The ballgame’s origins can be traced back to the Initial Formative period, with early examples of rubber balls from the Gulf Coast and an actual ballcourt along the Pacific coast. The rubber tree’s range has been reported to extend north up the Pacific coast as far as the Mexican state of Sinaloa, suggesting that the ballgame’s origins may have been more widespread than previously thought. The ballgame’s origins in the Initial Formative period and its presence in various parts of Mesoamerica, including the highlands and lowlands, suggest that the game was a pan-Mesoamerican institution that profoundly affected the ritual and politics of subsequent states for two millennia.
Ancient Maya Rituals Discovered Beneath Ballcourts in Mexico
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