The Paraíso community in the municipality of Progreso, Yucatan is the place for showing, preserving, and transmitting to new generations as well as tourists, one of the most important rituals of the ancient Maya civilization: the Sacred Ball Game or “Pok ta Pok“.
Recently, Mayor Roger Gómez Ortegón, municipal authorities, and indigenous representatives went to the area where the first court for the Mayan ball game Pok Ta Pok was built in the entire country, after 1,200 years of Chichen Itzá’s climax, this court will contribute to the education and promotion of the Maya Culture nationwide.
Pok Ta Pok is a Mesoamerican ball game, it was played on a rectangular court; The objective was to pass a rubber ball through a vertical hoop without using your hands or feet. It was an important practice with ceremonial and religious connotations since it was linked to beliefs in the underworld for the ancient Mayans.
In this context, the first ball game was held, which took place on the new 30 by 15-meter field, which is oriented north-south, due to the Mayan worldview. Before the demonstration, the Mayan governor and teacher: Jesús Campos Núñez and José Manrique Esquivel, respectively, thanked the municipal authorities for supporting the project, because in addition to having a ritual and religious meaning, it will be a way to honor the gods and to bring new generations closer to their roots.
“We are grateful for supporting this project of a Pok Ta Pok ceremonial field, known as the Mayan ball game, which is an ancient Mayan ceremony to venerate and thank the gods for everything that nature, the cosmos, and the universe,” explained Campos Núñez.
He specified: “Our role as indigenous representatives is that these projects become a reality with the help of the governments that manage the resources, approaching us with respect. Today we see the first field in Yucatan where we are going to see the native dances, ball games, and ceremonies that bring us closer to our Mayan Culture and our Yucatecan people who have Mayan roots.”
He concluded by highlighting that, thanks to the will of the current administration, this project that was presented three months ago is a reality today, and everyone can feel proud since the ball game promoted physical, mental, and strategic skills. , which made it a learning and development tool for young people, so, by representing it currently, the aim is to make new generations interested in learning it. Next, a Mayan ceremony was held to bless the place, so that later the mayor and a player performed the first serve, rebound, and historic hit of the rubber ball; a performance that took attendees back to those times of the Mayan civilization.
San Miguel Times
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