How Meso-Americans Played Basketball

The games of the Aztec and many other cultures of Latin America, were activities for entertainment and sport. Most of these games were played for ritual and sacrificial purposes. A ball court was found in the temples at La Venta of the Olmecs who lived in the Gulf Coast. This court was used for the game Tlachtli, which is the origin of basketball. Tlachtli was a game which was played as early as 500 B.C. It was played in a rectangular court with a ball made of hard rubber. In the middle of the court, there was a stone or wooden ring basket. The players used their legs, hips, or elbows to hit the ball. This game was considered sacred and the losers of Tlachtli were killed.