Tejo – Ancient & Traditional Colombian Sport
Ancient Sports – Tejo Throwing Game in Colombia Sports Culture
Aug 18, 2009
In September 2000 the traditional game of Tejo was officially declared a national sport in Colombia. A throwing game similar to North American horseshoes or the traditional European game of quoits, Tejo is one of the traditional sports Colombia holds onto in its soccer obsessed culture.
How to Play Tejo, Colombia Sports Traditional Throwing Game
The game of Tejo is played on a rectangular ‘court’ measuring 19.5 meters in length and 2.5 meters in width. At both ends of the playing area is a 1 meter square target area placed at an angle of approximately 30 degrees facing towards the thrower. The target area is filled with clay, with a wooden backboard behind it.
Within the clay target area are specific zones. In the center is a metal ring known as the bocin. This ring has an interior diameter of 11 centimeters. Two triangular paper pouches filled with gunpowder are placed on the target area, one above and one below the bocin. These explosive packets are known as the mechas, equilateral triangles of 6cm.
Tejo is a team throwing game (although it can be played one against one), each team normally comprising of three players. Each player has a metal disc called a tejo, opposing team members having one turn each round to launch their tejo towards the target area.
Scoring Points in the Tejo Game Throwing the Disc at the Target
The aim of the game is to gain victory by being the first team to reach 27 points. Points are scored in the following manner:
- 1 point for the team with the tejoclosest to the central ring or bocin
- 3 points for hitting either of the two gunpowder filled mechasand causing it to explode.
- 6 points for getting the tejoto stick firmly in the central metal ring (bocin).
- 9 points for getting the tejo into the bocin while at the same time clipping a mecha and detonating it.
The tejo itself is only slightly smaller than the bocin (central target) itself making it a fine art to throw the disc accurately enough over such a distance to score points regularly. A well practiced throwing technique is also needed to ensure the flight of the disc is such that it will stick firmly in the clay on impact.
Social Aspects of Tejo – Colombia Sports Event for all the Family
A half-length playing area is often available for children (or for foreign tourists who need to practice without injuring people).
Like many traditional sports beer usually accompanies every game, with the losing team buying the next round, and in Colombia sports are accompanied by Colombian beer. Nearly all professional Tejo teams are sponsored by beer companies.
A Brief History of the Ancient Sport of Tejo in Colombia
Today’s standardized and officially recognized sport of Tejo has its origins in the traditional sports of the ancient South American cultures.
Steve Craig, in a book entitled Sports and Games of the Ancients (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002), writes: “The game of tejo was derived from the Chibcha Indians, who played it in pre-Colombian times”. He also believes that due to their skilled craftsmanship it is probable that the original tejo disc was fashioned from metal as it is today.
The inclusion of the explosive mechas was perhaps a result of the game being played in mining camps where blasting caps where incorporated into the target area.
Amongst the more modern sports of Colombia Tejo has held its place in Colombian culture, and courts can be found throughout the country. If travelling to Colombia Tejo is a game not to be missed.
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