
An Ancient Ballcourt in Oaxaca Expands a Sport’s Footprint - Thevet
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-ballcourt-oaxaca-expands-sport-footprint
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SI_Rob
These structures are dotted all around central Mesoamerica and forms of them
exist even in regions inhabited by peoples who are not otherwise associated
(linguistically, ethnically, material culture, etc) with Mesoamerica at all,
like Puerto Rico.

It seems that even in ancient times, the one thing you could count on to get
the party started at any local watering hole from the caribbean to Acapulco
(with the notable apparent exception of Teotihuacán) was a cry of "GÓL!!!!"

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sn41
On a related note, the Mesoamericans seemed to have great technology by
1000-500 BC. About 3 years back, I was on the nearby site of Monte Albán. It
is an incredible place. It's humbling to know that around 400 BC, Zapotecs
could engineer a city by flattening out an entire mountaintop.

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GnarfGnarf
I have visited the ball courts at Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Palenque. Those
stone rings are so high it would have been impossible to put the ball through
the hole with only one's feet. I couldn't even toss my shoe through the ring
using my hands.

I suspect there was a thick layer of earth to raise the level of the field,
which would have put the players on a closer level to the stone rings.

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cac1
I have seen meso American ball courts as far north as 10 miles or so south of
Phoenix. ??? It's called Ulama and it's still played in the area around
Mazatlan, Mexico. There is even a league.

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Mirioron
Do they still do the human sacrifice part or was that phased out?

