The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame

by E. Michael Whittington (Editor)

The Olmec began playing ballgames around 1800 BC, an activity that soon became an important part of Mesoamerican life. This book accompanies an exhibition at the Mint Museum of Art in North Carolina and includes 11 essays from the world's leading authorities on Mesoamerican art and culture. The contributors consider all aspects of ballgames, enactment, gender and symbolic aspects, the regalia worn, `performance', the court setting, and the legacy of the game. The catalogue contains many superb colour photographs of figurines, painted and sculpted vessels and relief panels.

Genres: History, Art

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Daniel Morgan]

This is a great book about the Mesoamerican Ballgame that surveys the history of sport from the remote past of the Formative Period to the present and from the American Southwest down to Central America.

Part 1 is 11 essays about topics such as gender in Olmec ballgames, rubber production in modern Mexico, ballgames of modern Sinaloa, stone regalia, the Maya ballgame as a reenactment of the Popul Vuh, and more. These were fascinating, comprehensive, and relevant, and each one is by a different author to provide a different perspective on the topic.

Part 2 is a catalogue of archaeological pieces, with over 140 large color photographs taking center stage. The layout vaguely follows the topics of the essays, and includes a few short paragraphs every few pages about the pieces of that section.

Great book, engaging writing, over 300 photos - I highly recommend.

[Justinian]

2016-08 - The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame. E. Michael Whittington (Editor). 2001. 288 Pages.

Large coffee table book issued as part of a museum exhibition … I picked it up at some library book sale on a whim. Basically the first half of the book is full of scholarly articles related to the Mesoamerican Ball Game ... the oldest team sport played with a rubber ball in the world. The second half of the book is pictures and descriptions of the objects in the exhibit. The book is much more technical than I expected for an exhibit book. Lots of very technical and scientific information on rubber production, uses, and traditions. A history of team ball sports in to the present era and some speculation on the origins, varieties, and rules of the game as well as the metaphorical and real meanings of the game. I was overwhelmed at first but settled down and accepted the information and then found it quite interesting … more so perhaps than the explanation of the objects. I have been in a Mesoamerican ball court and was already familiar with basic rules, history, objects and depiction in the Popol Vuh.

[pjr8888]

my copy is the softbound version of this book

[Paul]

This is one of my favorite books.If you are interested in precolumbian america.Check this out