Every civilization in history has had some form of at least one sports game that they either invented or adopted from other cultures. Athletic games are an important part of every civilization and are a perfect way for males to let out aggression in a non-violent way while competing to rise to the top of their status hierarchy (at least in a historical sense). These games would often also feature some form of group play, which helps the development of social skills and a sense of belonging. If you visit cities like Chichen-Itza, where the Mayans were once a dominant force, you’ll find many ancient ball courts like the one in the picture above.
One of the most famous games played by the Mayans was a ball game called “pitz”. It was a unique mix of soccer and basketball, where players would kick a heavy rubber ball roughly as big as a soccer ball, with the goal of shooting it through very tall stone hoops. Players weren’t allowed to use their hands to play, and would often wear protective gear around their ribs, knees, and arms, to avoid potential harm coming to them. It sounds like fun! Despite how awesome this game may sound, it wasn’t just a fun way to pass the time. Pitz was a serious game with strong religious roots, and the Mayans believed their survival depended on it.
Mayans Believed Sacrificing Blue People Caused Rain to Fall
Various nations and religions have attached different meanings to colors. For example, the United State's flag is made out of three colors — white, red and blue. The white color signifies purity, the red color is meant to show bravery, and blue is the color of vigilance and justice. One of the most important colors for the Mayans was blue, it played a very big role in their art because it signified first and foremost, the color of their rain god, Chaak. This meant that anyone who disrespects the color does it at their own peril of draught and death of crops.
Mayans would ask Chaak, the rain god, to provide them with rain by sacrificing a human they had painted...you guessed it, blue. That person would get thrown into the altar alive and while their beating heart was cut out and taken straight out of their chest. As mentioned previously, the higher the status of that person, the more “fitting” and “appeasing” the sacrifice was considered for Chaak.
The Mayans Pioneered The Modern Day Sauna
In today’s health-conscious world, the benefits of taking a dry or wet sauna are substantiated, sitting in a sauna for 15 to 30 minutes can do wonders for your cardiovascular system, relieve stress, detox your body and help rejuvenate the cells. There was one empire that had been using them long before Rome ever came to power.
The Mayans had been using saunas for well over 3,000 years ago, thanks to some fantastic technologies they discovered. Sweat baths were discovered by archaeologists in northern Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador, with some of them being 1,000 years older than Jesus Christ. These structures were built as a way for the Mayans to cleanse themselves by sweating out toxins, most likely before or after the crazy enema-induced mushroom trips they were taking. These were made of stone and adobe, and were fully functional.
Pitz Was A Very Serious Religious Game
It's not every day that a civilization’s entire mythology rests on a playful ball game. This is exactly the case with the Mayans and pitz, a game that is part and parcel of their entire creation myth. You see, the Mayans believed that life on earth began after two godly brothers challenged the lords of the underworld to a game of pitz and won. It's almost as if the Christians believed that the world would end because God played a game of football with the devil and scored a touchdown.
This legacy means the game of pitz is absolutely sacred for the Mayans, which makes every game both a spiritual experience and also a literal matter of life and death. The former is because of the religious background behind the story, symbolizing the devoted fight between good and evil. The latter is because losing the game might just result in your death through an act of human sacrifice. This is one game you definitely don't want to play while drunk or high as the Mayans after were.
Mayans Kept Turkeys As Useful Pets
When most people think of the word ‘pet’, the first words that come to mind are usually dogs, cats, parrots, etc. When the Mayans thought of pets, the first animal they had in mind was the turkey. You might ask yourself what possible use could these advanced ancient people have had with an annoying bird whose main claim to fame is being a relative of the T-Rex. Apparently, Mayans have been using these big birds a long time before they became America’s favorite Thanksgiving meal.
While the Mayans most likely ate turkeys like most other people, they also found many other uses for the birds that were quite unique to them. Mayans would often pick their bones and feathers to create various tools, from fans to musical instruments. Archaeologists have found many turkey bones in Guatemala where the Mayans lived, which makes it very likely that they have domesticated them for their wonderful benefits. Raising turkeys as pets isn't the only weird thing that the Mayans did. They also gave their children names based on the calendar. Here's the reason why…