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Mesoamerica Research Paper

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What it is
It is among the earliest and oldest sports played in America. It specifically originated in Central America with the Mexicans in the Southern part of Mexico. Different towns thrived in this game which was to them more than a sport. It was both a sport, a religious activity and it was also political. It was also social because it brought the people in towns together.
The sport part of Mesoamerican ballgame involved getting a ball made of rubber into one among many rings. The ball was solid and would weigh up to three kilograms. While playing to put the ball through a ring, players were not to use their hands but were to use their thighs, shoulders, elbows and even knees to pass this ball. The game was only played by men. It was significantly played by warriors who were to prove their strength or get rewarded. While in other towns and Kingdoms, captives of wars were …show more content…

They could be as many as twenty in a town. It is said that Mesoamerica had up to thirteen hundred ball courts. They were built inside with walls that were either bent towards the centre or vertical. There was an enclosing in the courts where the player only played. This is because as was in the ancient days, the sport was observed as a matter of life and death for the winner and losers. The ball courts were built mythically orienting themselves to the North and South of the compass.
The ball courts were built such that, they had markers on them, more so on the lengths of the courts, mostly three. This markers were also symbolic in that, they represented the movements of the moon and the sun in relation to the ground.
When ball gaming became widespread, it became part of North America too where they built courts or the same. The sport thrived in many countries and cities and became with time an architectural and social activity than a culture.
The cultural and Mythological importance of Mesoamerican

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