By: Anna Montaner
*Disclaimer: The interviews have been translated from Spanish into English
Years before the Spanish invaded Mexico, a sport of life or death was the main resolution for political conflicts. A game that went by many names like Tlachtli in Nahuatl, Pitz in Mayan or Ollamalistli in Olmecan [Known in English as ‘The game of the ball’] played by the bravest of each region, was banned shortly after the arrival of the Spanish, who viewed it as aggressive and unnecessary.
A sport that marked the culture of a country had been forgotten for nearly 3,500 years until a young Mayan man named Emmanuel Kakalotl slowly brought it back to life. In 2019 the then 28-year-old turned a dump site in the heart of Mexico City into a Pitz field.
Kakalotl saw a need and want from the young people around his community to connect to their ancestors, and as he had grown up with a proud Mayan father who taught him the pre-Hispanic culture, he understood why that connection was vital.
“I don’t see it as just a group of people practicing a sport for a couple hours a day,” Kakalotl said. “When we step foot into the court, we are calling for our ancestors and gods, and we are honouring them for the life they have given.”
Before every game, family members and various elders from different Mexican Indigenous groups, perform a ritual that is meant to awaken the gods. This includes a dance, song and formal attire.
The game consists of two teams, each composed of three to seven players dressed in ‘skin’ robes around their torsos and warrior makeup with a headpiece. They need to keep a four-kilo leather ball in the air by hitting it with their hips, shoulders, or elbows.
If a team can get the ball through a small concrete ring located six meters high, they win a point, but if a team lets the ball touch the ground of their side of the court, they lose a point. These rules are what are believed to be the original rules from 3,500 years ago, but because of the destroyed documents and history, it is hard to tell.
“We learned about this sport through drawings carved in the walls of pyramids and old buildings, some hieroglyphs also showed the stages of games and battles, but there are no details of it, so we’ve had to create them in hopes it lives up to what it once was,” Kakalotl said.
He mentions battles because it is said that this ‘Game of the Ball’ was one of the main resolution techniques used in Mesoamerica. If there were any land disputes between the Indigenous groups, the winner of the game would claim it as theirs.
“There is a legend my father used to tell me, that a game like this would be a fight between light and darkness or good and evil, because of all the movements you have to do, there’s a fluidity that represents the universe constant state of life and death,” Kakalotl said.
In documents from Aztec culture, it was understood that the winners, or the man to put the ball through the ring would be sacrificed to the gods as a gift, in their eyes, the gods deserved the best warrior in the group. In turn, the sacrificed men were promised an eternity in the realms of the gods.
Different elements exist as you look for the game in the different regions of the country, but its connection to the gods and the universe stays intact. For this reason, Kakalotl makes sure to say a prayer to the gods over the ceremonial fire before every game.
“We ask you to wake in the hopes you witness our energy that we give back to you. We ask you to honour us as we honour you by performing the dance of our ancestors as they performed for you years ago.” The phrase is said in both Mayan and Spanish as an acknowledgement of the culture they are representing.
One thing that has changed since the beginning of this sport, is that women are now welcomed and encouraged to participate. Lia Membrillo, a coordinator and participant in the sport, was hesitant to join.
“When I started in this project, it was only as a coordinator, I helped clean out the dump site that was here before,” Membrillo said, “When Emmanuel [Kakalotl] proposed I took one of the spots I almost laughed right at his face.”
Membrillo comes from Nahuatl and Spanish descent, but before playing the game, she found it much easier to connect with her Spanish descent, as most of her Nahuatl one had been erased from history.
While there are no records of women playing the Game of the Ball, seeing that representation within the community made Membrillo want to try, as she put on her ‘skin’ robe, she knew it was the right choice.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but when we first put on the robe, and stand with your team, it is almost as if your ancestors are there with you, playing with you,” Membrillo said.
As for Kakalotl, he knew that making the sport more inclusive would be the answer for its comeback. “You can’t expect a sport to become popular if half the population can’t even play it, I just want the youth to connect with their heritage.”
He reflects on the loss of that heritage due to the high volume of relationships between the Spaniards and the Mexican Indigenous groups. It is said that most of the population in the country has some mix of these cultures along with Spanish blood.
Not being able to strictly ‘be’ one or the other is what has put people like Membrillo off from learning about the side that has been erased. With groups like Kakalotl’s that erasure is slowly reappearing again.
With little support from the government, but a huge one from his community, he and his team continue to prove that their culture is not something to be forgotten and that it will continue to grow as younger people discover who they come from.