1. Mayan ball game Who played the game? by the pre- Colombian peoples of Ancient ∞ Mesoamerica Why they play the game? The Mayan ball game was not only exiting and dangerous it was a complex ritual Were the balls hollow or solid? Some balls had human skulls at the core! Rubber strips were wound around skulls to form a large hollow ball. Because it’s hollow, the ball would be lighter and bounce higher than a ball that was solid rubber. By Alfie, Igor and Vincent

2. MANOPLA Manoplas, or handstone, were used by ballplayer to hit the heavy rubber balls. In some regions, players also used bats and sticks to keep the ball in motion. Between A.D. 700-900 in Veracruz, ballplayers began wearing stone accessories called Palma-Spanish for “palm found.” These elaborately carved items were held in place by hand or lashed onto the front of the ballplayer`s stone yoke.

3. The ballgame was the first organized game in the history of sports. We can see elements of this 3,500-year-old sport in many of our modern athletic events.

4. The type of ball used! The ball was made out of rubber and it might have a human skull inside of it! The court The Mesoamerican the ball game was an dramatic event, and the court was centre stage. Shaped like an letter “I,” built of cut stone, and painted with bright colours. The ball court was an symbol of a city wealthy and power.

5. PICTURE TIME Here are the Mayans playing the extreme ball game of life and death!

6. The winners of the game were treated as heroes and given a great feast. The penalty for losing a game was sometimes unusually harsh: death. The leader of the team who lost the game was sometimes killed. This fit in with the Mayan belief that human sacrifice was necessary for the continued success of the peoples' agriculture, trade, and overall health. The winners of the game were treated as heroes and given a great feast. The penalty for losing a game was sometimes unusually harsh: death. The leader of the team who lost the game was sometimes killed. This fit in with the Mayan belief that human sacrifice was necessary for the continued success of the peoples' agriculture, trade, and overall health.

7. TThe losers captain was treated death for losing the game so many people didn’t like being captain because they didn’t want to die. What happened to the losers