| Object Name: | Drawings of ball courts, vision serpents, and ceremonial bars |
|
|---|---|---|
| Creation Date: | 200-900 AD | |
| Culture: | Maya | |
| Site: | Yaxchilan, Chiapas | |
| Material: | ||
| Repository: | ||
| Image source: | Photo by Dr. Manuel Aguilar | |
| We have come to understand that while the ballgame took place in earthly kingdoms, the ballcourts themselves opened into the Otherworld. Moreover, different ballcourts opened into different locations in the supernatural world. Sometimes the location of the ballcourt is designated in a hieroglyphic text, sometimes in the name of the ballcourt, and sometimes in the imagery and ceremonial bars on its buildings. If the Precolumbian Maya practiced bloodletting sacrifice to sustain the cycle of the soul, they also did it to enter trance and commune with the gods. The Vision Serpents conjured by the ancient Maya in trance rituals, when they open their jaws, convey the gods and the ancestors into the land of the living. | ||
