Mexican Nahuatl People Yo-Yo

This spinning top is a form of yo-yo made of acorns by the Nahuatl people of Mexico.

The string is tied to the top; when it is pulled, the toy acts as a gyroscope, spinning one way until it reaches the end of the string and then spinning back the other way.

A typical yo-yo is two disks with a groove in the middle. A string is attached to the axle inside the groove. When the yo-yo is dropped, it spins in one direction until it reaches the end of string and then spins back the other way, winding up the string.

There is evidence that ancient Greeks played with yo-yo toys some 2500 years ago. The modern yo-yo was developed in the 1920s by Pedro Flores, a Filipino man living in Santa Barbara, CA. Flores named his toy "yo-yo" after a Filipino word meaning "come-come." Donald Duncan purchased Flores' company. The Duncan Yo-Yo company greatly expanded production, selling 18 million yo-yos and spinning tops a year at its peak.
Source:
http://www.yoyomuseum.com/museum_view.php?action=profiles&subaction=spintop