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Tlachtli
1.
2. History
Thachtli is kind of a basketball game
The players are the prisoners of war
The game is honoring the gods Amapan and Uappatzi the god of the
ball court also Huitzilopochtli the god of war
The movement of the rubber ball symbolizes the future path of the
sun
The outcome of the game was very popular and the gambling can
reach high levels, just about anything can be gambled (from an
ornate feather to a child)
It is believed that the losing coach, or even the whole team might
have been sacrificed
Because it was an honour to be sacrificed, the winning team might
have lost there lives
3. Ball
The playing ball was roughly the size of a bowling ball
The playing ball was made from rubber
Natural rubber is made by a number of plants which grow in warm
climates
Rubber is able to make other items as well in the ancient world such
as boots and raincoats
The rubber ball weighs about 4-5 Kgs
The ball is so hard the players had to wear padding to protect
themselves when hitting the ball, but they still can get severely
injured
4. Court
The court was normally I or H shaped
There were stone rings at the end of each court
The hoops were about 2-3 meters of the ground
The court was usually between 30-60 meters
The actual hole in the hoop is about 30CM
The hoops were often ornately carved in the form of an animal
It was mean to mirror the ball court of the heavens
And being the ball court of the underworld where the sun passed
each night
The game also represented the battle between day and night
5. Ancient Rules
The ancient game involved passing the ball from side to side without
the ball touching the grounding
If the ball touches the ground you lose a point
You can only hit the ball with your elbow, hips, buttocks and legs
If you hit the ball with the incorrect part of the body you can lose a
point for your team
The real purpose for the game is to get the ball into the hoop
The players are also given kneepads and helmets to protect them
from the heavy ball, but this is temporarily because the losers of the
game was sacrificed to the gods
6. Adapted Rules
We’ll be using the basketball courts and hoops
We’ll be using a dodge ball
There be almost no contact
You can only touch the ball with your body but not your hands
If you drop the ball goes to the opposing team
You can shoot the ball whoever you like
You can only intercept the ball with your body (when you intercept
the ball the ball goes to your team)
The teams can be mixed gender teams
You can’t run with the ball
You can’t kick the ball
Teams between 12-15