The mayas games

Since the rings were so high and players were not allowed to use their hands, it was extremely difficult to get the ball through a ring. In fact, when a player did manage to get a ball through a ring, that usually ended the game.

The game ended otherwise when the ball touched the ground. The Mayan Ball Game was a solemn experience, filled with ritual importance. Religious leaders attended, as did most chieftains and other government leaders.

Sacred songs were sung and played. Other religious activities took place as well. See more. Lucy Buglass. Categories BBC Shows. Whattowatch Newsletter. Get the latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands. Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors. Thank you for signing up to Whattowatch. You will receive a verification email shortly.

There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. Phil Keoghan — things you didn't know about 'The Amazing Race' host. They also saw it as a reminder of the Hero Twins, who overcame death and became demi-gods themselves.

Thus, the game symbolizes regeneration and life. The losers were not sacrificed—at least not all the time. If that were the case, the Maya civilization would have decimated itself fairly quickly. The winners of the war also won the ball game , after which the losers were then sacrificed, either by decapitation or removal of the heart.

The Maya played a game called Pok -ta- tok. It was a ball game, the ball they used was a five pound solid rubber ball. They could use their forearms and thighs to pass and hit the ball.

The object of the game was to get the ball into the hoops on either sides of the ball court. Mayans everyday lives were busy, either with jobs, trading, producing crops and goods, ceremonies, games, dancing, writing, and astronomy and mathematics.

Mayans made a writing system that used hieroglyphs, which each picture had its own meaning. Mayan civilization facts for kids The Maya civilization were people who lived in Central America. The Maya lived there 4, years ago about BC. Kids and School. In the ancient Maya society, there was a special class of priest whose job was to teach the children of the nobles. That priest, or group of priests, taught math, science, astronomy, medicine, writing, and other subjects.

But there was no formal school for the children of commoners. The most common materials used for ancient Mayan clothing were cotton , bark cloth, and hemp fibre. It has also been suggested that bark cloth was mainly reserved for ritual clothing. Mayans had access to two different types of cotton. One was white and the other one was brown. The Maya were a smaller race of people with dark skin, dark eyes and straight black hair, but to them what was considered physically beautiful was not the way they were born, but a long sloping forehead and slightly crossed-eyes.

The Mayas prized a long sloping forehead. The shape of the houses was the same for both main classes. The houses consist of mud and stone walls with thatched roofs.

The houses also have straw to protect them from things such as rain and snow.