Ancient mayans sports games

Some interpretations suggest that players were spread out along the court and the ball was passed at a fast rate. Teams seemed to vary in size from two to six players, and the object was to hit a solid rubber ball across a line. On each side of a playing alley there were two long parallel walls against which a rubber ball was resounded and bounced from each team.

This is similar to the game of volleyball except for the fact that players had to use their hips to return the ball and there was no net the ball had to cross a line. The ball also had to be kept in motion, without touching the ground, and in some versions of the game it could apparently not be hit with hands or feet.

Later on, the Maya culture added two stone hoops or rings in the center of the court on either side. When a player did manage to get a ball through a ring, that usually ended the game.

Points were also scored when opposing ball players missed a shot at the vertical hoops placed at the center point of the side walls, were unable to return the ball to the opposing team before it had bounced a second time, or allowed the ball to bounce outside the boundaries of the court. The team with the most points won. The large rubber ball could weigh up to three to eight pounds 1.

This was about the size of a basketball, but the ball was more solid on the inside and could weigh a lot more. Because of this, it could inflict major bruises and if it hit someone in the wrong place hard enough, being struck with the heavy sphere could kill them.

Players eventually began wearing equipment to prevent severe injury. The needs and style of this equipment varied over time, but most commonly headdresses or helmets were worn to protect the head, quilted cotton pads covered the elbows and knees, and stone belts known as yokes were worn around the waist or chest. The Mesoamerican ball game has its origin in the cosmos and religious beliefs of the pre-Hispanic peoples. The most common interpretation saw the ball and its movement in the court paralleling the movement of the heavenly bodies in the sky.

The game was viewed as a battle of the sun against the moon and stars - representing the principle of lightness and darkness. If a game had particular religious importance, the losing team could be sacrificed. In illustrations from Pre-Columbian books such as the Codex Borgia and on carved stone friezes decorating the walls of ballcourts at the sites of Chichen Itza and El Tajin, the decapitation of one team captain by the other, or by a priest, is clearly depicted.

The sacrifice of ball-players was intimately related to the celestial cycle of the sun and moon, for both the Maya and Aztecs, as was the game itself.

One of the most important episodes in the Popol Vuh Maya creation myth mentions two sets of important gods going down into the Underworld to contest with Lords One and Seven Death, the gods of the Underworld, and afterwards being killed and transformed into celestial bodies. The sacrifice of losing teams in the ball game was a reaffirmation of this for the Maya culture, and an aspect of a contract with the Underworld which allowed the sun and moon to rise every day so long as the sacrifices were made.

When the Spanish arrived in central Mexico in the 16th century, priests and conquistadors recorded their impressions of the Mesoamerican ball game. They found that among the Aztec there was a strong connection between the ball game and beheadings. At this specific court thousands of skulls were found. But today, people in Mexico still play a variant of the game that their ancestors once did.

Called Ulama , it is a game played in a few communities in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. With 1, courts having been excavated, it is clear that the games were played for enjoyment and competition where much wagering often took place. Cuju is an ancient form of football where cu means kick and ju means ball or together kickball. There are a number of forms of the game, the most common was keeping the ball off the ground by kicking, a form of ball jugging, there was also a team game that had a goal.

FIFA has declared Cuju to be the ancient origin of football. These games date back 2, years with balls having an outside layer of leather that was stuffed with feathers.

The earliest writings on kamari are from the twelfth century. They allege the game, like so much of Japanese culture, came from China. That allegation has been accepted by most works on kemari to this day, but the style of play, Chinese kemari cuju is different from the Japanese version of the game and a different ball is used.

The ball, was made of deerskin, was hollow. These light balls were so delicate that they were liable to collapse if kicked too hard. The balls were coated with albumen egg white and then coated with an additional coat of face power mixed with glue. The white or yellow balls were sometimes said tosymbolize not only the sun and moon but also the principles of yin and yang. Other items of equipment included poles used to retrieve balls caught in trees, net to keep balls off roofs, and blinds to block the rays of the setting sun.

It was apparently the custom in the tenth century to locate kemari courts among trees that have grown naturally. In the eleventh century, however, trees were purposely planted for use in kemari. Four different kinds of trees were considered appropriate: cherry, willow, maple, and pine.

Each tree was assigned a corner of the court. Volleying the ball up into the tree branches created irregular ball flight adding difficulty to the play. Two teams of eight players were posted among the four trees, in one form of the game, volleys could be limited to a set number of , , , , and This form of play was called marikai ball meets. The ball was kicked with the right foot, often several times in succession, before it was passed to another player.

The gods needed human blood and hearts to keep the sun and moon in orbit. Some ball games were played to resolve bitter disputes between rival cities or as a proxy for war.

The Maya also saw the game as a battle between the gods of death and the gods of life or between good and evil. They also saw it as a reminder of the Hero Twins, who overcame death and became demi-gods themselves. Thus, the game symbolizes regeneration and life. This article is part of our larger resource on the Mayans culture, society, economics, and warfare. As Bryan Hill reports in a previous Ancient Origins article , this athletic event was not just a game for the ancient peoples, but a major part of Mesoamerican culture played by the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

According to ancient texts Ulama was viewed as a battle between the sun against the moon and stars representing the principle of lightness and darkness and possibly the battle between good and evil. Additionally, the motion of the ball symbolized the rotation of the sun for the Aztez, Olmeca and Mayan people. To the Mayans, the game was known as Pok a Tok, to the Aztec it was Tlachtli, while nowadays most people refer to it as Ulama. Believed to have extended as far south as Paraguay and north into present day Arizona, the earliest known Mesoamerican ball court is Paso de la Amada in Mexico, which has been radiocarbon dated to around years old.

Nearly 1, Mesoamerican ball courts have been found to this day and it is estimated that every Mesoamerican city of antiquity had at least one. They were lined with stone blocks and played on a rectangular court with slanted walls. These walls were often plastered and brightly painted. Serpents, jaguars, raptors were depicted alongside images of human sacrifice suggesting a connection to the divinity. And still, more discoveries are emerging.

In June, , archaeologists announced the discovery of important remains of a significant Aztec temple and a ceremonial ball court in downtown Mexico City, and in September, , archaeologists d eciphered two 1,year-old stone panels that depict ancient Mayans playing with large balls while carrying impressive fans.

The panels were found at the archaeological site of Tipan Chen Uitz in Belize and, according to the experts, date back to AD. The exact rules of the game are unknown since the evidence available is garnered from the interpretations made from sculptures, art, ball courts, and glyphs.

From the available archaeological finds, however, historians estimate that the large rubber ball used could weigh up to three to eight pounds and had a diameter around 25 to 37 centimeters 10 to 12 inches.

This was about the size of a basketball except that the ball was more solid on the inside weighing much more , often resulting the death of players when it hit them in the wrong place. For that reason and to prevent severe injuries or death, players eventually began wearing equipment.