Mesoamerican Ballgames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Clothing and Gear

 

Ball players dressed in their finest clothing and jewelry, and animal skins, and feather headdresses. The uniform had to protect the skins, and feather headdresses. The uniform had to protect the player and allow for fast movement because the game was a dangerous one.The Yugito, which in Spanish meant “little yoke,” was one of the earliest pieces of ballgame equipment. The purpose to this day is unknown. It may have been used to protect the players’ wrists, knees, or shins. If one looks closely at the yugito, they can see a face.The Yoke was a piece of equipment worn around the players’ waist. There were two types of yokes. One types was around the waist during the actual game and was made from fabric or woven fiber strips and served the purposed of protecting the player’s body and deflecting the ball. The second type was carved from stone and were worn around the waist as part of ceremonies before and after the game. These yokes were covered in crocodile motifs. These yokes were made of cloth, wood, and leather.The hacha, which in Spanish means “ax,” is a decorative stone accessory that was worn on a ballplayer’s yoke. They were usually carved into animal shapes. They were indented to fit on the yoke and worn during ceremonies before and after the games.The palma, which is Spanish for “palm frond” were stone accessories that ballplayers wore stone accessories- calm palmas.These items were held in place by hand or lashed onto the front ballplayers stone yoke The Manopla meaning “hand-stones” in Spanish were used by ballplayers to hit the rubber balls, which were very heavy. Players also used bats and sticks to keep the ball in motion.

 

Mascots

Animal Imagery was commonly used to decorate ballgame equipment. The animals were seen as symbols of strength, power and agility, which were the skills they needed to win the game.”Examples: The Serpant ballcourt marker- Veracruz- AD 200-600Howler Monkey Manopla Maya AD 250-400Macaw Hacha-Veracruz AD 600Deer Vessel with Copal and rubber offering Maya AD 1300-1400 BallcourtsThe ball court is one of the oldest forms of sports arenas in the world. At the site, Paso de la Amada, in Chapas, Mexico is the oldest ball court to date, which was built around 1400 bc. Though these ballgames are still played today, two pre-Hispanic ballgames discovered by archeologists were the ulama, the Teotihuacan stick game. There are 1300 known Mesoamerican ball courts that and most are located in Mesoamerica and Central America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ceremonial Ballgame Belt                                                    The Ballgame Yoke

 

 

 

Ball Courts

Ball courts varied in size, and the two most common ball courts found were the I-shaped ball court and the Wash-basin or Palagana Ball Court. The I-shaped ball court is the one shaped as a capital-I. They have narrow alleys and wider zones. Many are found in Chihuahua, Mexico. The Palagana Ball Court has a rectangular alley and has little or no end zones. They are found in Soconscu, the Guatemalan highlands. There were other styles, but they were rare.