In Mesoamerica, during pre-Hispanic times, there were already disciplines cataloged today as sports, with rules and roles, although their function was more linked to aspects rituals
Before the arrival of Hernán Cortés, different physical activities existed in Mesoamerica (Photo : Twitter/@oscar_canton-Getty Images)
The sportit is a social product that has evolved over the years. Although there are currently federations and world organizations that govern its operation, there is evidence that demonstrates its existence for thousands of years. The case of Mesoamerica is no different, since sports discipline was a feature adopted and practiced by civilizations since before the cultural shock that implied the arrival of Hernán Cortés.
The colonization prevented the original physical activities from lasting over time. However, there are some that have beenmaintained to the present day, although they had an inevitablemixture with European culture to survive. In this sense, Matilde Espinosa Sánchez, a specialist from the Institute of Anthropological Research, pointed out some examples during the conversation Ritual, game and sport, carried out by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 2021.
“The rarámuris race, the deer dancein the Yaqui towns, the voladores de Papantla, some dances and of course the purépecha ball games, mixtec in Oaxaca and type ulama, whose origins are in present-day Sinaloa and which is currently played in three modalities: cane, arm and hip”, he declared in his speech.
It is worth mentioning that it is difficult to classify the expressions cited under the concept of sportcurrently known. Although the word has its origin in the Latin word de-portare (letting go), the concept accepted today derived from the French term desport, coined during the 15th and 16th centuries on the European continent. In that sense, they correspond to the category of physical activity.
The inhabitants of the Rarámuri have stood out in athletics competitions due to their good condition physics (Photo: Twitter/@Batalladeideas)
Rarámuri race
Currently known as the ball race, it is similar to marathon races. To carry it out you need two teams of five players who are ready tokick and run after a ballthrough the irregular terrain of the Sierra Tarahumara. The objective is physical resistance, since the losing team is the one whose members fall to the ground victims of fatigue. Today it continues to perform and can extend for up to 200 kilometers.
The preparation prior to the performance of the deer dance involves extensive training physics (Photo: Cuartoscuro)
Dance of the deer
Although it might seem linked to the artistic field, the Dance of the deer has a deep link with the physical activity. The expression, by itself, consists of the representation of the sacred animal in the cosmogony of the Mayo and Yaqui peoples of Sonora, which tries to escape the attempts of the rest of the participants to hunt it down. However, beforehand, the protagonist is put through a long physical preparation process to meet the qualities of agility, strength and good condition that describe the deer.
The ritual of the Papantal flyers goes through different phases before being launched from top of the pole (Photo: Cuartoscuro)
Papantla Flyers
The characteristic ritual of the state of Veracruz is a tribute to the deities in Spring to ask for rains that guarantee the fertility of the land. It begins long before the protagonists launch themselves from the top, as the participants must look for the “flying stick” on the mountain. To do this, they must dance and apologize before cutting it down and taking it to their community.
Once in the place, a vine ladder is woven to reach the top, where the objects offered to the gods are placed. In the process, more dances and acts are performed to give rise to the final phase of the ritual, that is, when the five men climb to the top of the pole and descend while one more performs a sound piece with a drum and a piccolo.
In Michoacán a variant of the ball game arose ( Photo: Twitter/@AntonioGC_PRD)
Purépecha Ball Game
In the current region of Michoacán a variant of the best-known pre-Hispanic “sport” arose. Its existence dates back more than 3,500 years and commemorates the birth of the Sun. It is played on a 120 by 8 meter court, with two teams of six peoplewith the objective of transporting a ball to the rival goal. To do this, they must use exclusively the clubs they carry in their handsand they can be sanctioned by the judges in case of using extremities, assaulting or raising their cane above the waist.
The Mixtec ball game is played in various regions of the country and the United States (Photo: Government of Mexico)
Mixtec Ball Game
Another variant of the game de pelota emerged in Oaxaca. In this case, on a field that measures 100 by 11 meters wide, two teams of five players participate, equipped with a glove or mitt, weighing between 3 and 6 kilograms, to hit the ball. The objective is to send the ball to the middle of the opponent’s fieldand prevent them from returning it. For every time a team fails to send the ball back or commits a foul, the opposing team adds units.
The ulama ball game is practiced in three different modalities (Photo: Twitter/@ernestogcortes)
Ulama Ball Game
In this modality, two opposite positions such as life and death, represented in the same number of teams, face each other. The objective is to keep the ball inside the field of play by hitting it towards the area of the rival team, for this there are three modalities, cane, arm and hip, which indicate with what object or limb must be hit the ball. The latter is made of natural rubber and can weigh 500 grams or 4 kilograms.