Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
A city uncovered
The southern slopes of the Tequila volcano in Jalisco conceal what was once a vibrant city, where magic and culture blended to create rituals and traditions that endure to this day.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Cradle of culture
Amid the volcanic rock where history turned to stone at the Etzatlán Teuchitlán archaeological site, studied by Phil Weigand and Professor Ericka Blanco Morales, an ancestral Mesoamerican tradition flourishes: The Ball Game. A sacred legacy that transcends the ages.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
The many names of the tradition
The ball game, known as tlachcos in Nahuatl, pokol pok in Maya, sú olim pitz in Tzeltal, and tiquija láchi in Zapotec, is the soul that beats in the veins of Mesoamerican Mexico and in the heart of pre-Hispanic settlements, where more than 1,560 courts have been discovered.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Living Mesoamerican tradition
Teochitlán boasts a collection of over 87 ball game courts, both monumental and smaller: relics that revive the spirit of our ancestors. This sacred sport was not only a ritual, but is believed to have been part of the daily life of communities.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Astral beliefs
For many, the ball game is a gateway to divine decisions about man and the cosmos. On the court, the gods played and decided the fate of mortals. Legend even has it that the fall of the great Moctezuma was foretold on a sacred court.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
The fire that gives life
Others say the game represents the dance of the stars on the canvas of the night sky. The ball is the sun traveling through the underworld, symbolized by the court situated below ground level, facing the gods themselves in an eternal struggle to bring us a new day.
A tool for cultural integration
But some believe the game had a purpose beyond the sacred, such as resolving territorial and economic conflicts, even wars. Some courts were located on the borders between two communities, and it is even believed there were bets on the game's outcome.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
A voice for memory
What is certain is that the ball game was a common thread among all Mesoamerican cultures: an integrating activity with a conciliatory and peacekeeping spirit that cannot exist without a rival.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
A voice for the present
Its magical character endures to this day, with hundreds of teams nationwide keeping the alliance alive through opposition. In a competitive environment, players learn to set aside their differences and bring the spirit of our ancestors into the present.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Our face, our roots
With painted faces and accompanied by the chants of our history, players begin the game with a ritual that blesses the actions and reminds us that Mexico will always have the magic of the pre-Hispanic world in its heart and identity.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Discipline and spirituality
Playing in the Sinaloan tradition and wearing the official attire of calzonera with a boot covering the hip and a skirt wrapped around, which helps hit the ball, five players per team try to get the ball to the other side of a 60-meter court using only their hips.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Modern worldview
The men and women who bring the ball game to life maintain Mesoamerican beliefs with regard to its rules. The players are believed to represent the cosmos, so they cannot collide with each other, just as the planets do not collide.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
A mystical symbol
The ball is still made with ancestral techniques, using the latex of a tree mixed with a plant called manto de virgen (virgin's mantle). Weighing 2 to 4 kg, the ball holds a meaning beyond the game: being made of plants, it is believed to have its own life and energy.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
From the past to the future
Ancient traditions can survive thanks to the transmission of techniques and crafts from generation to generation. Using the attire, rules, and ball of our past, the heroes who keep the tradition alive evoke its immortal spirit and carry it into the future.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Ball Game
A look from Mexico's pre-Hispanic past to its cultural future.
Ball Game (2023-03) by Armando MorellónJalisco Culture
Ancestral Nahual Ball Game
This story was created with the help and support of Cultura Jalisco.
