Mesoamerican Rubber Ball for Ballgame

Timeline

1. 600–700Ballcourts of Maya lowland city-states · Maya lowlandsBy the end of the 7th century, Maya city-states commonly built I-shaped ballcourts; the rubber ballgame became an important ritual component of royal coronations, sacrifices, and diplomatic activities, with ballcourt architecture and reliefs depicting ballgame scenes.
2. 701–800Ballcourts at Tikal, Copán, Chichén Itzá, etc. · MesoamericaIn the 8th century, Maya city-states continued building and using ballcourts; players struck the solid rubber ball with hips, elbows, or knees to pass it through stone rings, and ballgame outcomes echoed mythological narratives of heroes' struggles with underworld gods.
3. 701–801Rubber-producing regions of Mesoamerica · GuatemalaMesoamericans collected elastic tree latex, mixed it with lime and morning-glory juice and other substances to produce elastic solid balls. Balls recorded by Spanish conquerors weighed several kilograms, and their bouncing performance astonished Europeans.