What is the Aztec ball game called?
What is the Aztec ball game called?
Pok-A-Tok was a ball game played by the ancient Maya well over 1000 years ago in what’s now Cancun and Riviera Maya. And there’s evidence that the Toltecs and Aztecs played variations of the game, too, as there are stadiums (for lack of a better term) dotted throughout Mexico.
What made the Mayan ball game so difficult to play?
Since the rings were so high and players were not allowed to use their hands, it was extremely difficult to get the ball through a ring. In fact, when a player did manage to get a ball through a ring, that usually ended the game. The game ended otherwise when the ball touched the ground.
What is the Olmec ball game?
The Mesoamerican ball game is a sport that people in Mesoamerica have played since about 1,400 B.C.E. It was the first team sport in history, as far as historians know. The Olmecs, who lived from 1,200 B.C.E. to 400 B.C.E., played the Mesoamerican ballgame. They may have created the game.
How did the Mayans play Pok A Tok?
pok-a-tok | NCpedia. Definition: A ritual ball game of the Maya, versions of which are found throughout Mesoamerica. Played with a solid rubber ball, and heavy pads, the object of the game was to knock the ball with any part of the body except the hands through a stone scoring ring.
What equipment do you need to play Pok-A-Tok?
How to Play Pok-A-Tok at Home? You can do this alone or in teams. You will need two pieces of paper, a pen, tape, a ball.
How was the Aztec ball game played?
The game was played with a rubber ball that was approximately 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) in weight. It is believed that the point of the game was for the players to hit the ball back and forth to each other by using their hips, forearms or thighs. The purpose was to keep the ball in play and keep the game going.
How heavy is a Pok A Tok ball?
In the most common theory of the game, the players struck the ball with their hips, although some versions allowed the use of forearms, rackets, bats, or handstones. The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed as much as 4 kg (9 lbs), and sizes differed greatly over time or according to the version played.
How much does a Pok A Tok ball weigh?
Teams of two to three players competed by using their padded elbows, arms, knees, thighs and shoulders—but no hands—to bounce a solid rubber ball through an inverted stone hoop in the center of the wall. The ball, ranging from the size of a softball to a soccer ball, could weigh up to 20 pounds.
How did the Mayans play basketball?
It was played between two teams in a large court and the gameplay involved hitting a large rubber ball across the court. Mayans associated symbolic significance to the game and considered it a representation of the stage between life and death.
What was the goal of the Mayan game Pok-a-Tok?
The objective of the game was to get a ball through a narrow stone hoop placed on the court wall, often as high up as 20 feet from the ground. Players were not allowed to use their hands or feet—only their head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hips. Ball game scene on a Mayan vase How Was Pok-A-Tok played in Mayan times?
What kind of ball was used in the Mayan game?
The ball used in the Mayan ballgame was made of rubber and fairly heavy. It was usually 10 to 30 cm in diameter. The weight of the ball ranged from 500 grams to 3.5 kilograms. Players were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands. Rather, they had to toss and hit the ball around using the rest of their body,…
Did the Mayans play Pok a Tok?
Pok-A-Tok is a fast-paced ball game played by the Maya of Central America. It is their most famous game, which is thought to have been invented around 2000 BCE. Pok-A-Tok was played in teams of one or two players in every major Mayan city. If there were two players in a team, they assisted each other.