Play to Win (and don’t lose your head) 

Surrounding the great Chichén Itzá temple is a series of city structures. One of which I had the opportunity to explore was an impressive stone sport stadium which was a staple feature of several Mayan city sacred complexes. The sport known simply as the “Ball Game” was popular across Mesoamerica and played by major civilizations from the Olmecs to the Aztecs as early as 2,500 BC.

More than just a game though, the event could have a religious significance with the captain of the losing team (or sometimes the entire team) sacrificed to the gods. Such scenes are depicted in the decorative sculpture on the courts themselves, perhaps most famously on the South ball court at El Tajín and at Chichén Itzá, where one relief panel shows two teams of seven players with one player having been decapitated… yikes! Luckily, sacrifices are strictly prohibited when playing our Mayan table game.