Zapotec

About this board game

Zapotec is a board game for 1–4 players, played in about 75 minutes, in which you develop three valleys surrounding the capital of Monte Albán. Build temples, cornfields, and villages to generate the resources needed to construct pyramids, make sacrifices to the gods, and perform rituals.

Each round begins with players simultaneously choosing a card from their hands. This single choice determines both turn order and the resources collected, creating an important link between planning and timing. The played card also restricts where you may build during your turn.

• The resource at the top activates a row or column on the resource grid to determine income.
• The middle icon matches one of nine properties on the map, including a building type, region, or terrain type.
• The number at the bottom sets the player’s turn order for the round.

During individual turns, players spend their resources to build new houses, gain access to special abilities, make sacrifices to the gods, and construct pyramids. These actions help shape development across the valleys while advancing the goals that will matter at the end of the game.

At the end of each round, players draft new cards from a central offer. The final card left undrafted becomes the scoring bonus card for the following round, adding another consideration to the card-drafting process.

After five rounds, players score points for their pyramids, their position on the sacrifice track, and their ritual cards. With its focus on resource collection, restricted building opportunities, card selection, and end-game scoring, Zapotec presents a compact contest inspired by the ancient civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca.