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MESOAMERICAN BALL GAME.
Term Paper ID:23594
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Essay Subject:
Describes sport, geography, ball court, types, equipment, purposes (religious, social, recreational), feasting.... More...
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8 Pages / 1800 Words
13 sources, 31 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
Describes sport, geography, ball court, types, equipment, purposes (religious, social, recreational), feasting.
Paper Introduction:
The Mesoamerican Ball Game
Introduction
The Mesoamerican ball game was played for recreational, sociopolitical, and religious reasons. The ball game held a central, primary part in the lives of Mesoamerican people. It was played across a wide geographic area by many different peoples. The ball courts began emerging in the Maya lowlands, at the end of the Middle Formative period (Ashmore 496). There is much, about the ball game, which is only theorized or speculated. The archeological evidence concerning the ball game is limited to the location and design of the ball courts, a few pieces of artifacts found in refuse piles, the contents of caches (when they have been recorded), art work depicting the game in progress, and ethnographic accounts. From these sources of
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The Ball game There are at least three different ball games which were played inMesoamerica. The uniformity, of play,suggests that there was a strong cultural and symbolic element to the game. Fox 487). Wilcox. "And Then They Were Sacrificed: The Ritual Ballgame of Northeastern Mesoamerica Through Time and Space." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Players wore heavy yokes, low belts of leather, wood, or stone, kneepads, and hand guards. 3-24.Scarborough, Vernon L. These centers alsocontain the temple, elite residences, and ball courts which are typicallyfound. Ed. Vernon L. Evidence from architecture, artifacts,ethnography, and art work give clues to the significance of the ball gamein society. "Playing with Power." Current Anthropology 37.3 (1996): 483-496.Fox, John W. It appears the game had different meanings at different timesand places in history. They are particularlyproliferate in the region of El Tajin in the Late Classic period (Wilkerson48). Wilcox. "Ceramic Figurines and the Mesoamerican Ballgame." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Thesacrifice reaffirmed the highly structured and primary institutions ofreligion and rulership (Wilkerson 52-54). Pelota Mixteca is still played, in Oaxaca, and may not be agame indigenous to Mesoamerica, even though, there exists a definitiverelationship between the attire of current day players and historicalevidence. G. Wilcox. 87-1 .Marcus, Joyce. Their placement is an attempt to link thesestructures to the greater cosmography of the universe (J. The godswould decree the victor. Theball game was played as a part of religious ceremonies, a means to increasea person's prestige or wealth, to eliminate conflict, and to increase acommunity's sense of identity. A second ballgame represented, on the murals at Teotihuacan, was played with sticks andspecific markers. Palmas, palmate stones, and hachas,which were thin stone heads are also associated with the playing of thegame (Ekholm 244). There exist accounts which mention the use of a human head or astone in place of the rubber ball (Gillespie 327, J. Ball courts were used forritual behavior; that is, highly patterned behavior often used tocommunicate religious beliefs and serving as a primary tool for socialreproduction (J. Artifacts Associated with Ball Courts Iconographic material, sculpture, figurines, and ball gameparaphernalia can be used to describe the function and meaning of the game(Taladoire and Colsenet 164). At this site, there are elevenball courts. 213- 24 .Kelly, J. Fox 493). Fox 493). "The Politicization of the Mesoamerican Ballgame and Its Implications for the Interpretation of the Distribution of Ballcourts in Central Mexico." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. This is shown by theinclusion of caches in building the ball courts. "The Known Archaeological Ballcourts of Durango and Zacatecas, Mexico." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. The game was played by teams of varioussizes and by individuals. Eric Taladoire and Benoit Colsenet haveproposed the use of a standard list of descriptive features to be used tocollect information about the various ball courts. G. The Maya Highlands, with their small Classic states, are composed ofsmaller regional centers with dense populations. G. Fox 484). 129-144.Taladoire, Eric, and Benoit Colsenet. The generally recognized ball game, of Mesoamerica, is Tlachtli. "The Lords of Light Versus the Lords of Dark: The Postclassic Highland Maya Ballgame." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Vernon L. The ball game held a central,primary part in the lives of Mesoamerican people. This direction wasalso associated with the underworld and again links the ball game with thesupernatural realm. Fox 485). The public buildings fall into the recognizable categories oftemple, elite residences, and ball courts. Ball courts have been documented at the following archeologicalsites: Cuymapa Drainage; Lubaantun, Belize; Tonina, and Chapatengo,Chiapas; Teotenango, Central Mexico; Coba, and Uxmal, Yucatan; Copan,Honduras; Piedras Negras South Group, and Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala; LosLlanitos, El Salvador (J. There is much, about the ball game, which is only theorizedor speculated. The elite members of society played themselvesor sponsored teams of "professional" players to represent them in thecontests. Tajin islocated in a group of abruptly rising hills. The ball courts are found at sites from all of the time periods fromthe Late Formative to the Aztec. This was an exception to Lowland Maya building plans which usuallyused older buildings as scaffolding for new construction. The second night,the songs extolled the valor and agility, of the ball game players. Charles. G. Ball courts continue to be discovered and uncovered duringarcheological expeditions. These sites have had caches locatedwithin the ball court or nearby testifying to the importance of the ballcourt as a place of religious sanctification. "Comments." Current Anthropology 37.3 (1996): 496.Blitz, John H. Ed. These vessels are important because they could have beenused to "feed" the ball court giving it a soul. This was done through the playing of a ritual ball game. In the Lowland Maya, amidst constantly changingarchitectural styles, the ball court was built of masonry (Scarborough129). Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. G. The costs of playing the ball game weresubstantially less than waging a full-scale war (Marcus 5 ). Alexander. There is evidence that a version of thegame is still played along the seacoast in Central America by poor peasantsand by some native American Indians. Fox 224). Players, in some areas, also wore chest ornamentsto protect their upper bodies. Although other ball games were played using a players hands, feet, andsticks, Tlachtli was played in special ball courts, by players hitting theball with their hips, thighs, and buttocks (Ekholm 242). The yokes were worn as part of the clothing, the bate, of a player'sgarments. Ed. Vernon L. Their list of featuresincludes a description of: lateral structures, upper wall, apron, bench,bench wall, playing field, end fields, back wall and end walls (165).Standardizing the terminology and the collection of data would makegeneralizations across Mesoamerica about ball court construction moreaccurate and easier. Almost all malemembers of society were involved, in the production or play of a ball game,at some point in their lives. Wilcox. Archaeological evidence for the ballgame can be found at sites dating from the Middle Formative through theAztec periods. Ed. The ballcourts consisted of two parallel structures which defined an alley. Scarborough and David R. Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. Scarborough and David R. The Ball court was usually shaped as an "I" (Kelley 87). Understandingthis building code, the importance of the ball court stands out. On thethird day, the women prepared a feast, for the day of the contest. Initially these villages were located on open ground in thevalleys. Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. Much of the village islocated with an area of five square kilometers (1.9 square miles). Description of a Ball Court Ball courts were located in public ceremonial areas. 241-25 .Gillespie, Susan D. The ball gamewas played in several versions over 2, years and over the entire area ofMesoamerica. Conclusion The Mesoamerican ball game was played for a variety of reasons. Sanctification was accomplished by theplacing of items, with supernatural associations, within the ball court.Examples of the types of objects found in this category include obsidian,greenstone, shell and mercury (J. Human sacrifice at the ball games did not only have religiousmeaning. Sometimes, human sacrificewas used for this purpose (J. Thepopularity of the ball game can be shown by the importation of 16, rubber balls, as royal tribute in central Mexico, during the Conquestperiod (Santley, Berman, and Alexander 9). W. There is some concern that it may have been introduced after thespanish conquistadors arrived (Taladoire and Colsenet 162). This would account for the supernatural and religioussignificance of the ball courts and their placement near the temples.Without written documentation, it will be impossible to fully understandthe intricacies of the ball game. The ball courts were considered sacred places. Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. "Comments." Current Anthropology 37.3 (1996): 497.Ekholm, Susanna M. The Mesoamerican Ball Game Introduction The Mesoamerican ball game was played for recreational,sociopolitical, and religious reasons. The outcome of any match was the will of the gods. Elements of sculpture at the ball court and temple depicthuman sacrifice, warriors, and the ball game. The buildingplan resembles that of the Classic Maya centers, with building laid out incourtyards. After 1 A.D., these sites moved to higher defendable ground(Adams 314). Vernon L. "Comments." Current Anthropology 37.3 (1996): 5 .Santley, Robert S., Michael J. The ball courts beganemerging in the Maya lowlands, at the end of the Middle Formative period(Ashmore 496). A second type, of cache,found included items associated with the serving and consumption of foodand beverages. Ed. The ball game was played with a rubberball. Ball courts have also been found in Tajin (Adams 233). Native American ball games wereused to settle disputes, as a substitution for war, and as a means ofacquiring wealth through gambling on the outcome (Blitz 497). Purpose of the Ball Game The purpose, of the ball game, appears to be multidimensional. Itwas a staged ritualistic game with religious significance. Caches also mark the south end, of some courts. Almost all male adolescents and adults participated in thegame (Santley, Berman, and Alexander 9 ). Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. Ed. The ballcourts may have been thought of as a place where the two halves of theworld met. Location The Mesoamerican ball game was played throughout most of what is nowknown as Central America, Lower Central America, and the AmericanSouthwest. Wilcox. Jeffrey K. Yokes, palmas, and hachas are items found atball courts and burial sites for the elite. Fox 213). The feasting, which took place after completion of a ball game,served to enhance the prestige of the sponsor. Most ofthe site is located at the base of the hills, on relatively level ground.The hillside is terraced to contain a mass of structures. Scarborough and David R. It has been suggested that the ball court and ballgame may serve the function of a meeting point between the underworld andupperworld (J. Vernon L. When twopolities desired the same object (land, water, resources), the rulers, ofthe competing organizations, could limit their expenditure, of resources,by allowing the gods to decide which ruler was most worthy of the desiredobject. W. Scarborough and David R. It was played as far north as the indians of the AmericanSouthwest and a version was played as far south as Amazonia. Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. Wilcox. Some ball courts are closed at both ends and some remainopen ended. Scarborough and David R. Scarborough and David R. Ed. G. Wilcox. 45-72.----------------------- 1 G. Scarborough and David R. 317-346.Fox, John Gerard. Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. Fox 486). Fox 484). In Maya cosmology, this represented the underworld anddeath. Oklahoma P, 1991.Ashmore, Wendy. The caches are found in thecenter of the alleys. The caches found, in the ball courts, give credence to the theorythat the ball game had religious significance. The ball court measures approximately 15 meters long and isadorned by small temples and sculpture. Thewalls, of the alley, mirrored each other in the angles of their surfaces(J. An account from the 17th century, of the Acaxee of Sinaloa playingthe game, outlines one version of the activities surrounding a ritual ballgame. From these sources of information, a general picture of the ballgame in Mesoamerican society can be drawn. Wilcox. Vernon L. It was played across awide geographic area by many different peoples. Tucson: U Arizona P., 1991. Norman:U. "Ballgames and Boundaries." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. The largest ball court in Mesoamerica is located at Chichen Itza, acenter of pilgrimage. Players could gain prestige and increasetheir wealth by being victorious. Ed. "Courting in the Southern Maya Lowlands: A Study in Pre-Hispanic Ballgame Architecture." The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Thecentral cache, at the Classic Maya site of Tonina, contained a nine pointedobsidian blades. If thechallengers won the contest, the feast was shared with the visitors. Scarborough and David R. G. Rev. ed. '"Bois Ton Sang, Beaumanoir": The Political and Conflictual Aspects of the Ballgame in the Northern Chiapas Area.' The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Human sacrifice served the secular purpose of showing thepopulation, in a very graphic way, the power of the ruler. Vernon L. It reinforcedhis authority over the people by visibly displaying his prerogatives. Similar findings have been found at other sites(Taladoire and Colsenet 162). These are listed on the ball game equipment of the hero twins,Hun Hunahpu and Xbalanke (Ekholm 243). Prehistoric Mesoamerica. It also served as a methodof wealth redistribution (J. The sites ofball courts were both large central regional centers and smaller villages.The ball courts are usually located within the public, ceremonial buildingof the town. Works CitedAdams, Richard E.W. The first night, there was dancing for three hours, with songs sungthat told why the participants had reason to be joyful. They appear tohave been sponsored by the local ruler or an elite group of individuals.The ball courts often contained sculpture and sometimes small temples foradornment (Adams 291). It was believed that Chichen Itza was the home ofthe rain god. Berman, and Rani T. The walls contain vertical sections, horizontal benches, andsloped areas, known as aprons. The archeological evidence concerning the ball game islimited to the location and design of the ball courts, a few pieces ofartifacts found in refuse piles, the contents of caches (when they havebeen recorded), art work depicting the game in progress, and ethnographicaccounts. 161-174.Wilkerson,S. Ifthe visitors won then they received nothing and the losers ate their feastalone taking consolation from the feast for their loss (J. A second plaza, also surrounded bylarge structures, has a ball court to the east (Adams 289-291). The terminology for describing ball courtshas not been standardized. Fox 486). Vernon L. Itis the best known of the games (Taladoire and Colsenet 162). At Chichen Itza, there is evidence of human sacrifice to therain god.
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