Zapotec

The Zapotecs were a pre-Columbian civilization that thrived in the Valley of Oaxaca in Central America. Archaeological evidence reveals that their culture dates back at least 2,500 years. The remains of the ancient city of Monte Albán in the form of buildings, ball courts, magnificent tombs and finely crafted gold jewelry are testament to this once great civilization. Monte Albán was one of the first important cities in Mesoamerica and the center of the Zapotec state that dominated much of the territory that today belongs to the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

In a game of Zapotec you build Temples, Cornfields and Villages in the three valleys that surround the capital in order to generate the necessary resources to erect Pyramids, offer Sacrifices to the gods and perform Rituals.

In each round, players simultaneously choose a card from their hand to determine their turn order and the resources they collect. They then take individual turns and spend resources to build new Houses, gain access to special abilities, offer Sacrifices to the gods, and build Pyramids.

After 5 rounds, players score points for their Pyramids, their position on the Sacrifice track, and their Ritual cards. The player with the most Victory Points (VP) is declared the winner.

Components

    1 center board
    4 player boards
    27 action cards
    10 ritual cards
    4 Reference Cards
    45 Building tiles
    36 Trade tiles
    9 Score tiles
    4 Palace tiles
    36 wooden houses
    20 wooden discs
    24 Pyramid pieces
    80+ resource tokens
    27 solitaire cards