The ancient Mexican ball game can be traced back to before 1500 BC. It features in Mayan myths such as the story of the hero-twins Hunahpu and Xbalanqué, who play the game with the Lords of Death for days and nights, defying the forces of destiny. There were ball courts in all Mayan cities. No one knows exactly how the game was played, but it is thought that there were two main forms. One was played by two or four players on the older, smaller courts, and the aim was to keep the ball from touching the ground and get it past your opponent(s) and out at the end of the court. The other form corresponded to much bigger courts, such as at Chichén Itzá, and was played by teams of seven who scored in big rings on either side of the court. In either style players could not touch the ball with hands or feet, but only with shoulders, chest and hips, so scoring was very hard. Games had great ritual significance, and sometimes, but not always, losing players were sacrificed to the gods.

The Ball Court Ball courts were found in all the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. Though the style and size of the courts varied, they were always I-shaped, as in the Aztec codex illustration below. The game was viewed as symbolic of the cycle of life, and the court represented the world. While games had important religious significance, it is known that men also placed bets on the results.