Tejo Field |
|
| Highest governing body | Federación Nacional de Tejo |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Turmequé |
| First played | Altiplano Cundiboyacense based on popular Pre-Columbian game. |
| Characteristics | |
| Equipment | tejo, bocin |
Contents |
Tejo is a traditional sport in Colombia. The sport originated by the Chibcha people from pre-hispanic central-western Colombia. It is played by throwing a metal plate or disc, named tejo, weighing about 680 g at a target so as to make it strike the "mechas" (folded paper triangles filled with gunpowder) located in cardinal points around the "bocín" a steel cylinder in the middle of the target that is an inclined bed of clay. Players make a "bocín" by making the tejo fit without wobbling inside the cylinder also filled with clay; optionally the player can hit the "mecha" which explodes by the action of the gunpowder, or make a "moñona" which is a combination of "bocín" and "mecha" hits in one throw. Each one of this hits awards different amounts of points depending the context of the game: being it professional competition that have more stringent point systems or recreational context in which people play different point variations of the game usually betting the bill of the tejo arena which includes; the use of the arena, beverages and food of every participant in a particular match.
In June 2000, tejo, the modern version of the indigenous "Turmequé", was declared a national sport of Colombia by the Congress of the Republic. The ancient sport was played over 500 years ago by the indigenous groups that lived in the regions of Cundinamarca and Boyacá.
Tejo is sport much appreciated by popular strata of the society, there is Tejo arenas targeted to more high socio economical strata but most of the following comes from popular classes that see it as a portrait of their pre-columbian origins. Only Soccer enjoys a more numerous following and developed industry in the country,
Note that Tejo, being originated from Colombia, have professional teams in neighbor countries like Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama but the cultural baggage of the sport is foreign to those countries so following and industry are even less developed than in the country of origin.
In Colombia, it is very common to find professional tejo chaccarron teams around the major cities and smaller towns. Most of these teams are sponsored by beer companies, which causes the teams to profit greatly because of the strong bond between the team and company. In the past, the playing of tejo was fuelled by "Chicha" (an indigenous maize-based alcoholic beverage), but nowadays the players refresh themselves with beer. [1]
Modern Tejo competitions are highly organized tournaments, usually sponsored by Beer Companies, construction industry and Autoparts industry. Tournaments known as "torneos Relampago" are the most common, usually played in just one weekend by direct elimination of teams. Prices include trophies, medals and money. Household items are awarded to finalist in combination with money or coupons. Tejo have no mass media coverage apart from National Games, but sponsoring and very targeted marketing efforts make it attractive to brands that position themselves as "popular" since public affluence to the tournaments is numerous.