Blog: Probably the best pub game in the world: Tejo

The thunderbox: innocent little triangles of gunpowder awaiting the mechas.

Tejo is a wonderful Colombian pub game: little triangular sachets of gunpowder called “mechas” are placed on a heavy iron ring that is held in situ on a slab of damp clay about 18” square. Competitors stand about 10 m away and lob cast iron weights (680 g) from a heavy-duty set of scales at the mecha. When you get it exactly right the mecha is crushed between static ring and descending weight and goes off like a firecracker. Simple! Brilliant little game and surprisingly tricky! Works better with beer.