Aanya Sachdeva
World Cultures
Period 2
10-26-15
The Mayan Ballgame was a dangerous, but necessary, event. The objective of the game was to get the ball in to the hoop. The ball game was a substitute for war between cities. The winners of the game were showered with praise, riches, and the appreciation of the crowd. Then ball was made out of rubber, but sometimes was a human skull. The ball, used in the game, was hit or bounced in to the hoop. The size of the ball varied from the size of a softball to larger than a beach ball. It weighed from 8 to 10 pounds. The ballplayer’s uniform had to protect them from the heavy ball but allow quick movement. They wore a Yoke, which came in different shapes and sizes, around their waist and a Hacha on the Yoke. A Manopla was a hand stone used to hit the ball. The ball players also wore Yugito, which were used to protect the player’s wrists, knees, and shins. The ball game is played in a court shaped like the letter I. In the middle of the court there was the playing alley, which had a stone floor. The end zones were on both sides of the playing alley. The hoop was 20 feet of the ground.
The Mayan ballgame was more of a religious ritual than a game. The Mayans believed that this event was necessary for human existence. It was more of a ritual because the home team would always win. They would always win because they would stop the game when they were in the lead. The loser’s head would be decapitated and the blood would drip in to the ground and fertilize it. The blood was a sacrifice to the gods. Sacrifice was for the living to live better. The ball was made from the native plant the rubber tree. The juice from the Morning Glory vine is used to give the ball and amazing bounce. Ball players wore the finest jewelry, animal skins, and feathered headdresses in to the court. Small instruments were buried in the court as an offering to the gods. Also, the court was a symbol of the cities wealth and power.
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