The tejo is an iron disk which comes in different weights and sizes, which is thrown out from one side to the other. During the time of the Muisca people (the native indigenous population) this disk was made of gold and it was called “Zepguagoscua”.
Tejo court is made of clay, the sensation of it in the hands is a characteristic element of the game. In the center of the court there is a metallic ring called “bocín” in which paper triangles with gunpowder called ‘mechas’, are placed.
In a playing area, each tejo line has two clay courts (one on each side) to throw the tejo to one side first and then to the opposite side. The length of the tejo lines, meaning the distance between both courts of clay, is 8 meters for mini-tejo, ideal for beginners, or 19.5 meters-long for tejo, usually reserved for professionals and semi-professionals.
Tejo is a competitive activity, even when played among friends. Therefore, two teams must be formed, each with 3 or 4 people. Everyone will throw from the same side of the tejo line towards the clay court on the opposite side taking turns in the throw. Once everyone has thrown they cross to the other side of the tejo line, pick up their tejos and start the throw again, but this time towards the court on the side they came from.
The scoring in tejo consists on 4 elements: mecha, bocin, moñona and mano.
Each set is played to 21 points in mini-tejo (to 27 points in tejo) and the team that reaches or exceeds that score first wins.
An ancestral game
Tejo was born more than 500 years ago in the city of Turmequé in the Boyacá region. This game has its origin from the Muiscas, the native indigenous inhabitants of Bogotá, Cundinamarca and Boyacá regions, known for their dazzling goldsmithing and dedication to agriculture
A tale passed Down through generations
Muiscas didn’t developed writing. What is known from their culture comes from the anthropology and oral tradition passed down from generation to generation by the communities that still exist today. Their practice of tejo, according to some historians, was related to religious rituals to worship their gods. Others consider that tejo was a conflict-solving mechanism between tribes and that it was played by chiefs or indigenous leaders. Although it cannot be determined with certainty, the theory regarding its religious connection is usually the most accepted.
The gold tejo
Before the europeans arrival to the american continent, tejo was played with gold discs called ‘Zepguagoscua’. Gold was a revered metal for the Muisca people, mainly used in religious activities.
Persecution
Tejo, like other cultural activities of the indigenous people, was considered pagan and therefore persecuted by the Catholic Church and European conquerors. The game was limited in municipal centers but survived on the periphery in clandestine game.
Rebirth
During the republican era, after the country’s independence in the 19th century, tejo experienced a popular revival albeit in a different version from the original. By that time, following the intense evangelizing campaigns of past centuries, its sacred character had been stripped away, and it had become an entertainment activity.
National sport
In the year 2000 the congress of the republic officially declared tejo as national sport of colombia through Law 613 of 2000. This also elevated tejo as a cultural symbol. Subsequently, in 2019, it was included by law as intangible cultural heritage of the nation (Law 1947 of 2019).
