The Ball Game

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The Ball Game The ball game played by the people of Mesoamerica was much more than a “ballgame.” The significance of the game went far beyond competition and sport. The game had deep ties to native society, ritual, and belief. This game seems to be a central and integral part of many Mesoamerican societies and thereby carries great importance in the historical record. Basics of the Game The game was played on I-shaped courts of varying size, anywhere from the size of a tennis ball court to larger than a football field. The general idea was to get the ball to the end of the opponent’s side to score. The players were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or feet. They used all other parts of their body, their knees, thighs, stomach, their buttocks, etc. It was a dangerous sport indeed. Players would sustain serious bruises and injuries, in severity all the way up to death. The players wore leather over their loincloths, a hip cloth of some sort, a belt slightly above the hip cloth, a knee pad, a forearm pad or a glove, and some wore padding above the belt. We know how they dressed from historical artifacts such as figurines depicting ball players and also from murals and relieves. The recovery of these figurines and the preservation of relieves at various sites has allowed us to get an idea of what these people looked like as they played. There also are a few eye witness accounts of the game including one from Cortez. He was so amused that he took two teams back to Spain where they were painted by German artist, Weiditz. The Olmec People In order to understand the ball game, it is important to understand something about the people who created it. The earliest known people to be associated with the ball game are the Olmec. As Clark said, “Olmec” is generally used to describe a “people,” but it seems to be more accurate to define “Olmec” as being a
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