Totonac
El Tajín and vicinity, northern Veracruz, Mexico
Fragment of a Ceremonial Ballgame Yoke
INV-1201
Totonac
El Tajín and vicinity, northern Veracruz, Mexico700–800
Fragment of a Ceremonial Ballgame Yoke
Totonac El Tajín and vicinity, northern Veracruz, Mexico →totonactajinclassic veracruzmesoamericanceremonial objectstone
Date
700–800
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
11.5 × 38.6 cm (4 1/2 × 15 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Ethel and Julian Goldsmith
Played throughout Mesoamerica, the ceremonial ballgame was a sport as well as a ritual substitute for war in which sacrifice was often the final outcome. Players were required to propel a heavy rubber ball with their hips, thighs, shoulders, and lower arms. A yoke, made of padded leather or wood, was worn at mid-body to protect the torso and direct the ball. Carved stone yokes were intended as ceremonial emblems or trophies and were not used in actual play. At least eleven ballcourts have been discovered at El Tajín, suggesting that the city may have been a sort of Olympic center as well as a ruling capital.
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