General Aztecs Maya Tocuaro Kids Contact 19 Mar 2024/2 Death
Text Size:

Please support us on Patreon!
Link to page about the Maya Calendar
Today's Maya date is: 13.0.11.7.6 - 4107 days into the new cycle!
Link to page of interest to teachers
Click to find out how we can help you!
Search the Site (type in white box):

WE RECOMMEND
‘Reviving a 3,000 year old ancient ballgame’
‘Reviving a 3,000 year old ancient ballgame’
Excellent short video on reviving the ballgame in Mexico today, from National Geographic
See the video...
Mexicolore play the ancient Mexican ballgame in a school!

The Ancient Mesoamerican Ritual Ballgame

This spectacular ancient ‘game’ - one academic book refers to it as ‘The Sport of Life and Death’ - never ceases to fascinate. Played by every great pre-Columbian Mexican civilisation, it is widely regarded as the earliest recorded ball game in the world, the earliest known team sport with a ball anywhere, and the ancient origin of modern basketball. We have been acting out a much simplified version in primary schools around England for many years...!

‘Oh Balls!’ - a little more information on the game...

‘Have any ancient rubber balls been found?’

‘Did they have medical teams on hand in case there were injuries?

‘After the ballgame, did they perform human sacrifices straight away?’

Our KEY POINTS about the ballgame

See an ancient Mesoamerican rubber ball, close-up...!

Read a great re-telling of the ballgame from the Popol Vuh by Yr 5 kids at a London school

NEH Summer Institute for School Teachers 2015: resources listing for teachers on the ballgame

‘Ulama: The Pre-Columbian Ballgame Survives Today’

Ceremonial ballgame belt: entry in the British Museum’s ‘History of the World in 100 Objects’ series

Evidence of ancient Hohokam ballcourts in Arizona...

‘The History of the Ichmul de Morley Ballplayer Panels’

Ruta Yucatán Sustainable Culture Support CollectiveHow the ritual ballgame today

is rejuvenating a community’s spirit

The Classic Maya ball court hieroglyphEver wondered why the Maya glyph

for a ballcourt is only ‘half’ a court?

Ancient ingredient that makes rubber balls bounceThe ancient, magic ingredient

that makes rubber balls bounce...

Ulama: The pre-Columbian ballgame survives todayIf hip-Ulama dies, it would be the end

of the oldest team sport in the world...

The chacmool and the ballgame (1)Could the reclining chacmool figure

be linked to the ancient ballgame?

The chacmool and the ballgame (2)‘Recline and fall...’ - the end

of the established theory of the chac mool?

ARTEFACT: Maya bas-relief showing a ball playerMaya bas-relief showing

a ball player in action

Bringing the ancient Maya ballgame to life...Trying to reconstruct the Maya ballgame

- at a London academic institute!

The mother of all ballgames...Without tlachtli, neither Cantona nor Beckham

would have been the ballpayers we know today...