Mayan Sports The most well known sport in Mesoamerica is Pok-ta-tok. It s a ball game one played in a large open area called a court on teams of 2-7 players. Players would have used a small 5-pound solid rubber ball to put through the rings/hoops on either side of the court. Though we don t know the exact rules, we do know they could use forearms and tights to pass and hit the ball, but they could not use their hands. They also wore pads, though injuries were likely common. The games were probably both entertainment and a ritual, with important religious leaders and kings attending. At the Great Ball Court in Chichen Itza there are six relief carvings along the two bench areas. These carvings show two seven-men teams facing each other and the captain holding the head of the losing captain while his snakes spray out from his body.
Mayan Food Maize (corn) was one of the most important crops grown by the Maya, so it was a huge part of their diet. They might boil it in water and lime and eat it as a gruel with chile pepper for breakfast or make it into a dough to make tortillas or flat cakes or as tamales stuffed and baked in leaves. They also hunted a lot of their meat, since they didn t raise animals like cows, goats, or sheep. They would hunt deer, turkeys, quails, ducks, spider and howler monkeys, tapir, and armadillo. They would also catch fish with nets, traps, and lines. The Maya would typically cook their meat in stews with vegetables and peppers. Fish might be salted and dried or roasted over an open fire. The ancient Maya also ate a lot of fruit and a few desserts. Guava, papaya, avocado, custard apple, and sweetsop (pictured left) were fruits they commonly ate. A frothy chocolate drink and honey were desserts the Maya enjoyed. This is actual the origin of drinking chocolate, though it wasn t very sweet, like hot chocolate is today.
Mayan Clothing The Maya wove beautiful fabrics using cotton, hemp, and other fibers. Fibers were dyed and then woven into brilliant designs. Patterns included geometric, floral, animal, and human designs. Using these beautiful and colorful fabrics, the Maya made clothes to drape, not to fit. The Maya loved to wear one loose garment on top of another. Women wore loose blouses, and long skirts that wrapped around them. They might add a colorful woven belt or sash, and then added more fabric garments such as a hip wrap, which was a long scarf wrapped around their hips and tied to the side or back. In the winter, they would add a warm shawl or cloak. Men might wear loin clothes over which they wore a wrap around skirt or kilt. They might carry a woven bag. Many men wore colorful cloth turbans on their heads. In the winter, they too wore a poncho type cloak. The Maya used embroidery to add even more color to their clothing. The poor did not have much time to spend on personal grooming, so they took good care of their clothes. On
festival days, they wore their finery. But when they got home, they put their good clothes carefully away. Clothes had to last. The rich were more careless, but the clothing styles were similar. All the Maya loved color. And all the Maya wore loose clothing. Sandals were made out of deerskin. They were decorated with pompoms and bits of other hides. The Mayas wore a great deal of jewelry - earrings, nose rings, lip rings, necklaces, pins and more. The poor wore jewelry made of bone and sticks and painted clay. The rich wore jewelry of gold, silver, copper, turtle shell, and gemstones. The nobles wore hats, the higher the better. Each was as high as a noble could handle. Some were only a few feet high. Some were taller than they were! Only nobles could use feathers. Some used feathers in their hair. Feathers were also used to add height to hats. If a commoner used feathers, they could be killed. Clothes were more than comfort and color. They were used as a form of communication. You could identify someone's family, social status, and community by their clothing.
Mayan Jobs Mayans had a very complex society, one that required people to do many different types of work. However, most of that work was farming. In fact 90% of Mayan people were involved in farming. The king, or the ruler, in the Mayan city-states had supreme power and was thought to be a living connection to the gods. However, they also had to continue to show that the gods approved of them by being successful in war and by building temples and other religious buildings. A ruler also had to make sure all his people had food. The nobility would basically run the city and it s surrounding areas. They might be judges, officials, counselors, or military leaders. Mayan warriors were very important to Mayan society and usually ranked alongside the nobility. They trained hard in order to be good at going out and taking down the enemy. They didn t want to kill their enemies, instead they wanted to subdue and capture them so they could be sacrifices later. A good warrior was good at capturing rather than killing. Mayan priests had to do a lot of different things, but they also had a lot of power and influence. The king would consult them on important matters. Mostly they performed religious rituals, overlooked ceremonies, and made sure
religion was part of everyday life. Priests were also responsible for developing Mayan science, like astronomy, and their language and teaching the children of nobility. Another important job Mayan men could do was be a merchant or trader. They took goods from one city to another to sell or exchange for other things. They travelled by land and water. Merchants were important to certain cities becoming powerful by spreading goods and ideas. They eventually became a powerful class in Mayan society. Lastly, Mayan women did many different jobs, but none of them were done in public. They were supposed to look after the household, do cooking, and take care of children and the family garden. They might also help their families do the farming. Another important part of women s work was to weave the clothing people wore. Commoner women would weave cloth at their homes in their spare time. If a woman was really good at weaving, she could gain some influence and power as an artist. Overall, the majority of Mayan society was working on farms or serving their rulers through labor, like building temples.