The Mesoamerican ballgame was no ordinary sport. Played by the Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs, from at least 1200 BC to the Spanish Conquest in the 16th century AD, it was both a contest of breathtaking athletic skill and a ritual spectacle in which the struggle between the opposing forces of day and night, good and evil, life and death was enacted by the teams on the ballcourt, and the penalty for the losers could be severe - sacrifice.
The ballgame was the source of endless inspiration for Mesoamerican artists, who created miniature ballcourts packed with players and spectators, as well as strangely attired ballplayers, painted scenes on ceramic vessels, and an array of equipment which provided them with symbolic and physical protection.
The Sport of Life and Death, the most comprehensive work ever on the Mesoamerican ballgame, brings together a range of these works of art, of striking beauty, vivacity and power.
Essays by leading authorities on Mesoamerican art and culture discuss all aspects of the ballgame, such as the natural history of rubber, the magnificent architecture of the ballcourts, the extraordinary equipment worn by the players, the complex religious symbolism and ritual elements of the games and descriptions of versions that are still played today in Mexico.
A way of attempting to impose order on an unruly universe, as well a lavish entertainment accompanied by music, dance and drama, the ballgame was one of the defining features of Mesoamerican culture and can truly be called The Sport of Life and Death.publiarq.com
(0 Comentarios)
