Mexican archaeologists have studied rubber sport balls found in the Cave of the Underworld—a ritual structure of the Maya civilization—and were completely shocked.
The Cave of the Underworld was discovered in 2020, buried 8 meters beneath an important pyramid at the ancient city site of Po’p (Tonia) of the pre-Columbian Maya.
A small hole beneath a stone slab in the pyramid led scientists into the Cave of the Underworld, which is a system of small chambers connected by stairs, including a main burial chamber that is 8 meters long.
Entrance to the Cave of the Underworld – (Photo: INAH)
Inside, there were 400 strange objects made from a special type of rubber of the Maya, opaque white and found in the sap of various plant species. These rubber balls were believed to have been used in the ritual “Ball Game.”
Inside the Cave of the Underworld, a vast and complex structure – (Photo: INAH)
The ball court was often a space representing the celestial map with stars opposing each other, a realm of warfare and death, filled with many symbols of power. The game was depicted as a ritual.
However, the balls were not made solely of rubber; they were also mixed with tree roots and something even more shocking: human ashes.
The sulfur from the human ashes acted as a vulcanizing agent, transforming liquid tree sap into actual rubber.
Maya ritual ball court – (Photo: INAH)
These ash-infused balls were played with the purpose of ushering the souls of the deceased into a continued life after death, according to analysis from a scientific team led by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH).
The individuals whose ashes were used for the balls were the ruling Maya of that time, possibly including three kings and a queen who reigned between 722-776 AD. They were brought to the burial chamber 260 days after their death, coinciding with the agricultural cycle of maize—the staple crop of the Maya.
INAH scientists concluded that it is fascinating to discover that the Maya wanted the bodies of their rulers to become a living force after death, much like a source of vitality for the empire.
