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Archaeologists Unveil Rare Mosaic Patolli Board at Maya City Naachtun

Its placement within a building floor enables unusually secure Early Classic dating.

Overview

  • The find, reported in a 2025 Latin American Antiquity study, was uncovered in 2023 at Group 6L13 and set into the floor of structure 6L-19 as a red-tesserae mosaic.
  • Researchers estimate an original size of about 78 by 110 centimeters with 45 squares composed of roughly 478 tesserae.
  • The construction method makes it the only known Maya patolli board executed as a floor mosaic rather than scratched or painted.
  • No counters or bean-dice were recovered near the feature, leaving how it was played at the site unresolved.
  • A thin wall later covered part of the surface, with authors tentatively suggesting short-term use during construction or a symbolic tie to ballcourt-like spaces.