Cobá Part 3: Ball Court 1 at Grupo Cobá

Using his hip, a Maya ball player propels a hard rubber ball toward a stone ring. He wears a loincloth and a leather protector called a yoke around his mid-section. The leather yoke is necessary to protect him from the heavy rubber ball. Serious injury or even death could result if it struck the player in his stomach area. He also wears a leather helmet, for the same reason. The hips, upper legs, shoulders, and elbows were the primary parts of the body used in play, because the use of hands or feet was forbidden by the rules.

Cobá has two courts. Grupo Cobá, also called Group B, contains Ball Court 1. The court is located just north of the Acropolis, which is the first group of structures you encounter after entering the Cobá Archeological Zone. (See Part 1 for directions to Cobá). In this posting, I'll show you the two parallel structures which form Ball Court 1. I'll also show the two stelae (upright stone monuments) adjacent to it. Along with the photos, I'll tell you about the ball game itself and its relationship with the Maya view of the Cosmos.

Overview

Ball Court 1 is formed by two parallel structures labeled 17a and 17b. They are located a short distance north of Patio A and La Iglesia pyramid (see Part 2). A narrow alley runs between the ball court's parallel structures, forming the ground-level part of the playing area. Also part of the area of play are the sloping interior walls of 17a and 17b. Mounted high on the middle of each wall is a stone ring, similar to the one in the photo of the ball player. On the west side of Structure 17b, Stelae 9 and 10 stand side-by-side within a "U" shaped enclosure.

Elite spectators would stand on the top of the parallel structures to view the game as it was played below. They ascended to those positions by way of several staircases. The ones on the north and east sides of 17a  are impressive, while the ones on 17b are less so. In fact, 17a is the more complex structure in several ways. This leads me to believe that 17a was intended for use by the "home team" and its spectators, while 17b was for the visiting team.

The human figures on the two stone panels found at Ball Court #1 may be ball players. These panels are not Stelae 9 and 10, which will be shown at the end of this post. The panels above are quite weather-worn, so the figures and hieroglyphs carved into the limestone are difficult to discern. Some sources suggest that these figures may be prisoners captured during warfare. However, I doubt this. War captives are nearly always portrayed as small figures with bound hands, and in kneeling or subservient positions. The tall figures on these two panels stand erect, suggesting that they were people of importance deserving respect.

Grupo Cobá's Ball Court #1

Looking north along the playing field. The ball court's narrow alleyway and sloping walls form the playing area. Structure 17a is on the left and 17b is to the right. The walls don't extend all the way to the ground, but stop at narrow shelves. Then, there is  a short vertical drop to the ground. Mid-way down the field, at the top of the walls, you can see stone rings on either side of the court. The length of Ball Court #1 is 70m (230ft) and the alley's width is approximately 3m (10ft). The sloping walls are about 6m (20t) high, not including the structures on top. 

Ball Courts in Mesoamerica were built in a variety of sizes and designs. The smallest I have encountered is at the Zapotec city of Monte Alban, in Oaxaca. It is only about 15m (50ft) long, with an alley 2m (6.6ft) wide, with sloping walls that are around 1.5m (5ft) tall. The largest is at Chichen Itza, in north-central Yucatan. That huge court is 146.3m (480ft) long. Its alley is 36.6m (120ft) wide, with vertical walls that rise to 8m (26ft). Most cities in ancient Mesoamerica had ball courts. Some, like Cobá, had two or more. The city of Cantona, located in the state of Puebla, has the most. It contains twenty-seven courts! 

Stone ring on the west side (17b) of the court. The ball game is quite ancient. The earliest known courts date back to the Pre-Classic period. The oldest court yet discovered dates to at least 1400 BC and the oldest rubber ball to 1600 BC. The game may have been created by the Olmecs, known as the "Mother of Cultures". Whether or not they originated the ball game, it likely spread throughout Mesoamerica by way of their trade networks. However, the use of stone rings in ball courts was a much later innovation. They began to appear after 900 AD in the Post-Classic era.

Ball court rings come in various styles and sizes. The one above has a fairly large hole, about the size of a small beach ball. I have seen other rings that would only accommodate a ball about the size of one used today in soccer. While this ring is undecorated around its rim, others I have seen contain elablorate carvings of animals or abstract designs. 

Passing the ball through a ring was difficult and therefore probably rare. Doing so may have signaled an automatic win. The usual way of winning was to score points by moving the ball to the opponent's end zone or preventing him from returning the ball. Penalties were incurred by touching the ball with the hands or feet or letting it bounce more than once on the floor of the alley. 

Structure 17b, the Ball Court's west side

The north end of Structure 17b. A five-step staircase on the north end of 17b leads up to a platform, but not to the top of the structure. The purpose of this short staircase is not clear. It is possible that another flight of stairs once provided access from the platform to the top. However, due to the deteriorated condition of this end of 17b, it is not possible to say. However, the south end of 17b does have a narrow staircase that leads from the ground level up to the top. In the distance, beyond the five-step staircase, you can see part of the sloping wall of Structure 17a.

The south end of 17b, with its narrow staircase. On the right, the east wall of the playing area (17a) and its stone ring can be seen. On the left (west) side of 17b, you can see the thatched roof of the palapa which shelters Stelae 9 and 10. Although the playing field areas of the two parallel structures are identical, the overall size of 17b is slightly smaller and the spectator area on its top is less elaborate than the one on 17a. The reason for this is not clear. Perhaps 17b was intended for the use of the visiting team and its elite spectators, while the larger and more elaborate 17a was constructed for the home team. 

Structure 17a, the Ball Court's east side

View of the southeast corner of 17a. Carole is on the left, inspecting the south side of the structure. The sloping wall of 17b can been seen in the distance beyond her. The ledge above Carole contains several rectangular columns which once supported a roof. The purpose of this room is unknown, but it may have been used by players to store their clothes and possessions during the game. On the right (east side), a broad staircase can be seen. It leads up to 17a's colonnaded top. The three steps in the foreground lead down into Patio F.  (See site map above)

The east-side staircase of 17a. As I noted previously, these stairs allowed Cobá's elite to ascend to a position where they could view the game as it was played below. The rectangular columns lining the top level once supported a roof to shelter spectators from the sun or rain. While these stairs allowed access to the top, they also face into Plaza F, so they could have functioned at other times as stadium seats for viewing important ceremonies conducted in the plaza. This staircase has thirteen steps, an important number in the Maya world.

Most pre-hispanic people, including the Maya, believed that there were thirteen levels in heaven and nine levels in the underworld (Xibalba). In between these top and bottom dimensions was the earth, seen as a caiman or turtle floating in a primordial sea. Each of the levels of the upper and lower worlds was ruled by a particular god. The deity who lived at the thirteenth (top) level was Itzamna, the supreme creator god. 

Structure 17a's northeast corner. On the left (east) side is the broad staircase. The corner of 17a contains a small, colonnaded room with three pillars, accessed by a four-step staircase. This may have been used by an officiating priest. On the right is the mouth of a tunnel that runs beneath the staircase that is located on the north side of 17a.

In addition to the connection between 17a's east-side stairs and the levels of heaven, the ball game reflected other aspects of the Maya Cosmos. In 1550, a book called the Popul Vuh ("Community Book") was written by a Spanish priest. He based it on Maya oral traditions. There have long been doubts about its accuracy in recounting the centuries-old myths. However, in the late 20th century, excavations at the Pre-Classic city of El Mirador proved that the Popul Vuh faithfully represents those myths. One of the most important was about the Hero Twins and their famous ball game with the Lords of the Underworld.

The staircase on the north end of 17a reaches the top of the structure. This staircase is an example of how 17a is the more impressive half of the ball court. Along with the one on the east side, these stairs provided ways for large processions of Cobá's elite to mount the eastern half of the structure.  By contrast, 17b has one narrow set of stairs to the top on its south end. The staircase on its north end is much smaller than either of those on 17a. It also doesn't appear to reach the top level. 

In the Popul Vuh's story about the Hero Twins, their father was the Maiz (corn) God, known as Hun Hunahpu. He and his brother were great ball players and were summoned by the Lords of the Underworld to play a game. Hun Hunahpu and his brother were defeated and sacrificed by the Lords. Later, the twin sons of the Maiz God also became ball players. Like their father and uncle, the Hero Twins were summoned to play against the Underworld Lords. Using their ball game expertise, along with trickery, the twins defeated and sacrificed the Lords. They then resurrected the Maiz God, who became humanity's benefactor. 

The western end of the tunnel that runs completely under the north staircase of 17a. Tunnels like this served several purposes. Structurally, the corbel-vaulted tunnel provided support for the masonry above. In addition, the spaces could be used for elite gatherings, religious rituals, or storage. Finally, passageways such as this often symbolized transitions, such as the passage from death, through the underworld, to rebirth. 

The geographical orientation of Cobá's ball court also suggests a relationship with the Cosmos. The Maya believed that the Four Cardinal Directions (north, south, east, and west) were sacred and represented the structure of the Cosmos. The most important direction was east, where the life-giving sun rose. It set in the west, which represented death and the underworld. The sun's zenith was in the heavens at mid-day, which represented north. Its nadir was midnight, represented by south (the underworld). At Cobá, the ball court's axis is a little east of north, suggesting both the sun's rise and its zenith.

Stelae 9 and 10

Stelae 9 & 10 stand side-by-side on west side of the 17b. Stela 9 is on the left. Only about half of the original stela remains. It was discovered in 1893 by Austrian archeologist Teobert Maler. On its right is Stela 10. The lower half of 10 was discovered by Maler at the same time that he found Stela 9. The upper half of Stela 10 was't found until more than a century later. The west side of Structure 17b can be seen in the background.

Drawing of Stela 9. The stela is very worn and the upper part is still missing. Only the outlines of the hieroglyphs can be seen, along with the image of a man from his waist down to his sandaled feet. The cylindrical object that he holds across his chest indicates that he was a ruler. This symbol of high office is carried in the identical manner by rulers who appear on stelae throughout Cobá. 

Suspended down from his neck, almost to his ankles, is a horizontal bar with three tubular beads coming out of its right end. There were once beads on the left end, but they are too worn to be seen. Rulers wore bars like this when they dressed for war and intended to take captives. An almost identical bar, in good condition, can be seen on the lower portion of Stela 11 in Part 2 of this series. It is not clear why there are no bound captives at the feet of this figure, unlike those on Stela 11 and on other images of rulers at Cobá.  (Photo from Peabody Museum, Harvard University)

Drawing of Stela 10's top and bottom pieces. The lower part of the stela was found by Teobert Maler in 1893, standing next to Stela 9. More than a century later, in 1996, the upper section was discovered, buried in nearby rubble. The figure on the stela is a young man in good physical condition.

Drooping down from the back of his head is a kind of a pigtail, similar to the one on the ball player in the first photo. Also like that player, he is naked from the waist up and wears no sandals on his bare feet. Around his waist is the outline of what may be a protective yoke. All these factors strongly suggest that he is a ball player. (Photo from Peabody Museum, Harvard University)

This completes Part 3 of my Cobá series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly. If you leave a question, please remember to include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim