Source: WTL© photo of the ball court.
Notes: In Náhuatl, the Aztecs called their (Mesoamerican) ball game ullamaliztli. The photographer took this shot low to the ground in the center of the ball court in order to suggest the monumental size of this particular arena. Others, such as the ones at Tikal and Uxmal were smaller. Here you can see the stone ring or goal high up on the left wall. It is said that games often ended 1-0. Not a small athletic feat when you consider that players could only use their chest, elbows, hips, knees, and thighs to advance the ball. And the ball was supposed never to touch the ground! Players were attired in padded breechcloths and they wore thick gloves with the fingers exposed. This game was both sport and ritual, the result of which was the sacrifice of some of the players. Evidence about which side--that is, winners or losers--were sacrificed is varied. Some evidence points to the losers being sacrificed, often by decapitation. Other evidence points to the winners, or the captain of the winning team, being sacrificed.