Material: limestone

Size: 14.5 in x 11 in

 

First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to this object--what details do you notice? Why did you pick this object for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about it. Also, write down any questions you have about it--what kinds of things would you want to know about this object? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.​

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What do we know about this object?​

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This carved relief depicts a ballplayer in the Mayan ballgame. He is elaborately dressed--note in particular the "belt" he wears, which we watched a video about in class. Note also his headdress and shin guards. The ball is in the air, coming towards the ballplayer's hip. The relief includes some Mayan hieroglyphics. The two hieroglyphs in the upper right identify the subject as a ball player and possibly a jaguar deity. The ball is labeled with the numeral 9 and the hieroglyph nahb, thought to mean “hand-span.” It seems that the ball was nine hand-spans in circumference—that is, about two feet in diameter. Remember that these balls were also made of solid rubber, and were extremely heavy. If they hit you they would cause serious physical damage and even death. This was not just "a game"; ball-courts were usually built next to temples, and the game was closely linked to Mayan religion. According to one myth, hero-twins descended to the underworld and played a ball-game against the gods of the underworld; when they won, they were allowed to leave the underworld and return to the world of the living. Ballplayers in art like this piece are often identified as (or connected to) deities, as if even the mortal players are reenacting the famous mythological match between the hero-twins and the underworld gods, a match which was part of the Mayan story of the creation of the world.

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This sculpture was found at a site known today as "La Corona". Unfortunately the La Corona archaeological site has been heavily looted, and monuments have been broken apart, and looters' tunnels criss-cross the site. Many sculptures illegally looted from this site have ended up in museums in the USA. Looters will dig up artifacts, ship them to the European nation of Belgium, and then the artifacts are brought into the USA with few restrictions, given their European point of origin. Archaeologists have been working to track these sculptures, and Guatemala--a country with a lot of Mayan archaeological sites--has been requesting the return of looted artwork from countries such as the USA.

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Interestingly, archaeologists have not yet found a ballcourt for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame at La Corona. And yet, multiple carved reliefs showing ballplayers have been identified as coming from this site (several were looted and ended up in US museums). La Corona was an independent Mayan city with its own rulers and elite, but it was part of a broader Mayan culture which included the Mesoamerican ballgame. What did this ballgame mean to the Mayans, if they produce artwork showing ballplayers even in cities which were too small to have a proper court? Remember the video I showed in class about the ballgame, and how even the upper-class sometimes "dressed up" in the outfit of a ballplayer to give themselves greater prestige. 

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to this object? What drew your eye? What do you like about it, or dislike? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the artistic details of this object carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artist make when they were creating this piece, and why? Use your art terminology.

• What does this image tell you about the ballgame and how it was played? What information are we still missing about this sport?

• Why was a sculpture of a ballplayer produced at a site which did not actually have a ballcourt for hosting the famous Mesoamerican ballgame? What did this game mean to the Mayan people? How was it connected to their religion? How do you think someone from La Corona would view this sculpture, and what would they think about it?