The ancient Mayan sport making a comeback – BBC REEL

In Mexico, a group of athletes are on a mission to revive an ancient sporting tradition – a tribute to the game once enjoyed by their ancestors.

Thought to be approximately 3,000-years-old, the Mesoamerican ballgame 'Juego de Pelota' could be one of the oldest team sports in the world. It was once played by the Aztecs, Maya and Incas and carries ancient cultural and religious significance.

It was only when Spanish conquistadors banned the game in the 16th Century AD did the game fade into legend.

Video by Souleyman Messalti

- - - - -

#bbc #bbcreel #bbcnews #mexico #history #sports

[karlashdown]

I am a Maori from Aotearoa-NZ i have nothing but pride in seeing a younger generation reviving something so important to their culture there was a lot missed on game playing except the basics however, Honestly the Pride of those players beamed confidence.

[pheona]

I'm Mexican. My dad had us play ōllamaliztli which is similar but the ball is smaller. With 8 kids in the fam, he subbed the hard ball for a homemade soft one and set up the goal for us. Cool to see others embracing their heritage.

[gnollman]

This is fantastic, pre-columbian cultures of the Americas has long been a source of fascination for me. I think it's wonderful that these people are embracing their Mayan heritage.

[Cretaal]

I would love to see an Olympics where everyone brings an ancient sport or contest with them and we all get to play eachothers cultural sports and games in a friendly competition.

Think of all the great stone and fire cooked foods you'd get to try. The traditional drinks <3 maybe some vendors for wares. Would be awesome to just have a Mesolypmics or cultural fair.

[olorin]

Hips only is pretty damn impressive. I can't wait to see what LIDAR reveals about Mesoamerican history. Maya and Olmec were so cool.

[blaspicorelli]

Aquí en Puerto Rico, que antes de la colonización, nuestros ancestros Tahinos llamavan a la isla Boriquén. Una de sus actividades era un juego de pelota al que llamaron Batú y se jugaba en una plaza ceremonial rodeada de rocas llamada Batey. Lo jugaban dos equipos de 30 jugadores, hombres y mujeres. El juego despertó curiosidad a los colonizadores al ver la pelota rebotar ya que esto no se conocía en Europa ( la pelota estaba hecha de la raíz del árbol de Cupey). El objetivo del juego era mantener la pelota en el aire utilizando la cabeza, rodilla, muslo y cadera.

[luckymetal]

Fun fact: this game only uses the hips and shoulders because the indigenous people believed keeping their hands and feet preserved for combat.

[NonEuclideanTacoCannon]

That's very cool. I've only met one Mayan person. He was a dishwasher at a Asian fusion restaurant where I worked. He only spoke Mayan, which was interesting. We all knew enough Spanish to work with most immigrants, but none of us knew Mayan. Except our underachieving dolt of a sushi chef was apparently a language genius, and was able to learn enough Mayan to have full-on conversations with the guy in like a week.

[korowheke]

The traditional NZ Maori game Ki-o-Rahi has been revived over the past 15 years, after last being played in WW2. It has since spread through New Zealand schools, has a national tournament and has been played by teams in France and Italy (part of the WW2 connection) and the USA. Would love to see this Pelota revive and spread to have international competition too

[blaspicorelli]

Here in Puerto Rico, before colonization, our Tahino ancestors called the island Boriquén. One of their activities was a ball game they called Batú and it was played in a ceremonial plaza surrounded by rocks called Batey. It was played by two teams of 30 players, men and women. The game aroused curiosity among the colonizers when they saw the ball bounce since this was not known in Europe (the ball was made from the root of the Cupey tree). The objective of the game was to keep the ball in the air using the head, knee, thigh and hip.

[WilliamHaynes-nw]

This needs to become a real televised sport.

[Blue-jdjf]

Its a sport in El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize 🇸🇻🇲🇽🇬🇹🇭🇳🇧🇿
They actually have annual competitions

[MrMountainchris]

It makes me so happy to see this. I was always so sad in history class thinking about what the cultures of the 'new world' would have become without interference.

[oxtristynxo]

I would love to see this sport grow into a Olympic level sport

[adventurecreations]

So awesome. Belonging. Connection to something bigger than self is much needed. Beautiful to see it happening

[mdshershahafghan]

Amazingly extraordinary game... unbelievable..lots of love and prayers from India

[CD-cyxx]

To see these people play their traditional sport dressed in traditional clothing moves me deeply ...There's a special spirit as if through this ceremony a deep voice from the past was saying "We are still here in spirit.. and guding you...". this is the closest I will ever get to time travel .. mesmorizing 🙏

[Santos.Sarmento]

A few years ago I went to Mexico, focusing on the very rich pre-Columbian archeology. In a few weeks I added one hundred percent of the knowledge I had acquired in years of studying!
It's a fact that I was a little sad to see some folkloric demonstrations designed to entertain ignorant tourists, but most of the time I was enchanted by the authentic pride that I saw in many descendants of the original peoples. I had the opportunity to be served by a waiter in the Maya language, with simultaneous translation, a fascinating experience. I'm sure that for this group, they play "ōllamalīztli" or at least ulama and not "juego de pelota".
Much admiration and respect for them!
Greetings from Brazil.

[chicanostudieswithprofesso]

Wow, so cool. Good to see the folks that started back in 2006 are still going strong.

[gaius_enceladus]

Great stuff! This is great to see - pride in one's culture and ancestors!
Very best wishes to all those involved in playing and promoting this game.