No matter the wall we will find the wind (2019-05-12) by Jaime Oliverio CamposMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Playing with heritage
Children have always invented different activities to have fun; Sometimes the game is carried out with body movements, such as hide-and-seek, running around, the enchanted game, onion game, and sea viper (similar to the London Bridge game).
Hidden in time (2019-05-11) by Natan Yair Salazar PonceMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Creativity and the everyday
In other cases, you use whatever you have at hand: a slope that acts as a slide, a puddle of water, a place to hide.
Rock, Paper or Scissors (2019-05-10) by Raquel Bonola LeyvaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Natural creativity
When things are going well, you take a branch or stick to drag, pull or push, apricot pits to count, or toys made with cloth, clay or wood.
Pitaya cart 2 (2019-02-07) by Patricia Mejía RuízMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The children of yesterday and today
Maybe today children play with cell phones, computers, tablets, but these will never replace the shells of the neighborhood, the pleasure of dragging a pitaya cart...
Nobody steals the swings (2018) by Jesús Lorenzo Hernández HernándezMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
...throwing a ball, gliding on a skateboard, swinging on swings, or flying kites as high as you can, among many other games.
The competition (2019-05-10) by Raquel Bonola LeyvaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Purepecha Ball Game (2022-11-19) by Association of Indigenous and Traditional Games and Sports of the State of MichoacánMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The traditional games are part of history
Photo 2 Ulama (2017-09) by Francisco Manuel Palma LagunasMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The old ball game
Ulamaliztli is considered the oldest ball game in Mesoamerica. A rubber ball is hit with the hip, the upper part of the thigh and the forearm. It is still played in some towns in the state of Sinaloa.
The joy of continuing with our traditions (2019-02-01) by Sofía Berenice Márquez AlmazánMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Skill and tradition
The purépecha ball or uárukua ch'anakua, (similar to hockey) is played by hitting the rubber or cloth ball with of a stick made of oak wood, tejocote or any other resistant, light wood, and moving it to the side of the opposing team. Each team made up of five players.
5 of the Kimbomba series the Mayan game (2019-05-04) by Alejandro Isael Jiménez SoberanisMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The Yucatecan kimbomba
There is also kimbomba or bolillo, a traditional game from the Yucatecan Peninsula, in which an ovoid piece of wood is thrown as far as possible, by hitting one of its ends with a stick.
Rowéeña Newá (doing the “Huayal” or “Ariweta”) (2019-04-27) by Flor María González VegaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The game of the Rarámuris girls
Finally, there is the huayal or ariweta race, played by Rarámuris girls from the mountains of Chihuahua. Using a stick or branch, a ring of root or bark is thrown as the contestants run.
Lottery (2017-12-30) by Noemi Pino MirandaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Lottery: a classic of round tables and meetings
There are board games, such as the emblematic lottery (like picture bingo), capable of bringing together family, friends and acquaintances in order to win a prize or simply spend time together.
This story was made with the support and collaboration of the Dirección General de Culturas Populares, Indígenas y Urbanas.
The photographs in this exhibition are part of the 10th National Photography Contest, “Trompos, dolls and kites. Traditional games and toys from Mexico”, carried out in 2018 by the Dirección General de Culturas Populares, Indígenas y Urbanas.
