[Untitled]
Item
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Identifier
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TP.2022.J.12
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title
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Figurine of a Ballplayer
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name
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Unknown
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date created
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ca. 600–900 CE
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area
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44.5 x 56.7 x 35.8 in (113 x 144 x 91 cm)
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description
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"Jaina-style figurine depicting a ballplayer in a dynamic pose. His right arm is bent over his waist and his left arm is fully extended; the left knee resting on the floor and the right leg flexed forms a right angle with the previous one; the posture shows it in the moment before the launch or reception of the solid rubber ball. The ball game was a civic-ceremonial activity characteristic of religious life, both Mayan and the rest of Mesoamerica, which was practiced in a special court located in a privileged place in the main cities of the Mayans. The relevance of the game lies in its cosmic symbolism, without ceasing to be a playful element in which priests and warriors contended. In this modality, the rules of the game did not allow the ball to be touched with the hands, so it was hit with the forearm, the hip and the knee, so these parts of the body had to be well protected. The player shows the right arm covered up to the elbow by a thick padded sleeve; as well as a thick belt placed at the waist, and in the lower section the bulky fabric parts, as well as a rope that holds it in front. The figurine was located during the explorations carried out on the island of Jaina in the year 1964, and was part of the grave goods of burial 77."
—Dr. Federica Sodi Miranda, Museo Nacional de Antropología, México (Translated from Spanish with Google Translate)
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Access Rights
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Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, INAH. Digitization Project of the Archaeological Collections of the Museo Nacional de Antropología. CONACULTA-CANON-MNA.
TP-2022-J-12