How To Tejo In Medellin: A Sport In Colombia That Involves Explosion!

What is tejo?

To play this traditional throwing sport, you need the following:

· Tejo: metal or stone pucks

· Mechas: exploding targets in a triangular shape that contain gunpowder

· A metal ring to put the targets in

· Tabla: a wooden frame that holds clay and the targets about 18.5 meters (60 feet) away from the players

The origins of tejo is still a mystery. However, some people believe that tejo dates back 500 years. A similar sport was played by the natives and it was called turmequé (read: tur-meh-khe). Instead of pucks, they used golden discs called zepguagoscua.

Since then, tejo has grown a significant number of followers. In fact, this is the second most popular sport in Colombia after football. There’s even an international tejo tournament, involving neighboring countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador.

How to play tejo

First, you need two teams with at least two players on each team. Each player should pick their own puck or tejo. Usually, children and females are allowed to play with smaller pucks. Then, each player then takes turns to throw their puck into the tabla and try to hit the targets.

The goal is to hit a bulls-eye. That is when you successfully land your puck inside the metal ring. This will grant you six points. If you hit and explode one of the mecha, you will get three points. However, if you land a bulls-eye and also create an explosion, that’s nine points! This is rare but not impossible! Please note that bouncing doesn’t count. Every puck needs to land firmly on the clay to be counted.

Now, what happens if none of the players land a bulls-eye or make any explosion? An arbitrary will measure whose puck is the closest to the metal ring. Then, his or her team will be given one point. The first team who gets accumulated 35 points wins the game!

The fun part

Although the bulls-eye will give you more points, it is more fun to see the mecha explodes. The explosion sound is quite loud, but there’s nothing like the feeling when your tejo hits the mecha! It may take a while until someone hits the mecha for an explosion to happen. So, grab a cold beer while waiting on your turn.

Please note that the puck is quite heavy, so you need to make sure that the tabla area is clear from other people before you make your throw. If this is your first time playing tejo, we recommend hiring a guide or expert as your game’s arbitrary.

Where to play tejo in Medellin?

There are tejo courts available at the Estadio Polideportivo Sur in Envigado. It’s less than 20 minutes from the center of Medellin. The whole place is covered, so you can keep playing even if it rains. Plus, there are six tablas available, in case you’re visiting with a big group. This place is run by locals, and you can find them at a shop next to the courts. Reservation is not necessary, but you may have to wait if all courts are taken.

How much does it cost? Less than you would spend on movie tickets! When I played with five friends in November 2019, we spent more than two hours playing and we kept the beer tap running. All of that only costs around 26.000 COP per person. That is less than 8 USD!

However, if you’re a first-timer, I recommend you to join the tejo in Medellin tour. It includes two hours of play and a free drink of your choice. It costs 30.000 COP (around 8.4 USD) per person. The tour guide speaks both Spanish and English. He will explain the rules, teach you how to play, and be the game’s arbiter. All you have to worry about is hitting the targets!

How to get to Envigado?

The easiest way is to get a taxi that will take you straight to the Estadio Polideportivo Sur. The driver will drop you in front of the stadium. Then, you have to enter the gate and walk towards the back of the stadium. Just keep going until you find an open football field. The tejo courts are right behind it.

If you prefer public transportation, which is very convenient in Medellin, take Metro Line A towards La Estrella and get off at the Itagui station. There’s a station in Envigado, but the Stadium itself is closer to Itagui station. From here, find Estadio Polideportivo Sur on Google Maps and follow the direction along the Carrera 48 road. It will take around 10 minutes on foot to get there.

Line A has the most stops, so it is easy to access from anywhere you’re staying in Medellin. The metro ticket is only 2,650 COP (around 0.8 USD). And it’s easy to buy at any metro station. If you’re going to use the metro often, I recommend you to buy Civica, a transit card to access any metro station in Medellin. This way, you save 295 COP (0.083 USD) per trip. The card itself costs 5,000 COP (1.41 USD) and it can be purchased at San Antonio station.

Civica Metro Medellin

Price: 5,000 COP (1.41 USD)

Website: Civica Metro Medellin