The happenings of the last few hundred years have been well documented and corroborated, but what about those of the hundreds of years before then — or the thousands before that? With the truth of the distant past so delicately balanced on what little information we have, all it takes is a single revelation to completely rewrite history.
For centuries, one common belief about a Mesoamerican society was held as absolute truth, shaping the study and understanding of these early civilizations. However, a recent discovery has turned this theory completely on its head, and archaeologists are now scrambling to undo a millennia of mistakes.
Through technological advancements and rich traditions, the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica played a vital role in shaping today’s world. Their influence can be seen in everything from fashion to mathematics, though there’s one contribution these early peoples made that many fail to account for.
Pok-ta-pok, more generally known as the Mesoamerican ballgame. Though many versions of the game exist, a standard match consisted of two to four players rallying a large rubber ball.
Mexico Daily News
The method of volley also varied, with some cultures using wooden sticks, handstones, or even handcrafted racquets to return the ball. Most often, though, players used their own bodies, bouncing the ball off their feet or hips.
Celso Flores / Flickr
Ancient ballgames like pok-ta-pok are still played amongst a number of present-day indigenous communities, though its impact has expanded far beyond Mesoamerica. Many modern sports were influenced by this game, including soccer and volleyball.
But pok-ta-pok wasn’t all fun and games. The hard rubber ball passed between players didn’t exactly feel great when smacked against the skin, and, if struck with enough force, the ball could easily maim or even kill a person.
Even more unsettling was the fact that these games were also used for ritualistic purposes, including those involving human sacrifice. Often, the outcome of a game would determine which players would be offered to the gods.
“The ballgame was linked to creation stories, sacred events of heroic/mythical ancestors, and also a key element of the history of the revered sacred ancestors of rulers,” explained Michael Blake, an archaeologist at the University of British Columbia.
Nina Dietzel
This association of the ballgame with religion and sacrifice is often attributed to the ancient Maya, though they weren’t the first to play the game. The sport is believed to have started with the ancient Olmecs around 1650 BCE, as the Mesoamerican lowlands they inhabited were ideal for producing rubber.
Nina Dietzel
From there, it’s believed pok-ta-pok and its variations were gradually adopted by other Mesoamerican civilizations, making its way north to the lush highlands of Oaxaca some 1,000 years later. However, according to a recent discovery, this timeline may actually be way off.
Christopher Adach
In early 2020, a group of researchers led by George Washington University archaeologists Víctor Salazar Chávez and Jeffrey Blomster began a comprehensive study of the Oaxaca highlands. Absent of significant temples and other early structures, the area had largely been ignored by researchers over the years.
Etlatongo Archaeological Project
However, Chávez and Blomster were convinced there was more to this historic region than met the eye. They began their excavation at Etlatongo, a once-thriving village located in the hills of the Nochixtlán Valley.
Though Etlatongo didn’t boast the grand ruins the Mesoamerican lowlands have become famous for, there was one structure that immediately caught the team’s attention: a ballcourt. Likely built around 500 BCE, this playing ground was just another late-age example of the reach of pok-ta-pok.
But as the archeologists explored the areas beyond the court, they discovered several small protrusions in the dirt. As they carefully swept the earth aside, Chávez and Blomster were startled at the artifacts that lay before them.
Formative Etlatongo Project
They were figurines, each depicting the dress and appearance of an ancient ball player. It was a thrilling find, but although the figurines provided insight into the gear used to play pok-ta-pok, they also raised another, somewhat obvious question.
J. Blomster / George Washington University
What were these figurines doing so far from the ballcourt? Sure, it was easy to assume they could’ve simply been misplaced, though given early Mesoamericans’ emphasis on organization, Chávez and Blomster knew this discrepancy wasn’t just something to write off.
Etlatongo Archaeological Project
And so, the team began excavating the site where the figures were found, hoping to find more of the artifacts or even a structure for study — instead, they discovered a lost piece of history that would forever change the history of Mesoamerica.
It was another ballcourt, buried beneath the earth and undoubtedly much older than the one on the surface. The team quickly gathered organic material from the site for testing, and when the results returned, they were speechless.
J. Blomster / George Washington University.
The ballcourt dated back to 1374 BCE, making it 800 years older than any other court in the highlands and the second oldest in all of Mesoamerica. Not only did this completely change the proposed timeline of the spread of pok-ta-pok, but it also meant communities were interacting with each other much earlier than first believed.
Wikimedia Commons
Rather than spreading north from the Olmecs, it was likely that these lowland peoples introduced ball games directly to the civilizations of Oaxaca. From there, the game — as well as culture, trade, and technology — diffused to the rest of Mesoamerica through multiple channels.
With this information, researchers can now better study the variety of influences that ultimately made Mesoamerica a major cradle of civilization. Unfortunately, there’s still one major hurdle they must overcome before they can fully understand the true scope of these ancient empires.
While archaeologists have looked to ancient ruins for clues about the history of early Mesoamerican civilizations for decades, such relics haven’t been easy to find. The jungles of Central America are incredibly dense, making ground exploration difficult.
