| Photo Information |
| Copyright: Kaitlyn Gentile (kaitlyngentile) (44) |
| Genre: Places |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-03 |
| Categories: Ruins |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-03-28 14:30 |
| Viewed: 418 |
| Points: 0 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Mayan ballgame was a precursor to modern-day basketball. Games took place in a court called a tlachco and were played with a small rubber ball. The courts varied in size but were usually framed by two sloping walls, each inset with a stone ring. The players scored "goals" by passing the ball through the rings. Scoring was so difficult that one goal usually signified the end of the game.
This game was so important only nobility could participate. Rival teams usually hailed from different cities and the games often had a political bent.
The outcome of the ball game was a literally matter of life and death, though the question still remains as to who actually gave their lives at the end of the game. Was it the losers? The winners? Was it the team captain or the whole team? Or was it only the most valuable player? Some historians claim the Mayans performed a ritual decapitation of the loser, while others argue that the winners were found worthy by the Gods to make the ultimate sacrifice. |
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