Ball game adornment in the form of a human head,

600–900

Mesoamerican Sport and Ceremonial Games

Variations of a ball game played throughout Mesoamerica shared several basic features: the use of a solid rubber ball; a court consisting of a narrow alleyway with sloped walls, sometimes with enclosed end zones; and two teams, each with two or three members who wore specialized protective gear. Only the upper arms, thighs, and torso of a player could strike the ball, and each of these areas bore its own type of protection, made of cloth, deer hide, or wood. Heavy stone replicas of ball game gear likely served as trophies for the victors in noble bouts of the game. Frequently made of precious greenstone, such replicas also may have been created as works of art to be wagered, as gambling was a significant component of Mesoamerican ball games. Some sculptures include elaborate relief carving, often portraying bruised and battered individuals, who may represent captives forced to play the game as a form of ritual sacrifice. Others portray identical youthful faces, possibly mythical hero twins who played the ball game against the lords of the underworld. Other stone objects may have been used in a ball game to hit the ball or to strike fellow combatants in ritualized fights.