Source: WTL photo.
Notes: Still looking from the top of the Castillo, we see the famous ball court. Ball games (like international football?) were played throughout the Americas long before Mesoamerican peoples adopted the game. You will see reference to the ball game in the Popol Vuh. The huge dimensions of the courts were rather uniform throughout the region. The game was played by two opposing teams, and it had military, cultural, and religious significance. Plus, it must have been very entertaining, as there were viewing areas lining the court. Players could not use their hands to direct the ball through giant stone rings high up on the walls. The losing players were sacrificed. The blood flowing from their decapitated bodies symbolized fertility of life and earth. Once-colored base relief sculptures bear witness to the profusion of religious symbolism in this site: warriors, priests, plumed serpents, gods, aquatic plants and animals, and more.