A local historical association in Santiago de Compostela has called for the protection of a lesser-known aspect of the Spanish city’s past: the nearly 200 tic-tac-toe games carved centuries ago into some of its most iconic buildings and spaces.
“They are hidden in plain sight,” said Luis Leclerc of Colectivo A Rula. “We’ve never heard of anything like the concentration of games we have here.”
His association began mapping out the location of the games in 2015 after photos of a set of rough-hewn Xs and Os in the atrium of a local monastery began circulating on social media. Residents soon began noticing versions of the rudimentary nine-hole pattern downtown, carved into the granite boulders that line plazas, fountains, and building facades.
Although some of the games are believed to date from the late 16th century – when the foundations of what would become the modern city were laid – the majority of the signs are thought to have been made between 300 and 400 years ago.
Their presence probably reflected the deep inequality in the city at the time, Leclerc said. Clusters of the games have been found near the city’s main religious buildings, suggesting they were played by people looking to kill time while waiting in line to receive alms.
Most of the carvings are believed to have been made between 300 and 400 years ago. Photo: Colectivo A Rula
Leclerc cited as an example the games found near the monastery of San Martino Pinario. “They go along the edges or along the walls; they continue up the stairs but never cross the path,” he said, adding that the roughly carved patterns were probably made using quartz stones or some kind of metal tool.
Other carvings dot the city’s main squares, suggesting they were made during festivals and public events. A game was found carved into the clock tower of the city’s cathedral, which may have been a way to pass the time between ringing the bells.
Leclerc contrasted the games—almost all of them versions of tic-tac-toe—with the more elaborately carved games found in some monasteries and in the closed atriums of churches. “These are always engraved in public spaces that were accessible to ordinary citizens,” Leclerc said.
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What emerges is a rarely seen side of the city’s history, said art historian Miguel Ángel Cahigal.
“The survival of these games is very interesting because it offers a glimpse, however obscure, of the lives of the humblest strata of society,” he told El Periódico newspaper. “These are people who are hardly mentioned in history.”
Since Leclere’s team began documenting the games in the city, they have heard of similar games found in other cities in Spain and France, as well as in Canterbury and Gloucester in England. “The first thing that occurred to me was whether there was a connection with the Pilgrims and the Way of St James, but we’ve never been able to find anything to confirm that,” he said.
However, none of the other cities have reported a similar amount of gaming as in Santiago de Compostela, Leclerc added. Part of this may be due to construction materials, as the carvings made in the stones that line downtown Santiago are less prone to decay than brick or wood.
The association aims to raise awareness of the find by organizing tours for locals, tourists and school groups. Photo: Colectivo A Rula
He described the long-neglected status of games as a double-edged sword – allowing them to quietly endure for centuries, but also paving the way for them to disappear with little awareness of what is being lost.
“We’ve seen trash cans put on top of them or we’ve seen them cemented,” he said. In other cases, repairs carried out in the city center have resulted in the replacement of stones. “We’re approaching a pretty fragile situation in the sense that they keep disappearing.”
So far, the collective has had little response as it urges officials to do more to protect the city’s unique collection of games. “It’s complicated,” Leclerc said. “There’s always the idea that if they’ve been able to last until now, why should we act?”
In an effort to increase the pressure, they tried to raise awareness of the find, organizing tours for locals and tourists alike, as well as school groups. “We’re going to keep fighting because we see this as a legacy issue,” Leclerc said. “It’s a battle that goes on a lot.”
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