BALLGAME
RELATED LINKS:
MAYA CALENDAR, MATH AND ASTRONOMY
Use our provided information to learn about the Maya.
MAYAN LANGUAGE
Learn about Mayan language and writing.
MAYA ARCHITECTURE
Learn why the Maya built their temples.
MAYA BALLGAME
Learn about the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame.
MAYA MUSIC
Learn about ancient Maya music.
ANCIENT FOODS
Learn some of the foods the ancient Maya and other groups ate.
The ballgame dates back at least to the early classic Olmec times, as evidenced by rubber balls recovered that date to 1250 BC. Although many different versions of the game existed, all Mesoamerican cultures appear to have played some version. Much of our information about the ballgame comes from Classic Maya and Aztec. Typical Maya ballcourts were created in the shape of a capital "I" and had a central playing alley that was flanked by two parallel platforms or benches. Markers were placed in the playing alley or erected at the top of the benches or platforms.
The playing field was approximately one third as long as a modern soccer field. Two players or two teams of players kept a large, solid rubber ball in the air. Similar to modern soccer, the ball could not be hit with hands. Players would keep the ball in the air by hitting it with their hips, sometimes bouncing it off the slanted walls of the ball court’s playing field.
The ball was made of rubber and weighed about 8 pounds! This made the game very difficult to play and could cause severe injury. In contrast, a modern football is filled with air and weighs less than 1 pound. It rarely causes injury when it strikes a player.
Ancient ballplayers wore protective gear, including wide padding around their hips called “yokes.” They also wore pads on their forearms and knees so that they could fall to the ground in a kneeling position from which they would hit the ball with one hip.
WHO PLAYED?
We do not know the specific rules of the ballgame. But representations of are carved on stone monuments and painted on pottery vessels. These depict
kings and members of the elite class playing the game as an important ritual event.
It was played on days of religious importance and during political rites associated with
war and sacrifice. The ballgame was also
played for sport.
In addition to their special playing equipment, ballplayers would dress in special costumes appropriate to the ritual.