• If there are 4 players, put the disc on space 12.
• If there are 3 players, put the disc on space 11.
• If there are 2 players, put the disc on space 10.

When setting up the game board, you’ll want to make sure you place a wooden building on each spot in the row designated for buildings. This row is located on the main board, but remember to exclude the leftmost space. It’s important to keep this in mind as you’re arranging the game pieces.

When I play the game, I shuffle all of the Decoration tiles and put them in a pile face down on the Decorations (7) Action Board. Then, I draw four tiles and put them face up on the spaces shown on the Action Board.

In this game, we start by shuffling all Pyramid tiles and placing them in different piles next to the Construction (8) Action Board. Then, I draw 3 Pyramid tiles and put them face up on the specified spaces of the Action Board.

When you play this game, you’ll want to grab 6 Discovery tiles. These tiles are important because they help you uncover new things. After you have the tiles, place them face up on the Avenue of the Dead. You’ll need to put 3 tiles on the first spot, 2 on the second spot, and 1 on the third spot. This way, you can easily see what tiles you have and use them to your advantage.

I’ll give you a breakdown of how to set up the game as an ancient temple explorer.

First things first, let’s stock up the temples with some Discovery tiles. These tiles represent important steps in our journey. We’ll place them face up so we can see what awaits us. The number on each tile tells us how many we need to put on each temple. Easy enough, right?

Getting Ready to Play

1. First, choose a color token for yourself. You’ll be using the dice of that color as your workers.
2. Next, let’s figure out who goes first. The player who goes first gets 1 cocoa and the “1” Player Order token.
3. Now, it’s time to give some cocoa to the player sitting to the right of the first player. This player will receive 3 cocoa and a Player Order token with a value equal to the number of players. For example, in a 2-player game, this token will be a “2”. We’ll call this token the Last Player token.
4. The rest of the players will receive 2 cocoa each. And they will also get Player Order tokens based on their positions in the player order. The player sitting to the left of the first player will receive the “2” token, and so on.

Start by giving each player 12 colored discs that match their player color token. Each player will keep 6 of these discs to use as Technology markers. The remaining 6 discs will be placed in various locations:

– The 0 spot of the Pyramid track

– The bottom of the Avenue of the Dead track

– The bottom step of all 3 temples

– The 0 Victory Points space on the score track

If this is your first game, you’ll place one worker with a power of 3 onto the Ascension wheel.

Player 2 will receive 5 cocoa, 4 wood, 1 stone, and a single advance on the red E and blue temples. This will earn them 1 Victory Point and a stone.

In 3- and 4-player games, I get a head start on the Avenue of the Dead track, and I also receive 4 cocoa, 3 wood, 4 stone, and an advance on the blue temple, which gives me an extra gold. In 4-player games, I get even more goodies. I receive 2 wood, 5 gold, an advance on the green temple, which gives me another cocoa, and a Technology marker on the 3rd lowest numbered Technology tile. This marker lets me advance further on the green temple and gives me yet another cocoa. So, if this isn’t my first game, I’ll need to remember to place 1 worker showing a 3 onto the Ascension wheel, set the other 3 workers to a starting power of 1, and put them next to my player color token.

Here’s a simplified, conversationally toned version of the provided text, while keeping all the HTML markup intact:

• First, we need to deal 4 Starting tiles to each player. And if any player gets tiles with a Discovery icon on them, they should draw a random Discovery tile for each of those icons.
• Next, each player picks 2 Starting tiles at the same time and returns the other 2.
• Now, let’s see what benefits each player gets from their chosen tiles:
  • If they have Power-ups, they can increase the starting power of one of their dice.
  • If they receive a Discovery tile, they can claim it by paying its listed cost.

This version maintains the original meaning and structure while using simpler language and a more conversational tone.

When I receive temple advances, I immediately gain the benefit of the temple. And when I receive a Technology tile, I place a marker on the Technology tile with the lowest reference number. I don’t have to spend any gold, but I still get the temple advance.

Finally, I have to place my starting workers onto the general area of the Action Boards that match 3 unique Action Board numbers on my selected Starting tiles. But I can’t have two dice belonging to me on the same Action Board.

In 2- and 3-player games only:

• In a 3-player game, I draw 2 Starting tiles and place 3 workers of a color that no one is using on the first 3 (unique) Action Boards displayed on the Starting tiles.
• In a 2-player game, I repeat this process to place 3 workers of a second color that no one is using.
• These “neutral” workers count as a different colored worker for all purposes in the game.
• I return all Starting tiles, both used and unused, to the game box. I shuffle all unclaimed Discovery tiles back into the Discovery tile stacks.

Game Play

Starting with me, the first player, I take a turn following the steps below, and then everyone else takes their turns in a clockwise manner, without breaks. Teotihuacan does not have phases and steps, so each player simply resolves their turns one after another, until an Eclipse (scoring) is triggered.

When it’s my turn, I have two choices:

• I can take a regular turn.
• I can unlock all of my locked workers for free.

After I choose and complete one of these options, if I have the Last Player token, I move the light disc on the Calendar track forward by one. This could lead to an Eclipse happening.

Next up, it’s your turn! Let’s keep the game going by moving on to the next player in clockwise order.

Taking a Regular Turn

When it’s your turn, you have a few options. You can choose one of your unlocked workers and move it forward on the Action Boards. How far you can move it is up to you – you have the choice of advancing it by 1, 2, or 3 Action Boards. Just make sure to move it in a clockwise direction.

Locked and Unlocked Workers

Hey there! Let’s talk about workers and worship spaces. This might sound confusing, but don’t worry! I’ll break it down for you. So, workers are these little characters that can either be locked or unlocked. But what does that even mean? Well, if a worker is on a space with a thick border and a key inside, it’s considered locked. These spaces are called worship spaces. But why are they called worship spaces? That’s a great question! I’m not exactly sure, but I think it might have something to do with the importance of these spaces. They must be pretty special, right?

So, here’s the scoop: when you’re working on an Action Board, all the folks in that area are ready to rock and roll. Sounds pretty neat, huh?

Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that you can’t move workers that are locked, but you do have a couple of options. You can pay 3 cocoa to unlock all of your locked workers at any time during a regular turn. This will let you slide them to the general area of the same Action Board. Keep in mind that you can also choose to unlock all of your workers for free during your turn if you select that option. Pretty neat, right?

Oh, and by the way: If you want, you can pay 3 cocoa (or use a full turn to unlock your workers for free) even when not all of your workers are locked. The choice is yours!

Once you’ve moved your worker, it’s time to take another action on the Action Board where your worker stopped:

1. Collect Cocoa
2. Worship
3. Perform a Main Action

Note: If you don’t have an unlocked worker available and you can’t or don’t want to pay to unlock them, you can’t take a normal turn. Instead, you have to choose the free unlock option.

A. Get Cocoa

To get cocoa, you can choose the Get Cocoa action on any Action Board. First, count how many workers of different colors are already on the board. Don’t count a locked worker in the Worship space.

You receive that many cocoa, plus 1. Then, place your worker on the Action Board.

For example: I move one of my workers to the Stone Quarry (3) Action Board so I can collect cocoa. There are two other workers there, one red and one yellow. Since there are two unlocked workers, I get to collect three cocoa. The locked blue worker and the worker I just placed don’t count.

B. Worship

You can only worship on certain Action Boards:

• Palace (1)
• Forest (2)
• Stone Quarry (3)
• Gold Deposits (4)
• Decorations (7)

The Palace (1) Action Board has 3 Royal tiles with one space each. The other 4 Action Boards have a temple sidebar with one space.

When you want to choose a Worship space on the Action Board, you follow these steps:

1. Check if another player already has a worker on the space. If they do, you need to pay 1 cocoa to the general supply and move their worker to the general area of that Action Board. Then, you can place your own worker on the selected Worship space. Just remember, you can’t move your own workers this way!

2. Now it’s time to make a choice. You have three options:

– Option 1: Activate the ability of the Worship space.

– Option 2: Claim the Discovery tile next to the Worship space by paying any costs shown on the tile.

– Option 3: Pay 1 cocoa to choose both options 1 and 2, in any order you prefer.

Just keep in mind that if there are any cocoa costs involved, like unlocking another player’s worker or choosing both options, you need to pay them before you can enjoy the benefits of the Worship action.

That’s it! Now you know how to navigate the Worship action and make the most of your choices on the Action Board. Good luck!

If you encounter any of the Action Boards listed below – Forest (2), Stone Quarry (3), or Gold Deposits (4) – you’ll move forward by one space on the corresponding temple.

However, if you come across the Decorations (7) Action Board, you have the freedom to choose any temple and move your worker forward by one space on that temple.

There is one important exception to keep in mind. When you place your worker on the Palace (1) Action Board, you must pick one of the Royal tiles and activate its ability.

It’s worth noting that you can’t simply claim the Discovery tile on its own. However, if you’re willing to pay an extra cost of 1 cocoa, you can both activate the ability and claim the tile.

How to Claim a Discovery Tile

So here’s how it works: you can take ownership of a Discovery tile by paying the resources listed in the corner. If there are no listed resources, then the tile is free.

It doesn’t matter how you got the tile, whether it was through worship or by reaching a major step in a temple or the Avenue of the Dead. You still have to pay the cost. If you can’t or don’t want to pay, tough luck, you can’t claim the tile.

Once you’ve claimed a tile, you need to place it face up in front of you. If it’s a mask, you’ll score points for it during each Eclipse from now on.

If it’s not a mask, you can choose to flip it face down at any time during your turn (even right after you’ve claimed it). This will give you the benefit that’s shown on the tile. Keep those face-down tiles in front of you, as they could be important during the final Eclipse.

Advancing on the temples



Hey there! So, when you make progress at one of the three temples, you move your marker up a step. Simple enough, right? Let me break it down for you.

If it’s a minor step, you get a reward right away. Look at the step and claim the reward that’s shown. Easy peasy!

But wait, there’s something you need to know: When you see this icon , it means you can choose any resource you want (wood, gold, or stone). Cool, right?

Now, if it’s a major step, you have a couple of options. You can either take one of the Discovery tiles on that step (if there are any) OR you can claim the reward that’s shown on the step itself. It’s up to you!

Alright, my friend, that’s the lowdown on moving up steps at the temples. Good luck and have fun!





If it’s the second-to-last step, nothing exciting occurs. You just meet the criteria for the final scoring condition indicated on the Temple Bonus tile for that step.



If you’re on the top step, you get the reward shown. You still qualify for the final scoring condition.

Note: You can only move up to the top step of the temple if no one else is already there. If you can’t move any further, you stay where you are and don’t gain any additional benefits.

C. Take the Main Action

To use the Main action of an Action Board, first count how many different colored workers are already on the board (excluding the worker you just placed). You must pay that amount of cocoa before taking the Main action. If you can’t afford it, you can’t take the Main action.

Put the worker you moved in the general area of the Action Board you used. Each Action Board has a unique Main action, except for the Palace (1), which doesn’t have a Main action.

Hey there! Let’s talk about counting workers on the Action Board. It’s pretty important, so listen up!

When you’re getting ready to resolve any of the Main actions, you gotta remember that you can only use up to 3 workers. Yep, that’s the limit!

Now, even if you managed to put all 4 of your workers on the same Action Board for a Main action, it’s still gonna count as having 3 workers. So keep that in mind, okay?

When you’re counting workers for the effects of an action, always include the worker you just put there. Don’t forget about them!

Now, when it comes to taking a Main action, you gotta go all the way. No skipping out on the effects! You gotta resolve them, whether that means collecting or paying resources. You can’t just give up the effects to give your workers a power boost. Sorry, rules are rules!



For example: I move one of my workers to the Stone Quarry (3) Action Board to take a Main action there. There are 3 colors of unlocked workers present: Red, Yellow, and Black (one of my previously placed workers), so the cost of the action is 3 cocoa.

The locked Blue worker does not count towards the action’s cost.

Main Actions Explained

Reaching Ascension

When one of my workers reaches power 6 through a power-up, Ascension is triggered immediately. Here’s what happens:

• I advance my marker one step on the Avenue of the Dead track (symbolizing my worker’s burial along the road), up to a maximum of 9.
• I move the die representing my newly ascended worker to the Palace (1) Action Board (placing it in the general area), and reset its power to 1. This worker is now considered “new”.

Selecting a reward from the Ascension wheel is an important decision. Here are your options:

– Score 5 Victory Points.

– Gain 5 cocoa.

– Advance your marker one step on one of the temples.

– Pay 3 cocoa to advance your marker twice on temples. You can choose either two different temples or the same temple twice.

– If you only have 3 workers in play, you can gain your 4th worker. This new worker starts with a power of 3 and is placed in the general area of the Palace (1) Action Board. You will also gain 2 cocoa.

Keep in mind that multiple workers can Ascend on the same turn. If that happens, you need to resolve the procedure for each Ascended worker. However, trigger an Eclipse only after you finish your turn, if applicable.

Finally, let’s talk about the end of the game.

When the light disc on the Calendar track reaches the space occupied by the dark disc, an Eclipse (a scoring) is triggered. If any effect tries to move the light disc past the dark disc’s position, the disc’s movement stops when it reaches the dark disc, and any further movement is ignored.

• If the light disc reaches the dark disc’s space on the Last Player’s turn, an additional round is played (with each player taking one more turn, including the Last Player), and then the scoring occurs.
• If the light disc reaches the dark disc’s space on another player’s turn (not the Last Player’s turn), the current round is completed (with all players taking an equal number of turns), and then an additional round is played as described above, before the scoring takes place.

Eclipse Scoring

During each Eclipse, the following steps are resolved:

As I scan the game board, I notice that the Buildings row, where the numbers are displayed, holds the key to earning Victory Points. The lower the number, the better! For each step I take on the Avenue of the Dead, I’ll score Victory Points equal to the lowest visible number on the Buildings row. It’s like a reward for climbing higher and higher!

Moving my gaze to the Pyramid track, I see another opportunity for Victory Points. The player or players who have advanced the furthest on this track will score a hefty 4 Victory Points. That’s quite the achievement!

But it doesn’t end there. As I make my way up the Pyramid track, I’ll earn even more Victory Points. Depending on which Eclipse we’re experiencing, I’ll score different amounts. If this is the first Eclipse, I’ll be awarded 4 Victory Points. For the second Eclipse, it’s 3 Victory Points, and for the third Eclipse, it’s 2 Victory Points. It’s all about timing and strategy.

Now, here’s something important to remember. Unlike the other tracks, the Pyramid track resets after each Eclipse. So once the Eclipse is over, all player markers will be moved back to their starting positions. It’s like a fresh start for everyone.

Hey there! Let me break down some important information for you:

1. I’m going to arrange my masks into different groups. Each group will have a certain number of masks in it, and based on that number, I’ll score some points. The more masks in a group, the more points I’ll get. For example, if I have a group with 1 mask, I’ll get 1 point, and if I have a group with 7 masks, I’ll get 28 points. It’s all about building up those Victory Points!
2. Now, here comes the part about paying salaries. It’s like in real life, where you have to pay your employees. In this game, I have to pay 1 cocoa for each worker, plus an extra cocoa for any worker with a power level of 4 or 5. If I can’t or won’t pay the cocoa, I’ll lose some Victory Points. For every cocoa I can’t pay, I’ll lose 3 Victory Points. But don’t worry, if I end up with 0 Victory Points, I won’t lose any more.
3. Finally, we come to the Eclipse. If this is the first or second one, something special happens. We’ll reset the light disc on the Calendar back to the beginning. Then, we’ll adjust the dark disc based on how many players there are in the game. If there are 2 players, for the first Eclipse, we set the dark disc to 9, and for the second Eclipse, we set it to 8. It’s all part of the changing cycles of the game.

Hope that clears everything up for you! Have fun playing!

After I set up the game, I start by drawing two Starting tiles. Then, I choose one of the unused colors and move three workers onto the Action Boards shown on the Starting tiles.

Next, I repeat this process by drawing two more Starting tiles and moving the three workers of the other unused color onto different Action Boards shown on the tiles.

For the First Eclipse, I set the counter to 10. In the Second Eclipse, I set it to 9.

Additionally, I draw two more Starting tiles and move the three workers of the unused color onto different Action Boards shown on the tiles.

For the Third Eclipse, I set the counter to 11. And in the Second Eclipse, I set it to 10.

After resolving the third Eclipse or the Eclipse triggered by placing the final Pyramid tile, the game ends. The player with the most Victory Points wins.