In Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula, during archaeological excavations in the ancient center of the Mayan civilization of Chichen Itza, a stone scoreboard more than a thousand years old was discovered, which was used to play ball. On this subject informed Reuters, citing Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.
The dashboard was found one and a half meters underground on the territory of the architectural complex known as Casa Colorada, informed “BBC”. The artifact is a stone disc with a diameter of just over 32 cm and a weight of 40 kg.
The scoreboard shows two players near the ball: one of them is dressed in a feather headdress, the other in the so-called “snake turban”, the image of which is often found at Chichen Itza. Hieroglyphic text is also fully preserved on disk.
“At Chichen Itza it is rare to find hieroglyphic writing, let alone a complete text,” said archaeologist Francisco Pérez Ruiz. According to him, this had not happened for 11 years.
According to experts, the stone may have decorated the arch at the entrance to the complex between the late 800s and early 900s AD.
Ball games were a common practice in Mesoamerican societies. Experts believe it was more of a ritual than a sport: it symbolically recreated the mythical battle between day and night. Also during the game they made bets and resolved disputes, Remarks Yucatan weather.
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