Maya Civilizations - The Maya World
Where Man, Nature and Time are One
by Producciones Z-E

Maya's Ball Game

The ball game for the Maya was not only a sport or a ritual symbolizing the struggle between the forces of life and death. It was also associated with a divine judgement and probably utilized as a means to settle conflicts.

The game consisted in two teams of players hitting a large, heavy rubber ball to each other using only their hip and elbow on one side of the body. To protect their hips the players wore a broad belt made of jointed sections. Also, they wore guards on the forearms and knees because they had to throw themselves to the ground to catch or return low balls. Most Maya sites have at least one ball court; the larger cities had several. Ball courts consisted of a central aisle between two parallel surfaces, each built against a rectangular platform. The ends of the court were usually open. The dimensions of the courts varied from one to another.

Source: Henderson, John "The World of the Ancient Maya"
(CUP: Ithaca, 1981) pg.144 (opposite)