Mesoamerican Rubber Ball Game

Timeline

1. -1400–900Rubber-producing regions of the Gulf Coast · VeracruzDuring the Olmec and Classic Maya periods, Mesoamericans invented rubber vulcanization; in I-shaped courts the ball was struck with hips, elbows, or ball boards to pass through stone rings, and games were closely tied to creation myths, harvest sacrifices, and elite political contests.
2. c. 1071–1080Ball courts of the Yucatán and Mexican Highlands · MexicoAround 1071–1080, rubber ball games continued to be held at the Great Ball Court of Chichén Itzá and at courts in city-states such as Tula; the games carried inter-city political competition, sacrifice of captives, and Feathered Serpent worship, becoming a core scene of public life in the Postclassic Maya–Toltec cultural sphere.
3. 1400–1600Tenochtitlan and various parts of Mesoamerica · MexicoThe Aztecs inherited the rubber ball game tradition and built a ball court at Tenochtitlan; after the Spanish conquest some ritual games were banned, but variants such as ulama continue to this day in the Yucatán and elsewhere, making it one of Mesoamerica's oldest continuing sporting traditions.