Archaeologists Unearth an Intricately Carved Circular Stone Used as a Scorecard for a Ball Game 1200 Years Ago

Researchers have uncovered many insights about various games played in the past. Ancient civilizations, to a certain extent, always had time for some form of games for leisure and enjoyment. In 2023, archaeologists made a discovery associated with a game played hundreds of years ago in Mexico, stated BBC.

Archaeologists uncovered a carved stone artifact which they believe was used by Mayans to maintain scores for a game. Pelota is a 3,000-year-old game that was played with the help of a rubber ball in a ball court. The game was extremely popular all over Mesoamerica. The finding happened on the Chichen Itza archaeological site. Examinations revealed that the artifact was around 1,200 years old. Archaeologist, Lizbeth Beatriz Mendicut Pérez, found the 88lb stone in a compound-like room known as Casa Colorada (Red House). Casa Colorada has been determined as one of the best-preserved structures built in the pre-Columbian city of Chichen Itza. The artifact was half a meter below the compound's floor.

The central part of the artifact features two people who appear to be playing pelota, sporting elaborate headgear. One of the players was wearing a feather headdress, while the other, who was presumably an opponent, was with a 'snake turban.' The opponent's headdress was called a 'snake turban' by the archaeologists because it essentially was a bunch of snakes moving around his head. Researchers further noted that the opponent also had some protective gear on his body. 

The artifact measured around 32 centimeters (12.6 inches) in diameter, stated CNN. Immediately after its discovery, experts from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) started preparing the artifact for conservation. Several high-resolution photos were taken of the artifact for further detailed examination. Researchers are hopeful that the discovery will give them new insights regarding the area's history, stated DW. "The limestone circle, which has Mayan hieroglyphics on its edge and in the middle of it of Mayan dignitaries playing Pok Ta Pok, the pre-Columbian ball game, can change the history of the site by providing a new element that we were not aware of," Marco Antonio Santos Ramirez, director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, said.

The players are surrounded by hieroglyphic writing. Experts think that the stone must have been placed on an archway of Casa Colorada's entrance, possibly somewhere between the late 800s and early 900s. Researchers believe that the artifact got buried underground when the archway collapsed for some reason. The hieroglyphic writing on the artifact made it stand apart from other similar discoveries. "It is rare to find hieroglyphic writing at this Maya site, and even rarer to find a complete text. This hasn't happened in 11 years," archaeologist Francisco Pérez Ruiz explained.

The Chichen Itza complex has long been considered one of the main archeological centres associated with Mayan civilization, stated CNN. The place has also been deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and receives around two million tourists every year.