The evidence was found by archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati. They are remains of sacred reverences. The Mayans blessed their ball games. They detected it using environmental DNA analysis.
They identified a collection of plants used in ceremonial rituals in the ancient Mayan city of Yaxnohcah. The plants are known for their religious associations and medicinal properties. They appeared under the floor of a plaza on which a ball court was built. The ancient Mayans would have made a ceremonial offering during the construction of the ball court.
Protection
“When they erected a new building, they asked the good will of the gods to protect the people who inhabited it.” Professor David Lentz said this in a statement. “Some people call it an ‘animation ritual.’ “They sought to obtain a blessing and appease the gods.” The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
The researchers from 2016 to 2022 worked in Yaxnohcah in Campeche. It is about 9 miles north of the Guatemala border. There they excavated a small area for a ball court.
The ancient Mayans played several ball games, including pok-a-tok, which was a mix of soccer and basketball. Players attempted to pass the ball through a hoop or hoop on a wall.
“But not all ball games had hoops,” Lentz said. «Today we think of ball games as a place of entertainment. “It was not like that for the ancient Mayans.” It is believed that in some cases, competitors were sacrificed at the end of the match.
living structures
“Ball games took pride of place in the ceremonial center,” Lentz said. «They were a fundamental part of the city. The closest analogy today might be like christening a new ship,” Lentz said.
“The Mayans blessed their ball games. In a sense, the structures were thought to be alive or to have souls that needed to be fed,” he said.
He said that when buildings were expanded or reused, as was the case with the ball game, the ancient Mayans made offerings to bless the site. Archaeologists sometimes find pottery or jewelry in these offerings along with plants of cultural importance.
