“They are hidden in plain sight,” said Luis Leclere of Colectivo A Rula. “We’ve never heard anything like the concentration of games we have here.” His club began mapping out the location of the games in 2015 after photos of a set of rough-hewn Xs and Os in the courtyard of a local monastery began circulating on social media. Residents soon began spotting versions of the rudimentary nine-hole design all over downtown, cut into the granite stones lining plazas, fountains, and building facades. While some of the games are believed to date back to the late 16th century – when the foundations of what would become the modern city were laid – the bulk of the marks are believed to be between 300 and 400 years old. Their presence probably reflects the deep inequality in the city at the time, Leclerc said. Clusters of games have been found near the city’s main religious buildings, suggesting they were played by people trying to kill time while waiting in line to receive alms. Most of the sculptures are believed to have been made between 300 and 400 years ago. Photo: Colectivo A Rula Leclere pointed to the matches found near the monastery of San Martiño Pinario as an example. “They run along the edges or along the walls. they keep going up the stairs but never cut the corridor,” he said, adding that the rough designs were likely made with quartz stones or some kind of metal tool. Other carvings are scattered around the city’s main squares, suggesting they were made during festivals and public events. A toy was found carved into the clock tower of the city’s cathedral, which may have been a way to pass the time between the chimes. Leclere contrasts the games—almost all versions of tic-tac-toe—with the more elaborate carved games found in some monasteries and in the enclosed courtyards of churches. “These are always carved in public spaces that were accessible to ordinary citizens,” Leclerc said. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST What emerges is a rare glimpse of the city’s history, said art historian Miguel Angel Cajigal. “The survival of these games is very interesting as it offers a view, albeit blurred, of life for 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 city’s games, 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 came to my mind was if there was a connection with the pilgrims and the Way of St. James, but we were never able to find anything to confirm that,” he said. In none of the other cities, however, were there reports of a similar amount of toys as in Santiago de Compostela, Leclere added. Some of this may be due to building materials, as the carvings made on the stones that cover Santiago’s city center are less likely to deteriorate, compared to brick or wood. The association tried to raise awareness of the find, organizing guided tours for locals, tourists and school groups. Photo: Colectivo A Rula He described the plight of the long-ignored toys as a double-edged sword – allowing them to quietly endure for centuries, but also paving the way for them to disappear without knowing what is being lost. “We’ve seen garbage cans placed on top of them or they’ve been cemented over them,” he said. At other times, renovations made in the city center led to the replacement of stones. “We are close to a rather fragile situation in the sense that they continue to disappear.” So far the collective has had little response as they press officials to do more to protect the city’s unique collection of toys. “It’s complicated,” LeClair said. “There’s always this idea that if they’ve been able to hold out until now, then why should we act?” In an effort to increase the pressure, they tried to raise awareness of the find by organizing tours for locals and tourists, as well as school groups. “We will continue to fight because we see this as a legacy issue,” Leclere said. “This is a battle that is very ongoing.”
