Richard Brommer
An ancient ballpark and stela in the Mayan ruins of Copán
Among the Mayan ruins in Copán there is a ballpark dating from about A.D. 775. It is interesting to note that the game that had played here in Copán, Honduras, was very similar to the one that was played in the ballpark discovered in the ruins of Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. The object of the game seems to have been to bounce the ball up the slanted walls and hit one of the carved stone goals at the top. The large heavy ball was made of solid rubber and the players were not allowed to touch it with their hands, arms, or feet.
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If sports interest you, do a bit of research about a game called el batú that was played by the Taíno in Puerto Rico. Note some of the interesting similarities in the game played by the Maya and the Taíno.