How To Play: Mexica

Overview

So you picked up Mexica and now you want more than just to move boats around aimlessly and feed your friends to the lake. I’ve been there! This quick guide gives you a rundown of the rules (without making your brain melt) and the best tips I learned after embarrassing myself repeatedly. Get ready to outsmart your friends, block their plans, and finally answer the question: how to play mexica like a champ.

What’s in the box

• 1 Game board
• 4 Mexica player pawns
• 44 Action point tokens
• 42 Canal tiles
• 21 Bridge pieces
• 56 Building tiles (numbered 1-13 for each player)
• 4 Player screens
• 28 Calpulli tiles
• 1 Scoring marker
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play Mexica: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Place the board in the middle and give each player their pieces and tokens.
2. Shuffle the district tiles and put them nearby.
3. Each player puts their Mexica pawn on one of the starting bridges.
4. Set up the canals, temples, and all boats within reach.
5. Decide who goes first, maybe by who last saw a canal in real life.

Gameplay

1. Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn, use up to 6 action points.
2. Spend action points to move, build canals, build bridges, or place temples.
3. When you use your Mexica pawn to create an enclosed area, declare it a district and claim a district tile.
4. Place temples in districts to score control over them.
5. If you run out of action points, your turn ends.

Winning

1. After both scoring phases end, count who controls each district.
2. Control comes from having the most and second-most temples.
3. The player with the highest score wins.
4. If there’s a tie, whoever built the last temple cheers the loudest. (Just kidding, break ties by highest value district controlled!)

Special Rules & Conditions

1. Canals must always connect logically, no running them off the board.
2. Districts must match the size of available tiles—no cheating with teeny-tiny ones.
3. If you get stuck, spend an action point to swim (I mean, move) across a canal using a boat.
4. Everyone must follow the order of actions, no fast-forwarding just to show off.

And that’s the basics! So now you know how to play Mexica. It sounds tricky, but after one round you’ll be boasting about your temple-building skills. Trust me, my friends now call me the “Canal Queen.”

Best Mexica Strategies

Mastering the Flow: Canal Placement Strategy in Mexica

Control the Board Early

First, I always try to build canals in spots that limit my friends’ options right out of the gate. Blocking their plans is almost as fun as winning.

1. Spot high-value intersections and claim them fast.
2. Focus on dividing big districts into more manageable chunks.

Think Two Moves Ahead

When placing canals, I look not just at what helps me now, but what will help me later in the game.

1. Set up for future district scoring.
2. Plan escape routes for your Mexica pawn.

Bait and Switch Tactics

Occasionally, I place a canal to tempt my friends into thinking a district is easy to claim—then block them off later. Works best on that one friend who always falls for it.

Cutting Up the City: Mastering Optimal District Division in Mexica

Choose Your Numbers Wisely

First, check the district sizes you need for this round. Then, focus on creating districts that match these targets without leaving odd spaces behind.

1. Count empty spaces before dividing.
2. Block opponents from easy big districts.
3. Shape districts to your benefit first.

Divide to Conquer

Next, use your canals to section off areas. Afterwards, you can make friends hate you for taking the high-value zones they wanted.

1. Divide near temples for more control.
2. Separate one big chunk at the start.

Plan Your Last Move

Finally, keep one surprise cut in your back pocket. When everyone thinks the map is set, split off a tiny district to snatch points.

1. Hold back a canal for a game-winning division.

Learning How To Play mexica well means timing your divisions so no one else can swoop in and ruin your plan!

Mastering Your Moves: Efficient Movement Planning in Mexica

Plan Routes in Advance

1. Always look ahead. I once moved my Mexica meeple, only to realize I’d just blocked my own shortcut. Oops.
2. Map out possible district targets before you start your turn.

Use Bridges Wisely

1. Build bridges at key spots. My group calls them “dream launches” for a reason—they save time and steps.
2. Don’t waste actions on bridges unless you’ll use them twice or block an opponent.

Conserve Action Points

1. Move only as much as you need. Save leftover points for sneaky plays later.
2. Try grouping movements. It feels like cheating, but it’s all legal. How To Play mexica is all about being clever with every action.

Wrap Up: Conquer Tenochtitlan Like a Pro!

Alright, that’s Mexica in a nutshell, minus the actual nutshells. My friends still talk about the time I built a canal right through Dave’s master plan—he hasn’t spoken to me since Wednesday (don’t worry, he’ll get over it). Remember, the real secret is spotting good districts, clever canal action, and making every action point count. If you use these tips, you’ll be so good they might accuse you of reading the rules. But now you know how to play Mexica and win without making any real enemies… unless you’re playing with Dave.

Want to know what we think of Mexica? Read our detailed review of Mexica here