamesmaybe conveniently called
dice-backgamnmon and lot-backgammon. Dice-backgammon makes
its appearance plainly in classic history. The game of the
"twelve lines" (duodecimscri.pta)was played throughoutthe
Roman Empire, and passed on with little change through
mediaevalEurope,carryingitsname oftabulce,tables;its modern
representatives being French trictrac,English backegammon) &c.
Among ancient Greek games, the k-ubeiaor "dice-playing"is
shownbyvariousclassicalpassages to have been of the nature
of backgammon. It appears fromPlutarchthat in earlytimes

of Patolli in AncientMexico. 117
it was played in Persia,whereit still flourishes under the name

of nard. There are also in Sanskrit literaturementionsof
relatedgamesin ancientIndia. FQrthe purposeof the present
paper,however,it will not be needfulto go at length into the
historyof dice-backgammon.It is with the less familiarlot-
backgamnimion thatwe are principallyconcerned. This,there is
fair reason to believe, was the earlier,as it is the ruderform;
dice-backgammon beiniga laterimprovement.That such is the
case is made likely by the following descriptionsof lot-
backgammon,which show how clumsilythe throwingof a
wholehandfuloflots accomplisheswhat is done easily with one
or two numbereddice.
One variety of lot-backgammon is to this day popular in
Egyptand Palestine,under the name of tab or " game." It is
describedin Lane's ModernEgyptians,and in Hyde's De Lu2dis
Orientalibus,part ii, p. 217. The lots thrownare tab-sticks,
fourslips ofpalm-branchabout a span long,cut smoothon one
side so as to be white,while the otherside is left green,these
sides being called the white and black respectively. The tab-
sticksare thrownagainsta wall or stick,and the throwcounts
accordingto how manywhitesides comeuppermost, thus:-
Whites up, none, one, two, three, four,
Count 6 1 2 3 4
(go on) (go on,) (stop) (stop) (go on).
Here thereis an evident attemptto fix the values of the
throwsaccordingto the probabilityof theiroccurrence, though
thisis verycrudelycarriedout. Not only do the rarerthrows
of none-upand four-upscore high,but theyand one-up (tab)
give the player a new throw,whereas the commonthrowsof
two-upand three-uplose the lead. This principlerunsthrough
all varietiesof lot-backgamnmon. If, as is probable,such lot-
scoringrepresentsthe earlierformfromwhich dice-scoring is
derived,then the privilegeof a new turn being given to the
extremethrowsis the originof the same privilegebeing given
to doublesin our backgammon. Next as to thetab-board. This
is divided into fourrows of squares,each row having7, 9, 11,
13, or otherodd numberof squares or " houses,"thus
( _ o___ _ Io-l-
-1 o
00 00 00 0 00 Oo
Rows ofholes on a flatstoneor on the groundwill serve,and

the pieces or " dogs" are bits of stoneforolneside and red brick

forthe other,the players startingby puttinga piece in each

squareon his own side as shownin the figure. Now a " dog"
or draughtcan only be moved fromits original square by a
throwof tab (one-up). While still inertin its originalplace the
draughtis called a Nasara or Christian,but by the throwof tab
it is made a Moslem,and can go out to fight. Suppose a player
at the beginningthrowstab,thenfour,and thentwo,he uses the
firstto bringforwardhis right-handdraughtto the square in
front, thenmovesit on six squaresto the left,and then,his last
throwhaving lost the lead, the other player takes his turn.
When a throwenables a draughtto be moved to a square
occupiedby one of the enemy'sdraughts,this is taken, but a
squareoccupiedby severaldraughtsis safe. That is to say, our
familiarrule of takinga man or hittinga blot belongs to lot-
backgammon. The game is ended by one playerlosing all his
men. It remainsto be pointedout thatthe lot-throwing partof
the game is sometimesplayedby itself. The playerwhothrows
fouris called Sultan,and he who throwssix receivesthe titleof
Wezir,while the unluckythrowerof two orthreegets blows on
the soles of his feet.
We now 'turn to the kind of lot-backgammonplayed in
India, and now generally known under the name of pachisi.
It is a popular mode of gamblingin India, and even Europeans
have been known to catch the enthusiasmof the natives,as
witness the well-knownstory of that English officialwho,
havingpaid his servants'wages,would sit downwiththemto a
matchat pachisi and sometimeswin his money back. At the
timeofreadingthispaper,thebestaccountoftlje gameaccessible
to mewas thatin Herklot'sQanoon-e-Islam, butMr.ArthurGrote
has since kindlyprocured,throughDr. Rajendralala Mitra,of
the CalcuttaUniversity, a morecompleteand consistentset of
rules,whichare here followed. The game may be played by
two,three,or fourpersonsseverally,orbytwopairs,thepartners
sittingoppositeone another. A cloth,withcolouredpatcheson
it, to formthe patternor diagram,is generallyused as a board,
zealous playersoftencarryingone rolled roundin theirturbans.
The diagramor boardis as shownin the illustration.
Each of the fourarms contains24 squares, of which the
threecrossedsquaresare called forts(chik). The pieces played
with(got)areusuallyof turnedwood orivory,of a conoidalshape,
muchlike our presentrifle-bullets, and in sets of four,each of
the fourplayershavinga set all of one colour,red,green,yellow,
black. The movesofthe pieces on the boardare determined by
the throwsof cowrie-shells, whichcotuntaccordingto how malny
fall mouthupward. The scoringis as followswhensix cowries
are used:

ofPPatolliin AncientMexico. 119
Mouthsup, none, one, two, three, four, five, six.

Count, 6 10 2 3 4 25 12
(go on) (stop) (go on).

Suppose now fourplayersto be seated,each at the end of
one cross-arm. The objectof each player is to move his men
xx
x~~r I
x x
_-x
fromhomedownthe middlerow ofhis own arm,and thenalong

the outsidelines of squaresfromrightto left (against the sun)
till havingmade the circuitof the whole board,theycomeback
to the end of theirown arm,moveup its middlerowwherethey
came down,and get back into the central space or home,the
winnerbeinghe who getshis fourmen roundfirst. The pieces
moveonwardas manysquares as the score of the throw. But
a piece can onlybe startedin the game when its owner throws
a 10 (das) or a 25 (pachisi),whichthrowsgive a starting1 (pud)
in additionto the ordinaryscore,by which 1 a-piece is put on
the firstsquare and so startedon its course. The high throws
6, 10, 12, 25, entitlethe playerto a new throwas doublets do
in our backgammon, but at the lowerthrowsthe lead passes to
the otherplayer. Thus whenthe game begins,the throwsare

uselesstill one player throws10 or 25; suppose he throws10,

and this giving him a new throw,afterwards 2, he is able to
starta piece on the firstsquare,and then move it 10 and 2
squares onward. A single man on a square is taken by an
enemy'smanmovingon to thatsquare,and thetakenmanbeing
dead (mard)is put back in the hometo start afresh,but two or
moremen of one set on a squarehold it safely,all which is as
in our backgammon. In vachisi, however,taking or cutting
(katd) a man gives the playera new throw. Also in pachisi,
the crossedsquaresor fortsare places wherea single man is in
safety,and even blocks an enemy's man from moving there.
The throwsjust mentioned,10 followedby 2, are favourableas
enteringa man and puttinghim in safetyin a fort; a 25 fol-
lowed by a 4 is good in the same way. When a piece, after
makingthe circuitof the board, comesback to go up its own
middle row,it is called ripe (pa/c/cd) and is laid on its side to
distinguishit fromthe starting-pieces on their way down. If
the ripepiece gets againon the last square beforehome,it can
onlybe got offthe board as it got on,by a throw of das or
pachisi.*
The comparisonof this Hindu game of pachisi shows close
connectionwith the Arab tab; we have even the privileged
throwsgiving,a new throw,and a particularthrowrequiredto
starta man. In India thereis also played anothergame like
pachisi exceptthatthe cowriesare supersededby a kind of long
dice,niimbered on thefourlonigsides butnotat theends; as thus
played the game is called chilpur. The pachisi board has been
introducedintoEngland,with foursets of foursmall draughts
as the pieces, and ordinarydice. In this state the game has
made its nearestapproach to our backgammon,and any one
who triesthe set of games will be likely to admit that in the
pachisi played with cowries as lots, he has before him an
early and rude stage of the game as lot-backgammon, out
of which it passed into dice-backgammon.He may also be
* Furtherdetails. If 25, 10, or 12 are thrownthricerunning, theyare called
rotten(pacha) and destroyone another,but a new throwof10 or 25 mayrestore
them,and so withsix consecutivethrows,restoredbv a seventh. In goinghome
up the middlerow,a playercannotuse a th-row forwlhiehthereare not sufficient
squaresleft. When playersare in partnership, theirpieces can be in the same
squares. A partnerwhosepiecesare all homecan throwon his partner'sbehalf,
aftergettinga new starting1. He mayalso makea ripe man on its way home
intoan unripeone,forthepurposeof cuttingoffan enemy'sman,or revive and
bringout again a piece whichhas got home. Sometimesa player having two
pieceson one square moves themas a couple (jora) whichcan takean enemy's
couple. Such couples can move at option to the 12thor 25th square witha
throwof 25 or to the 5th or 10thsquarewitha throwcf 10, but uneven throws
otherthan 25 disjointhe couple. This systemof couples (whichis allied to the
plan of joining piecesin the Arab tab) is said not to be recognizedby good
pachisi players.

ofPatolli in Ancient ifexico. 121
disposed to think that our own dice-backgam-mon, though

tolerablyancient,came into existenceby a similar course of
development.It should be added that both as played with
cowriesanid dice, games like pachisi are ancient in India.
Having looked into the Sanskrit referencesand consulted
ProfessorJolly,of Wiirzburg,I am inclined to think that a
gamecalledpanchikd,played with five cowries,may represent
one ofits earliestforms,forthe nameofpachisi,meaning" five-
and-twenty," is clearlyderivedfromthe scoringof the throwof
fivecowries. Leaving this for furtherexamination,it will be
sufficient
to have given an idea of the nature of the Hindu
pachisi,forit is to this game thata varietyof lot-backgammon
appearingin Old Mexico will now be -seento presentthe most
strikinganalogy.
Among the accounts of this Mexican game givenby the
Spanish chroniclersthe earliest is that by Gomara, whose
historywas printedin 1552, so thathis accountmusthave been
writtenwhilethe conquestin 1521 was still freshin memory.
He writesas follows: "Sometimes Montezumalooked on as
theyplayed at patoliztli,whichmuch resemblesthe game of
tables and is played with beans markedlike one-faceddice,
which (beans) they call patolli, which they take between the
handsand throwon a mat,or on the ground,wherethere are
certainlineslike a merrel(ordraught)board,onwhichtheymark
withstonesthepointwhichfellup,takingofforputtingon a little
stone.* Torquemada,partlyfollowingthis account,gives more
details,showingthe diagramplayed on to have been of the
shape of a pachisi board, and the players to have had men
of different colours. He says that "they call it the game of
patolli,because thesedice are called so; theythrowthemwith
both hands on a thinmat . . . . on whichare made certain
lines afterthe mannerof a + crossand otherscrossiingthem
markingthe pointfallingup (as at dice) taking offor putting
on little stonesof different colour,as in the game oftables."t
* Francisco Lopez de Gomara, " La istoria de las Indias, y conquista de
Mexico" [Saragossa] 1552, fol.42. " Algunasvezes mirauiaMote9gumacomo
jugauan al Patoliztli,que parecemuchoal juego de las tablas. Y que se juega con
hauas,o frisolesraiadoscomodados de harinillasque dizen Patolli. Los quales
meneanentreambasmanos. Y los echansobreuna estera,o en el suelo,dondeay
ciertasraias,comoalquerque,en que senalanconpiedrasel puntoque cayo arriba,
ouitando,o poniendochina"
t Juan de Torquemada,Monarquia Indiana, Seville 1615, Book xiv., c. 12.
"Auia otrojuego que liaman Patolli, que en algo pareceal juego de las tablas
reales,y juegase con hauas y frisoles,hechospuntosen ellos,a manerade dados
de arenillas,y dizenlejuego Patolli,porque estosdados se llamanassi, echanlos
conambasmanossobreuna esteradelgadaque se llama petate,hechasciertas rayas
a manerade aspa y atrauessandootrassefialandoel puntoque cay6hazia arriba
(comose haze en los dados) quitando,o poniendochinasde diferente color,como
einel juego de las tablas." The word " aspa " means an equal-armedcross,the
VOI. VIII. K

Next comethe particuilars givenby Sahagun,whichthoughnot

adding much to our knowledgeof the game, explain why it
ceased to be playedsome time afterthe conquest. " The lords
for their pastime also played a game called patolli,which is
as the game ofmerells(or draughts)or the like,or dice-playing,
and thereare fourlarge beans, each having a hole, and they
throwthemwiththe hand,as one plays at knuckle-bones, on a
mat wherethereis a figuredrawn. At this gametheyused to
play and win preciousthings,such as gold beads and precious
stones,very fine turquoises. This game and thatof ball they
have left off,being suspicious on account of some idolatrous
superstitionsin them." In another place he says: " The
secondpastimetheyhad was a game like dice; theymade on a
mat a paintedcross,full of squares like the game of draughts,
and sittingdownon the mat,theytook threelargebeans with
certainpointsmade in them,and let them fall on the painted
cross,&c.*
At the readingof mypaper,I was onlyable to referto the
workof Diego Duran as citedin Bancroft'sNative Statesof the
Pacific,vol. ii, p. 300. The part of his work containingthe
in the
accountofaptolliis stillin MS., but there is a transcript
BancroftLibraryat San Francisco,fromwhich Mr. Oak, the
librarian,has since kindlyfurnishedme with an extract. The
game theyplayedon the mat (says Duran) theycalled vatolly,
which is the same name we now give to cards. On this mat
theyhad a great cross painted takingthe mat fromcornerto
corner. Withinthe hollow of the crosswerecertaintransverse
lines forminlghouses or squares,which cross and squareswere
markedand drawn in lines with liquid ulli (indiarubber). For
these squares therewere twelve small stones,;sixred and six
blue,whichtheydividedbetweentheplayers,to each so many. If
two played, which was the ordinaryway,one tooksix and the
othertheothersix. The dicewerecertainblack beans,fiveorten
armsof a windmill,&c.; " arenillas" are dice with points onlyon one face or
side,theyare numberedfromone to six.
* Fr. Bernardinode Sahagun, "H istoria Universalde las Cosas de Nu-eva
Espania," printedin Lord Kingsborough's"Antiquities of Mexico," vol. vii.,

book viii.,c. 10. " Tambienlos Sefiorespor su pasatiempojugaban un juego que
se llama Patolli,que es como el juego del castroo alquerqueo casi, o como el
juego de los dados; y son quatrofrisolesgrandesque cada uno tieneun agujero,
y arrojanloscon la mano,sobreun petatecomoquienjuega a los carnicolesdonde
esta hecha una flgura. A este juego solian jugar y ganarse cosas preciosas,
comocuentasde oro y piedraspreciosas,turquesasmuyfilnas. Este juego y el de
la pelotahanlo dejado, por ser sospechososde algunas superstitiones idolatricas
que en elloshay," c. 17. " El segundopasatiempoque tenianera un juego como
dados; hacienen in petate una cruz pintada,Rlenade cuadros semejantesal
juego del alquerque o castro,y puestossobre el petatesentado3,tomaban tres
frisolesgrandes,hechos ciertospuntos en ellos,y dejabanlos caer sobrela cruz
pintada,y de alli teniansu juego ;" &c.

of Patolli in AncientMexico. 123
or as theychoseto lose or gain,whichhad certainwhiteholes in

each bean where they marked the numberof squares which
were gainedon each hand; wherefivewere markedtheywere
ten,andtenRtwenty; and ifone,one; and iftwo,two; andif three,
three; and if four,four; but markingfivetheywereten,and if
ten, twenty; and so those little white dots were lots and
maarkers ofthe lines thatweregained,and forshifting thestones
fromsquare to square. Duran goes on to describe (as the
otherauthorsdo) theeagernesswithwhichthe Mexicansplayed
at thisgaine;how gamesterswentaboutwiththe matand stones
in a littlebasket undertheirarms; how theyspoke to themas
thoughtheywerethingswithsense andintelligence;and having
talkedto them with a thousandloving words and requests,
wouldset up the littlebasketswiththe instruments ofthegame
and the painted mat. and bringingfirewould throw into it
incenseand sacrificebeforethose instruments, bringingofferings
offood. Having finishedthe offering and ceremoniestheywent
offto play with all the confidencein the world. The author
continues, thatthename ofthegodofthedicewas Macuilxochitl,
which means Five roses (five flowerswould have been more
correct). Him the players invoked as they threwthe beans
fromthe hand, which was in the following manner: That the
beansservingas dice are fivein honourof thatgod named Five
Roses, and to throwthe lot they keep rubbingthem a while
betweentheirhands,and on throwingthem on the mat where
thereis the figureof the fortuneand its countingwhichis in
the inannerof two clubs, they called with a loud voice on
Macuilxochitland gave a greatclap, and thenlookedto see the
pointsthat had come,and thisMacuilxochitlwas onlyfor this
gameofthe dice. It seems,however, thattheywould also some-
timescall on the god of gambling,Ometochtli, to give thema
goodpoint,&c.*
* Diego Duran, "Hlist. Indias," MS., tom. iii., cap. xxii. . . . . . al
juego que sobreesta esterajugaban liamaban" patolly,"que es el mismovocablo
que ahorailamamosnaypes. Sobre esta esteratenianpintada una aspa grande
la que tomabael petatede esquinaa esquina. Dentrodel huecode la aspa habia
atravesadasunas rayasque serviande casas,la cual aspa y casas estabansenialadas
y rayadasconulliderretido . . . para estascasas habia docepiedraspequefias
las seis coloradasy las seis azules, las cuales pedrezuelaspartian entrelos que
jugaban a tantasa' cada cual: si jugaban dos que era lo ordinariotomaba el uno
las seis y el otrolas otrasseis; y aunque jugaban muchosjugaba uno por todos
ateniendosea' la suertede aquel, comoentrelos Espafiolesse juegan los albures
ateniendosea la mejorsuerte,asl se atenianaca al que mejormeneabalos dados,
los cuales eran unos frisolesnegroscinco6 diez 6 comoquerian perder6 ganar,
los cuales tenianunosahugerillos(sic) blancosen cada frisolpor dondepintaban
el numerode las casas que se aventajabanen cada mano,dondese pintabancinco
eran diez y diez veinte,y si uno, uno,y si dos, dos, y si tres,tres,y si cuatro,
cuatro; peropintandocinco eran diez, y si diez veinte,y asi aquellas pintillas
blancaseran suertesy cuenta de las rayas que se ganaban; y darmua pars la
K 2

These accountsof patolli are the onlyones to be trusted,the

newerones being hardlyto the point, exceptwhere they are
followingthe old authorities. Clavigero repeats what he has
read,adding that "he who firstgot three stones in a row,
won."* But this may only be an amplificationof his pre-
decessors'comparisonof the game to alquerque,whichseemsto
have been like our merells,where countersare moved on a
diagramwith the objectof gettingthreein a line,whenceit is
also called in Spanish "tres en raya," or "three in a row."
Again,Brasseursays thathe who returnedfirstintothe squares
won the game.t Probablyit was so, but this authorin stating
it may onlyhave gone upon the earlierstatementthatthe game
was playedlike tables.
Putting all this together,it is plain that the Spanish
chroniclers wererightin comparingpatollito theirown game of
tables or backgammon, but had they been acquainted with
pachisi,theywould doubtlesshave pointedout the closer con-
nectionof patolli with this Indian game. The playing back-
gammon-fashion withcolouredstonesas counters,on a diagram
like a cross,full of squares,on whichthe moveswere made by
countingsquares accordingto the throws of markedlots, in
scoringwhich a disproportionate advantagewas given to the
highthrows,all correspondsto pachisi. And wherethe beans
piedrasde unas casasen otras . . . Andabanlos tauresde estejuegosiempre
con la esteradebajo del sobaco,y con los dados atados k un paniitocomo algunos
tauresde este tiempo,que siempreandanapercibidoscon los naypesen las calzas
de tablageen tablage; aquellos dados juntamtecon las piedrezuelasdel juego
traianen una bascrita(sic) pequeniaI los cuales hacian reverenciacomo a Dioses
fingiendo en ellos haberalguna virtud,y asi les hablabancuandojugaban comoa
cosa que tubiesealgun sentidoo inteligenciade lo que le pedian . . . . asi
estosnaturaleshablabana los frisolillosy al petatey decianmil palabrasde amor
y mil requiebrosy mil superstiticiones,y despuesde haberleshablado ponianlas
petaquillasen el lugar de adoracioncon los instrumentos del juego y la estera
pintadajunto 'a ella y traia lumbrey echaba en la lumbreinciensoy ofreciasu
sacrificioante aquellosinstrumentos ofreciendocomidadelantede ellos. Acabada
la ofrenday ceremoniasivan a jugar con toda la confianzadel mundo."
"El nombredel Dios de los dados era Macuilxuchitl,que quiere decircinco
rosas: a esteinvocabanlos jugadores cuando arrojabanlos frisolesde la mano,
lo cual era a la manera que dire; que los frisolillosque sirven como de dados
son cincoa honrade aquel Dios que tiene nombrede cinco rosas; y para echar
la suertetraenlosun rato refregandolos entrelas manos,y al lanzallos sobrela
esteradondeesta la figurade la fortunay cuenta suya que es a la manera de
dos bastos,Ilamaban k alta voz a Macuilxuchitl,y daban una gran palmada,y
luego acudia t verlos puntosque le habian entrado; y este Macuilxuchitlera
solamentepara estehuegode los dados."
invocabana este Dios cuandojugaban,diciendo'el Dios Ometochtly
me de buen punto,"' &c.
* Clavigero," Storia Antica del Messico," Cesena, 1780, vol. ii., p. 185, " e
chi primaaveva tre pietruzzein fila,queglivinceva."
t Brasseurde Bourbourg," Histoire des NationsCiviliseesdu Mexique et de
I'AmeriqueCentrale,"Paris, 1858,vol. iii., p. 671, "et celui qui retournaitle
promierdans les casesgagnait la partie."

ofPatolli in AncientMexico. 125
used as lots at patolli seemto have been sometimesonlymarked

on one side to distinguishthemfromthe otherin head-and-tail
fashion,while sometimesthey were numbered;this matches
withthe two ways of playingthe Hinidugame,with cowries as
two-facedlots,or with the numberedstick-dice. It seems so
clearthatthe Mexican game must have come fromAsia, that
the questionfirstarises-Could anySpanish or Portuguesesailor
have learntit in the East Indies,and thenon a voyage to the
West Indies have been,perhaps,wreckedon the Mexican coast,
andtaughthis newacquisitionto thenatives? But the dates do
not allow roomforthissupposition.
Vasco de Gama's voyageto India was about 1500, and the
conquestof Mexico was in 1521. It is by earlierdirect coni-
municationfromAsia that we must explain the presenceof
patolli in Mexico. That such communicationtook place has
been provedby Alexandervon H-umboldt'swell-knownargu-
mentfromthe occurrencein Mexico of a chronological calendar
in which signs were combinedto date days, years,&c., on a
complexperverseprinciplecloselyresemblingthaton whichthe
Tibetans,Chinese,&c., still reckondates. Not only werethe
signs,tiger,dog,ape, hare,&c., used to dateperiodsof timeboth
by thesenationsand theancientMexicans,buttheycombinesuch
signs in series,so that as in Japan "younger Fire Hare"
denotesthe fourthyear of the cycle,so in Mexico "two Hare
Fire" stands for the 28th day of a year. The correspondence
betweenthe mythsof successivedestructionsof the world in
Asia and Mexico is hardlyless remarkable. The same causes
which broughtAsiatic calendarsand mythsintoAztec culture,
may have broughtover the Indian game of pachisi. It is not
needfulto accountforthisconnection betweenn,ationsof thetwo
continentsby supposing migrationsof populationon a large
scale. The necessarycontactmighteven have been made by
the drifting overofboats orjunks,withthecrewsalive,fromEast
Asia to the Pacific coast of North America: an event which
happens everynow and then,as it probablyhas done forages.
By whatevercommunication Asiatic calendarsand cosmicmyths
foundtheirway into America,the Hindu game of pachisi or
some allied formof it may have passed over fromsomewhere
in Asia, and establisheditselfin Mexico as patolli.
The evidencederivedfromthis game, however,by no means
ends here. Father Joseph Ochs, a Jesuit missionarywho was
in Mexico in 1754-68, in the followingpassage is no doubt
speakingof the natives in the Tarahumaraand Pima district.
" Instead of our cardsthey have slips of reed or bits of wood,a
thumbwide and almost a span long, on which,as on a tal]y,
different strokesare cut in and stained black. These theyhold

togethertightin the hand, raise them as high as theycan, and

let themfall on the ground. Whoeverthenhas moststrokesor
eyesforhim,winsthestakes. Thisgameis as bad as thenotorious
hazard. They call it patole. As it is forbiddenunder pain of
blows, they choose a place out in the woods, yet the noise
of thesebits ofwood has discoveredme manysharpershiddenin
the bush. To play the more safelythey spreadout a cloak or
carpet,not to be betrayedby the noise."* Thus towarda thou-
sand miles fromthe cityof Mexico, we find a game going on
which still keeps the Aztec name of patolli, although the
language of the districtis not Aztec, and which seems to be
the Mexican game so far as the castinglots are concerned, but
without the counters. The use of slips of wood as lots is
curiouslylike the Egyptiantab,whichgame also,it was noticed,
is sometimesplayedwithoutthe counters,thoughonlyforsport,
not gambling.
If now we travel anotherthousandmiles and more north-
eastward,into the regionofthe greatlakes,we shall findamong
the so-calledNorthAmericanIndians a game whichon exami-
nationappearscloselyconnectedwith the Mexican patolli. It
is widelyspread,and has been mentionedby many authorsas
the game of plum-stones, game of the bowl,&c. It was clearly
not derived fromthe Europeans,and is noticed as a regular
Indian game by the Jesuitmissionariesamong the Hurons as
earlyas 1636 ;t theycall it jeu de plat,and say it was playedwith
six plum-stones, white on one side and black on the other,in a
dish whichwas hit hard againstthe groundso thatthe stones
turnedoveranyhow,the game beingto get themall black or all
white. They clearly did not quite understandthe game, of
which the best accountis thatgiven by Mr. L. H. Morgan,as
played among the Iroquois.: It appears in two forms. As
gus-ga-e-sa-td,or deer buttons,it was strictlya firesidegame,
* Murr," Nachrichtenvon verschiedenen Liinderndes SpanischenAmerika,"
Halle, 1809,part i., p. 256. " AnstattunsererKarten haben sie daumenbreite,
fastspannenlangeRohrschnitze, oder auch Hlo1zergen,in welche,wie auf einem
Kerbholze,verschiedene Stricheeingeschnittenundschwarzgetrinktsind. Diese
haltensie in der Hand festzusammen, hebensie so hoch sie konnenin die HEhe,
und lassen sie auf die Erde fallen. Wer dennmehrereStricheoderAugeniuber
sichhat, gewinntden Einsatz. Dies Spiel ist so schlimm,als das verruchte
Wuirfelspiel.Sie nennenes Patole. Weil es bey StrafederSchliigeverbotenist
so ersehensie sichhiezu einenOrt im Gebiischeaus; jedoch hat mirder Klang
dieserHolzerchenmancheim GebiischeversteckteGauner entdeckt. Sicherer
zu spielenbreiteten sie einenManteloder Teppichaus,um nichtdurchden Schall
verrathenzu werden,"&c.
1 " Relationsdes Jesuitesdans la NouvelleFrance" (reprinted Quebec,1858),
1636,p. 113. See also Loskiel " Historyof Missionof United Brethrenamong
the Indians in North America," translatedby Latrobe, London 1794, part i.,
p. 106.
~ L. H.LMorgan,"1Leagueof theIroquois,"Rochester(N.Y.), 1851,p.302,307.

ofPatolli in AncientMexico. 127
thoughsometimesintroducedas an amusementat the season of

religiouscouncils,the people dividingintotribes as usual and
bettingupon the result. Eight buttons,about an inch in
diameter,shaped like a double-convexlens, were made of elk-
horn,roundedand polished,and slightlyburnedon one side to
blackenthem. The game was played by two or more,all the
players continuingin their seats till it was determined. A
certainnumberof beans, fiftyperhaps,were made the capital,
and the game continueduntilone of the players had won them
all. Two personsspreada blanket,and seated themselvesupon
it. One of themshookthe deerbuttonsin his hands,and then
threw them down. If 6 turned up of the same colour, it
counted 2, if 7, it counted 4, and if all, it counted 20, the
winnertaking as manybeans from the general stock as he
made points by the throw. He also continuedto throw as
long as he continuedto win. When less than 6 came up,
eitherblack or white,it countednothing,and the throwpassed
to the otherplayer. In this mannerthe game was continued
until the beans weretaken up betweenthe two players. After
that the one paid to the other out of his own winnings,the
game endingas soon as eitherplayer'sbeans were all lost. Or
fourcould play,eitherwitha partneror independently.When
deerbuttonswas played as a public game,the arrangement was
as in the peach-stonegame.
The peach-stonegame,gus-ka-eh, was a bettinggame,played
by the people dividedinto tribes,and by customit was the con-
cludingexerciseon the last day of the GreenCornand Harvest
Festivals,and also ofthe New Year's Jubilee. Its introduction
amongthemis ascribedto the firstTo-do-dii-ho, who flourished
at the formation of the " League,"and a popularbeliefprevailed
thatit would be enjoyedby themin the futurelife,in the realm
of the GreatSpirit. It was played iL the public council-house,
by a successionof players,two at a time,underthesupervision
of managers. A numberof beans,usually 100, made the bank.
When the bets had been made,and the articlesstakeddelivered
into the custodyof the managers,theseseated themnselves on a
raisedplatform, the throngarrangedthemselvesin twodivisions,
and two playerssat down to play,one on each side,each pro-
vided by the managerson his own side with five beans out of
the bank. Six peach-stoneswereused, groundor cut down to
theflattened roundishformrequired,and burnt on one side to
blackenthem. Theywereput in a woodenorearthenbowl and
shakenbythe player. When theyceased rolling,if all came up
ofone colour,whiteor black,it counted5, entitlingthe player
to receive 5 beans fromhis adversary; if 5 canec up of onie
colour,it counted 1, giving 1 bean; if less than 5 of either

128 E. B. TYLOR.-On theGameofPatolli.
colourcame up, it countednothing,and the lead passed to the

opponent. When eitherplayerhad lost all his stockof beans,
he retired,and a new playerwitha new stockreplaced him,till
one side had gainedall the beans,thus winniiigthe game.
This usinlgofbeans as countersmaypossiblyhave been learnt
by the Indians fromthe whitemen,so thatwe must not found
any ethnologicalargumenton it, nor can we withsafetytreatas
properlybelongingto the Indian tribesofAmericathe varieties
of the game which are described in Schoolcraft's" Indian
Tribes,"Part II., p. 71, as played by the Dacotas under the
name of kmn-ta-soo, and by the Ojibwas as 'puggesaing.The
Dakota game is played with eight plum-stones,but some of
them are markedwith figuresof tortoise,war-eagle,&c., and
the countingis elaborate. The Ojibwa name is well knownto
EnglishreadersfromLongfellowhaving embodiedin his" Hia-
watha" a long descriptionof it fromSchoolcraft,under the
title of "the game of bowl and counters,puggesaing with
thirteenpieces." It has in it brass discs and pieces of bone cut
to representducks,war-clubs,&c, and theseall have a rightand
wrongside,the reckoningof the combinationsthrownranging
fromnothingup to 158 fora singlethrow,in a mostcomplicated
way. Now thoughmodernIndians have played thesegames,
thereare no earlymentionsof them,as there is of the simple
game of the bowl and plumnstones.It is thereforequite likely
thatthesemorecomplexgamesmay be modernvarietiesof the
old Americangame of the bowl,made withEuropeanhelp.
To sum up the argumentfromthe presenceof thesegamesin
America. Lot-backgammon as representedby tab,pachisi,&c.,
rangesin the Old World fromEgypt across SouthernAsia to
Birma. As thepatolli of the Mexicans is a varietyof lot-
backgammonmost nearlyapproachingthe Hindu pachisi, and
perlhapslike it passinginto the stage of dice-backgammon, its
presenceseerasto prove that it had made its way acrossfrom
Asia. How it came is uiicertain, thoughthe driftingacrossof
Asiatic vessels to Californiaoffersthe readiest solution. At
any rate,it inay be reckonedamongelementsofAsiatic culture
traceablein the old Mexican civilization,the highdevelopment
of whichin metalwork,architecture, astronomy, political and
religiousinstitutions,&c., seems to be in large measuredue to
Asiatic influence. FromMexico,it appears that gamblingby
means oflots spreadamongtherudernorth-west tribes,bearing
the Aztec name ofpatolli, and beingin factthe lot-castingpart
of that game but withoutthe boardand stonecounters. More-
over,similargamblingby lot-casting was earlyfoundamongthe
tribesof thegreatAmericanlakes. This methodoflot-casting,
whichcorresponds to thatoflot-backgammon, was certainlynot

Discitssion. 129
introducedinto America by the Europeans, who were not

acquaintedwithit. We are thereforeleft to considerthat the
NorthAmericanIndians gotit probablvthroughMexico,but at
any rate in some manner from Asia. Now if any item of
culture,even a matterso triflingas a gamne,can be distinctly
made out to have passed overfromAsia and establisheditself
among the rude tribes of North America,this opens a way
by whichvariousotherfeaturesof their culturemay be fairly
accountedforas due to Asiatic influence.
DIscusSION.
Lieut.Col.GODWIN AUSTEN said: I havelistenedwithverygreatin-
terestto Mr. Tylor'spaper on the strikingsimilarity of the old
Mexicangame of "_patolli " with the commonIndian game called
"Pachisi." I becameacquaintedwiththislastwhenemployed onthe
surveyof Kashmirsomeyearsago. It was thefavourite gameof
thenativesof myestablishment, and thisled me to learnthegame,
whichI oftenplayedwiththem,and I becamethenwellacquainted
withtherales. KnowingthatMr.Tylorwaswritingonthesubject,
I haveput a fewnotesand therulestogether ofthegameas played
bytheKashmiris, Punjabis,&c.
The game is wellknownall along the northern part of India
to Assam. I do notknowwhetherit extendsto Burma,butvery
probablyis knownthere,fromthe largerHindustanielementnow
in thecountry.I can,I think,clearup themeaningand similarity
ofoneof thestatements regarding theMexicangame so described
by the old Historian (Clavigero) who very probablydid not
thoroughly know the gameofratolli,and describedit as a looker
on woulddo, and as mostEuropeansin Indiawouldnowifexplain-
ing the gameofpachisi He says the game ends whenthreeof
thecolouredpiecesare all in a row. Now in the gameof pachisi,
playedwithfoursetsofthree-coloured markers," Giti ", as theyare
played out theyare placed in a rowwithinthecentresquare or
goal,and oppositeto theplayer'sownarmof the cross-board, and
thispositionshows plainlyto thoseengagedhowmanyeach indi-
vidualhas playedout roundthetable; the firstto placethemall
in a rowbeingthewinner, theothersin succession.
Rulesof the Gameof Pachisi.

Thegameis playedbytwo,three,orfourpersolns(A B C D) having
threemarkers(Giti) or countersof different colourseach (to
shorten thegameonlytwoare oftenagreedon to be played),these
are movedoverthe squares of the board,commencing at A to a',
a", a."',&c. Certainsquares are markedwith diagonallines; in
thesea markeris safeand cannotbe takenup; thetermforthisis
" Giche'baithna,"-G4che'being probablya corruptionof Gosha,
usedin thesenseof " GoshaYishin"-a hermit.

130 Discu6ssinb.
2. The moves are regulated by the throwof seven cowries in

differentcombinations.
A cowriefallingwith the aperture uppermostis called " chit,"
with the aperturedown or flat,"_put."
The highest throw,"'pachis," gives the name to
the game -is = 25
Six cowries with apertureup, one down-
The next highestall seven cowrieswith aperture
upwards = 12
All seven with aperturedown - 6
All down and one up 1
I
All down and two up = 2
All down and threeup - 3
and so on up to five.
The B3oardis madeofCloth,witha pocketat D to holdthemarkers.lt thenfoldsup and

is tiedby a string. The marker-s
aremadeofwoodcolouredwithlac workedinon a lathe.
3. A throwof twent-y-five, twelve,or six muastbe made to enable

a player to come in. Place the firstmarkeron the board and com-
mence play, and so foreach marker,thisis called pauwa-or getting
an ace; a throwof the above numbersgives an extra throw.
4. On playing out, should the markerget into the last square aL
throwof tweiity-five,twelve,or six must be made to take it offthe
board.-

l;i0,tof Presents. 131
5. Markersare takenup " gutimarna." whenby the throwof

thecowriesa markercan be placedin a squarealreadyoccupiedby
an adversary-whothenhas to commence again fromhis original
side oftheboard.
It willbe seenfromtheconstruction of theboardthatfromone
cornersquareto theoppositeand innercornersquareis 25, or from
at a i. to a"' a vii.
MR. HYDE CLARKE suggested to Mr. Tylor that the Tarahumara
languagepossesseselements independentof its Aztekaffinities,
and
that,too,itis relatedtoremarkablelanguagesoftheOldWorld. He
considered thediscovery ofMr. Tylor'shad anotherimportant link
intheconnection between theOld WorldandtheNew,and couldnot
concurwithhim in attributing the calendar,the creationlegend
and theattoli,and he wouldadd themeasurements of Mr. Petrie,
and somanyotherproofsof connection, to thecasualinfluenceof
Chineseand Japanesewrecksbeforethetimeof Monteruma. He
attributedthem to specificmigration, of whichtheyhad nowso
muchevidence.
Mr. WALHOUSE, Capt. DILLON,and the PRESIDENT

tookpartin
the above discussion,and Mr. TYLORreplied.
APRIL 30TH, 1878.
Major-GeneralA. LANE in thte

Fox, F.R.S., Vice-President,
Chiair.
The minutes of the previousmeetingwere read and con-

firmed.
The followingpresentswere announced,and thanks were
orderedto be returnedto the respectivedonorsforthe same.
FOR TIEE LIBRARY.
FromtheSOCIETY.-Proceedings oftheRoyalSociety. Vol.XXVII,

No. 186.
Fromthe SOCIETY.-Me6moires de la Societe Imperialedes Amis
d'histoirenaturelle,d'Anthropologieet d'Ethnographie.
Vol. XXIX.
From the SOCIErrY.-Bulletin de la Societe d'Anthropologie
de
Paris. TomeXII, No. 4.


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