One of the most amazing ancient cultures are the Mayans, they were excellent scientists, architects, artists, mathematicians, and astronomers who could predict phenomena such as eclipses. The story of the Mayan ball game, which they called Pok-ta-pok, due to the noise produced by the ball when it was hit by the players or hit the floor. They believed in the existence of a place of darkness called Xibalba (translated as place of fear ), an underworld located deep below the ground and sea, in caves and cenotes, where the spirits go in the afterlife. The legend recounts that the brothers Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué, who represented the luminous side of the cosmos, went to the underworld to fight against the beings of death and darkness. They were sacrificed and transformed into the sun and the moon. During the rise of the Mayan civilization, the game became an ancestral tradition, in which the rite represented the entrance to the underworld in order to have a fight between light and darkness. 
The rules seem to have changed over the centuries. Certainly two teams played against each other. The number of players varied between 2 and 6 players per team. Sometimes, an additional person is seen in the illustrations, who is believed to be a referee. The ball was put in motion by action of the right hip, the right elbow and the right knee and was not permitted to touch the ground. It could be passed from person to person in each team by propulsion by one of the above body parts. The aim was to move the ball back to the opposite team, preferably through the ring. The goal of the opposition (what today might be termed the defense) was to force the offense to lose control and to allow the ball to touch the ground. The stone ring was an innovation of the late-classic and early post-classic periods, as seen in Chichen Itza and in Uxmal. Playing the ball off the border wall could intensify the game. The ricochet of the ball could hardly be anticipated, especially if the walls were uneven.
A rubber ball was always used. Its size and weight varied over the centuries. Most historians assume a weight of 34 kg and a size of a skittle ball. The existence of a caoutchouc tree was necessary to produce the ball. These trees were found in the tropical regions in the Maya territories.
The usual dress for MBG players is known from iconographic and figural findings. These show leather protection mainly at the hips and the chest, but sometimes also at the knees and the arms, though very seldom at the feet. The clothing was used to protect against the impact of the ball. The protected parts of the body were used to strike the ball. Some players would wear head dresses (like deer heads) for ritual reasons You can book with us our Coba Sunset experience and enjoy this ancient tradition.
