Overview

Anasazi: Lost Pueblos of the Ancients is a unique board game designed by Klaus-Jurgen Wrede (creator of Carcassonne) and published by Phalanx Games / Mayfair Games in 2006. Set in the American Southwest, players place expedition markers between mesa pieces to discover the hidden treasures of the ancient Anasazi pueblos. The game combines elements of spatial placement and deduction.

Components

• Game board
• Mesa pieces (large cardboard tokens with pueblos marked on them)
• Tower tokens (in various colors, placed on pueblos)
• Mission cards (each denoting a different color)
• Expedition markers / camp tokens (7 per player in player colors)
• Color track board

Setup

1. Place mesa pieces on the board in the pattern shown in the rulebook.
2. Place tower tokens face-down on the pueblos marked on each mesa.
3. Shuffle mission cards and deal one secretly to each player. This card determines which color treasures the player is trying to collect.
4. Each player takes 7 camp tokens in their color.
5. In turn order, each player places 2 camp tokens between the mesas in the valley spaces.
6. Determine first player.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player places one expedition marker into a valley space between mesas and resolves any discoveries:

1. Place an expedition marker in a valley space between mesas.
2. Discover: If your marker is the first to touch a particular mesa, you may secretly look at one tower on that mesa.
3. Claim treasure: If your expedition marker touches the line around a pueblo, you receive the treasure in that space. If there is a tower, it is revealed and placed on the corresponding color track.

Actions

Placing Expedition Markers

• On each turn, place one of your camp tokens in a valley space adjacent to one or more mesas.
• Strategic placement allows you to reach valuable pueblos and block opponents.

Discovery

• When you are the first player to place a marker touching a mesa, you may peek at one face-down tower on that mesa without revealing it to others.
• This gives you information about which colors are available at different locations.

Claiming Treasures

• When your marker placement causes it to touch the boundary line of a pueblo, you claim the treasure there.
• Towers are revealed and placed on the color track.
• The color track records which towers have been found.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when either:

• All expedition markers have been placed, OR
• Four towers of one color have been placed on the color track.

Players then score based on the treasures they collected that match their secret mission color, plus any bonus scoring from the game’s specific scoring rules. The player with the most points wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Secret missions: Each player’s target color is hidden, adding a deduction element — players try to determine what opponents are collecting.
• Four-tower end trigger: The game can end suddenly when four towers of any single color are revealed, so timing is important.
• First-touch bonus: Only the first player to reach a mesa gets to peek at a tower, rewarding early exploration.
• Blocking: Strategic marker placement can prevent opponents from accessing valuable pueblos.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
Place	Put one camp token in a valley space
Peek	If first to touch a mesa, secretly view one tower
Claim	If touching a pueblo boundary, claim the treasure
End	All markers placed OR 4 towers of one color revealed
Score	Points for treasures matching secret mission color