The most popular sport of the day, in ancient Mayan civilization was a ball game, said to be the oldest team sport in the world, Pok-ta-Pok. The game, or similar versions of the game were also played by the Aztecs and the Olmec civilizations in what is now Central America. You can see a modern illustration of the game in the cartoon movie The Road to El Dorado. (2000)
Pok-ta-Pok is a similar game to modern day basketball. The teams attempt to knock a ball through a stone ring on the wall, about 20 feet up. When the ball goes through the ring, that team wins. The catch of the game is that the players cannot use their hands or feet. The players would use hips, arms and legs to try to put the ball through the ring. Another big difference is the ball. In Pok-ta-Pok the ball could weigh as much as 10 pounds, where as a modern day football weighs about 1 pound. That being said, the ball could do a lot of damage to the players, leaving bruises or even breaking bones. Almost every Mayan city a court for this sport is evident. Some of these courts were the sizes of a volleyball court, others would vary in size reaching to the size of a football field. The balls size would vary as well, some the size of softballs and others the size of basketballs. As the sport developed, the balls began to be made out of rubber, but later on a skull was sometimes used on the inside and covered in rubber to reduce the weight.
The game was played both in leisure amongst friends, as well as in ritual. The later ending in the sacrifice of the losing team. The Mayans sacrificed people to their Gods for things like reaping a good harvest, or for rain. Pok-ta-Pok was often used in these sacrificial rituals. The sport represented the sun rising and setting with the ball being the sun. When the game was played for religious reasons the players would play for their lives. Most often when teams would play for sacrifice the teams would be made up of prisoners captured in war.
Today, the game is rarely played, partially because we do not know the exact rules of the sport. A lot of the time it is put on as a reenactment put on for tourists. Recently, in September, there was a Pok-ta-Pok World Cup put on in México. The game will be a bit modified from what we can tell from the wall carvings, the teams will played with only 4 players instead of 6. Another name which the sport most oftenly called nowadays is Ulama and is the Aztec way of play. Close to the Mexican city of Mazatlán, there is a small village where the sport is still played. But even there the sport is dying due to the lack of rubber for the balls, because the rubber trees are all gone from urban development.
References:
Eboch, C. (2011). Play to the Death. Appleseeds, 13(9), 26.
"Ancient Pok Ta Pok Game Goes Modern." Http://yucatanexpatlife.com/. N.p., (22 July 2015). Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <http://yucatanexpatlife.com/ancient-pok-ta-pok-game-goes-modern/>.
Fox, John. "Students Of The Game." Smithsonian 37.1 (2006): 110. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Sports are a big part of every culture, whether it be kids having a pickup game in the park, or having a party to watch the big game. Every country has its own favorite sport and that sport often has its own place in the country's culture.
ReplyDeletePok-ta-pok had it's own place in Mayan culture in both religious and leisure places. Although sports and athletes hold such a high importance in modern society, I don't think there is any sport that carries the same weight that Pok-ta-pok did to the Mayans. There are some die-hard fans that treat their sports team as a religion and the sport as a leisure but that doesn't compare to the ancient Mayans. They were willing to sacrifice themselves if they lost at the game and many were honored to do so.
I am not religious at all, and the aspect of human sacrifice is a bit absurd to me, especially for losing a game. But for them it was an honor to be sacrificed to their Gods, for the betterment of the rest of the community. That takes a lot of commitment to their nation as an individual, more than I have. But they also had the belief that if they sacrifice themselves to the Gods that there will be an answer. I am very skeptical about religion and don't think that any amounts of praying or sacrifice will change anything in nature.
To see that the sport is dying saddens me. A sport that was once played across central Mexico, across 3 great indigenous empires, Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmecs, is disappearing because the low economic power of those who still value the game. I couldn't imagine not being able to play soccer or watch it on TV. Soccer has shaped me, and many across the world, which is the same as Pok-ta-pok for the indigenous people of central America.
Thank you Tyler. Since this is anthro class, when you make the comment about your not being religious, you might want to say something about our own ethnocentric views. Good job!
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