International Society for Board Game Studies
Board Games Studies XVI Colloquium 2013
Scientific and Organizing Committee
From Pachisi to Poleana: brief ethnographic study in relation to cultural diffusion of games.
ABSTRACT
The concept of diffusion was first introduced in Anthropology by Edward B. Taylor (1832-1917) and later
formalized by Elliot Smith (1871-1937). This principle in anthropology states that all human activities and
objects can be historically traced and empirically studied to consider individual and social application. This
principle also conveys in the belief that variations in the activities and objects studied, comply with particular
social symbols. The aim of this ethnographic study is to evaluate the practice of the board game Poleana by
the inmate population and penitentiary police from the Federal Prison of San Miguel in the city of Puebla,
México.
Even though the date of origin of Pachisi and Chaupar is debated, the Indian heritage seems evident. There is
enough evidence to suggest that the “golden age of Chaupar coincided with the Mogul dynasty (1526-1857)
as apparent from the large boards marked out with inlaid marble on palace courtyards at Agra and Allahabad”
(Parlett 1999:43). The game has been massively printed since late 1800s in North America and Europe with
different names and almost identical rules. Names like Parcheesi, Pachesi: a game from India, Ludo, Don’t
get angry, Sorry, Parchi were used to market this product (Parlett:1999, Whitehill:2012), and nowadays has a
worldwide diffusion. In 1913 Eleanor H. Porter published the novel Pollyanna . The story is about an orphan
girl that shows excessive optimism to succeed the difficulties in her life. The novel was republished several
times, has sequels and even numerous film productions. The success of the novel inspired the Parker Brothers
to publish a board game about the novel in 1915. This game was printed constantly from 1915 to 1967. This
game, with the exception of an alternative “road”, has almost no structural (rules, board, dice and pieces)
differences with the Pachisi family board games.
Somewhere and somehow this Pollyanna game was introduced to penitentiary system in Mexico. Inmates in
Puebla are convinced this games was invented by other inmates in the Black Castle of Lecumberri, a
legendary prison in Mexico City. This prison was inaugurated by President Porfirio Díaz towards the end of
his dictatorship September 29th 1900. In 1976 all inmates were relocated and the building became the
National Archive. In between 1900 and 1976 the prison hosted everything from mentally ill, to serial killers,
intellectuals and revolutionaries. Ethnographic data has shown us this is not probable, but other interesting
possibilities arouse. By the name of Poleana, this board game is now practiced in almost all prisons of
Mexico. Even though the structure is almost identical to the Pollyanna, the symbols and significance of this
once puritan bourgeoisie board game, changed to a money, drug and other benefits betting game, that works
as an important identification element for national penitentiary population, outside criminals, and just recently
to the general public.
