Santa Maria: American Kingdoms

Santa Maria: American Kingdoms is the expansion you need to supercharge your Santa Maria experience. It adds more than 80 new components—including buildings, scholars, bishops, and shipping tiles—along with thematic modules that completely shift how you play. The Cacao module lets players gather and trade cocoa beans, the Specialists module offers cards that alter resource production, and the Governor module adds a new layer of political influence. The real star is the Mayan City module, which creates an asymmetric role for one player: they become a Maya ruler with their own rules and objectives while the others try to stop them. The game still retains the Set Collection mechanic, where players collect sets of tiles for points, and Variable Player Powers, giving each participant unique abilities that shape their strategy. Playtime ranges from 45 to 90 minutes, with 1 to 5 players, and complexity stays moderate—perfect for those familiar with Santa Maria who want something deeper. This expansion blends city building, civilization progress, and diplomatic competition, all while keeping the lightness and fun that defined the original. If you love expanding universes, testing new rules, and exploring different strategies, Santa Maria: American Kingdoms is the right pick for your table.