Mayan Ball Court, Lamanai, Belize

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Mayan Ball Court, Lamanai, Belize
Mayan Ball Court, Lamanai, Belize

The ball court is rather small compared to ball courts at some other Maya sites, so it probably had a purely ceremonial function rather than being used for actual matches.
The Mayan ball game originated 3000 years ago. It was a fast and skillful game played with a large heavy ball of solid rubbber between two teams. The object of the game was for each team simply to carry the ball all the way to their opponents' end of the court. Extra points were scored if a player was able to propel the ball through stone rings high up on either side of the court halfway along, The catch was that you could only pass or propel the ball using you hip, elbow or knee, and if a player of one team allowed the ball to fall to the ground possesion went to the other team.
The game had a dual function. On the one hand it was used to help keep warriors fit and agile. On the other the game had a ritual function connected with the Maya's spiritual beliefs, so was played on special occasions. The most famous ball game was described in the Maya sacred book, the Popol Vuh. Way back at the very beginning of Mayan history two legendary human figures known as the Hero Twins after many adventures found themselves challenged to play against the Lords of the Underworld. The price for losing the match would be their deaths but they were so skillful they beat the Lords and in doing so became demigods themselves.

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Taken on: January 17, 2022
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Sets appears in:   • Belize - February 2022   
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