Wiñay Kawsay

The site of Machu Picchu has captured the imagination of historians for over a century. However, despite years of seeking to understand its secrets, the functionality of Machu Picchu is still an enigma. Was it a lost city as stipulated by legendary explorer Hiram Bingham III? Or was it a royal estate? Perhaps a citadel? A religious site? Or maybe something else entirely?
It is up to you, my fellow historians, to explore the evidence found at Machu Picchu to argue for an interpretation of the functionality of the site. However, given the cutthroat nature of publish-or-perish academia, will you be able to succeed in dominating the academic and public perception of what Machu Picchu really was?

Wiñay Kawsay is a 2-4 player competitive board game, of approximately 90-120 minutes* duration, in which players are historians seeking to manipulate the academic and public perception of the functionality of Machu Picchu. Though largely a deck building game, Wiñay Kawsay also involves worker placement (these workers being assistants and a Lead Researcher), management and changing colour of blocks, and the deconstruction and rebuilding of a central block model of Machu Picchu that represents the academic and public perception of the functionality of the site.

The name Wiñay Kawsay means “history” in Kichwa, the language family of the Inca. However the word more literally translates to “always life”, reflecting the ever evolving and living nature of history and historical narratives.

—description from the designer