The Ball Game

                                                        Part of the ball court at Iximche



I have mentioned that the Hero Twins, as well as their Father and Uncle, played the notorious Mayan Ball game. We know less about this game than we do about the Aztec version, but we can make some good guesses. This serves as some background to the astronomical impact of 2012. To recap the legendary portion of the story,

"As the tale goes, the Maize Gods were avid ballplayers who were killed and buried on the court by the Lords of Xibalba (the Underworld) for bothering them with the noise of the game. The head of one of the Maize gods was hung from a tree in the Underworld, and as a daughter of the Lord of the Underworld passes, it spit into her palm, miraculously impregnating her. The daughter bore twin sons, the Hero Twins, who avenge their father and uncle’s deaths by resurrecting them on the ballcourt. The Hero Twins go on to survive the ordeals of Hell presented to them by the death gods, while the reborn Maize Gods remain on the ballcourt for humans to honor. The Maya therefore believed that it was necessary to play the game for their own survival. The ballgame provided an opportunity to show devoutness to the gods by sacrificing captured kings and high lords, or the losing opponents of the game."- William Palmer III Collection, University of Maine Orono

The game was called Pitz, (the actual playing called Ti Pitziil in Classic Maya and Chaaj in K'ich'é ), and had a key role in religious, social and political life. The Ball Court was usually in the great plaza of the city, and was considered a focal point. The Court was in the shape of an "I", with high platforms on each long side, allowing many people to view the game. A solid rubber ball was used, ranging in size from a grapefruit to a melon. The goal was to bounce the ball through stone hoops that hung on the sides of the court. The walls were painted with murals of myths, captives, Kings and animals. There were also movable stone markers (hachas) along the Court, usually depicting animals or skulls.



A movable stone marker


Players were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands, but used the rest of their bodies to keep it in the air, as the ball was not allowed to touch the ground during play. Players wore protective clothing as the ball weighed up to 20 pounds. They also used handstones called manopla to strike the ball.


Like modern ball games, Pitz was played by everyone including women and children. But the Mayans also had major games, often to settle disputes between cities, and captives were often forced to play. There is some evidence that the team leader of the losing team was killed, but that is a rather murky fact. The site authenticmaya.com tells us: The game between competing teams of players could symbolize the battles between the gods in the sky and the lords of the underworld. The ball could symbolize the sun. In some of these ritual games, the leader of the losing team would be decapitated, and  His skull would then be used as the core around which a new rubber ball would be made.  A common interpretation would emphasize the Venus cycle and the Maize God death-and-resurrection myth as core religious aspects of the game. The ancient Maya are believed to reenact, through the ball game, the mythic Underworld contest between the gods of life or fertility and the gods of death. 

Part of the Ball Court at Tikal

But you need not travel to Guatemala nor Mexico to see a Ball Court. Next post, I will tell you where you can find one......

J.T. Turner, Mayanist