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THE BALL GAME, SACRIFICE, AND SKULL RACKS IN PRECONTACT MESOAMERICA

Abstract

The Classic and Postclassic periods (AD 600-1519) in Ancient Mesoamerica were dominated by three distinct cultures: the Aztec, the Maya, and the Toltec. These three cultures were interconnected by numerous aspects of both the physical and cosmological worlds. One of those aspects was the “ball game” – a game played with a rubber ball on an I-shaped court in which the players can only move the ball around the field using their hips, thighs, and torso. In fact, the ball game was so important in Ancient Mesoamerica, that it became a central point of focus in the creation myths of all three cultures. While there is a plethora of academic information regarding the Mesoamerican ball game, there is a significant lack of information regarding the practices of human sacrifice that coincided with the game itself – specifically, the displaying of the loser’s decapitated head on architectural structures called tzompantli, or “skull racks”. The focus of this study is to gain a better understanding as to the significance of skull racks, why they were so important to Mesoamerican cultures, and why these mysterious structures continue to be an architectural enigma within the study of pre-Columbian civilizations.

Acknowledgements

Dr. Terry G. Powis, Marie and Jane from the Peabody Museum at Harvard.

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