ollama

Ollama, also known as tlachtli, was a ritual ball game played throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Possibly originating with the Olmecs, the game spread to various cultures, including the Maya and Aztec. The ball court, shaped like an 'I', represented the heavens. Players used their elbows, knees, and hips to propel a solid rubber ball, aiming to get it into the opponent's end of the court. In later periods, the objective became hitting the ball through vertical stone rings. The game was often violent, leading to injuries and sometimes death, and was sometimes associated with human sacrifice. It is still played in some isolated regions today.1