The currency of cacao
The high stakes of the ballgame
Mesoamerican science and engineering
Gods, myths, and the underworld
YOUR GOAL
Master of The Maya and Aztec worlds
misslily Mesoamerican Ballgame
Betting chocolate money on the game today (Oh, bet it all!) / Hit the rubber ball or throw your life away (Yeah, we're risking it all!)
misslily The Mesoamerican ballgame was a cosmic ritual representing the movement of the sun, moon, and stars.
misslily The ballgame, known as pok-a-tok or ullamaliztli, required players to keep a heavy ball in motion without using hands or feet.
misslily Bounce the rubber ball off your hips to discover how cacao beans served as money.
Heavy rubber balls: The solid rubber balls used in Mesoamerican ballgames weighed up to 9 pounds, causing severe internal injuries or death on impact.
The act of offering something precious to a deity, especially through the ritual killing of a victim. At Chichen Itza, defeated athletes of the Mesoamerican sport were ritually decapitated to ensure agricultural fertility.
What protective gear did Mesoamerican ballplayers wear to survive the impact of the heavy ball?
What parts of the body were players allowed to use to strike the ball in the classic Mesoamerican ballgame?
What happened if a player managed to hit the ball through one of the stone rings on the court wall?
What modern sport still played in Mexico is a direct descendant of the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame?