Games of the mayans

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Please refresh the page and try again. Generally only high status prisoners of war were sacrificed, with lower status captives being used for labour. What happened to the Olmecs? Around B. La Venta went into decline and was eventually abandoned altogether. Did the Olmecs practice human sacrifice? The Aztecs were not the first civilization in Mesoamerica to practise human sacrifice as probably it was the Olmec civilization BCE which first began such rituals atop their sacred pyramids.

Other civilizations such as the Maya and Toltecs continued the practice. Where did the Mayans play Pok A Tok? And there's evidence that the Toltecs and Aztecs played variations of the game, too, as there are stadiums for lack of a better term dotted throughout Mexico. What are the main rules of the Olmec ball game? The players were only allowed to use their heads, elbows, legs, and hips to hit the ball.

The ball was not allowed to touch the ground, so the players often dove to avoid losing points. If one of the teams got the ball through the stone hoop, the game was over and that team won. What language did the Mayans speak? Yucatecan branch Yucatec Maya known simply as "Maya" to its speakers is the most commonly spoken Mayan language in Mexico. Did the Mayans sacrifice babies?

The Incas performed child sacrifices during or after important events, such as the death of the Sapa Inca emperor or during a famine. The winners of the game were treated as heroes and given a great feast. The penalty for losing a game was sometimes unusually harsh: death. The leader of the team who lost the game was sometimes killed. This fit in with the Mayan belief that human sacrifice was necessary for the continued success of the peoples' agriculture, trade, and overall health.

The game was like games and sports that people play today in a few ways:. Get weekly newsletter. Social Studies for Kids copyright — David White.