Mesoamerican Ball Game
The Mesoamerican ball game is a significant cultural and historical activity that originated with the Olmec civilization and has roots dating back to ancient times. Played with a solid rubber ball, this game was not only a competitive sport but also held deep religious and ideological meanings within Mesoamerican societies, symbolizing themes such as death, rebirth, and cosmic order. The game was typically played in specially constructed ball courts, which featured paved areas and spectator platforms; the largest known court is located at the Maya site of Chichén Itzá, measuring 150 meters in length.
Participants, who could be either individuals or teams, aimed to score goals while wearing protective gear to mitigate injuries from the ball and the hard court surfaces. Initially intertwined with religious practices, the game evolved into a spectator sport, yet it maintained its ritual significance. Following the Spanish Conquest in 1521, the game faced bans imposed by Spanish priests, reflecting the broader cultural shifts of that era. The ball game also played a vital role in Mesoamerican trade and political relations, highlighting its multifaceted impact on the societies that embraced it.
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Mesoamerican Ball Game
Related civilizations: Aztec, Maya, Olmec, Toltec.
Date: c. 500 b.c.e.-700 c.e.
Locale: Mesoamerica
Mesoamerican Ball Game
The Mesoamerican ball game, played with a solid rubber ball, originated with the pre-Classic Olmec civilization and continued to be played in ancient times. Spanish priests banned it after the Conquest (1521). An integral feature of Mesoamerican culture, it was found at sites ranging from Central America to southern Arizona.
Mesoamerican ball courts were masonry structures that contained a paved playing area, side walls with platforms for spectators, and temples. Many courts were shaped like a capital I and varied in size. The largest, found at the Maya site of Chichén Itzá, measures 150 meters (490 feet) in length.
The object was to score goals in a contest between either single opponents or full teams on each side. Players wore protective equipment to avoid injuries from the ball and hard court floor. In early form, the game was part of a religious cult and a universally shared Mesoamerican ideology. The action symbolized important concepts such as the cycle of death and rebirth in nature and the order of the cosmos in which sky deities battled. In later times, it was played more as a spectator sport but retained ritual connotations. Finally, the game had a powerful role in Mesoamerican trade and politics.
Bibliography
Cohodas, Marvin. “The Symbolism and Ritual Function of the Middle Classic Ball Game in Mesoamerica.” American Indian Quarterly 2, no. 2 (Summer, 1975): 99-130.
Scarborough, Vernon L., and David R. Wilcox, eds. The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1991.