The Bouncing Rubber Ball

The rubber ball, today a common object used in sports or as a toy for children and pets, had its origins in ancient Mexico.  Mexico City's subway stations often have cultural exhibits, and currently in the "Zócalo - Tenochtitlan" station there are several showcases highlighting "The Birth of the Rubber Ball".  The ball was used in the pre-Hispanic ball games which were not just a sport, but a religious ceremony that dates back all the way to Mexico's earliest civilization, the Olmecs.

One showcase deals with craftsman Enrique López Hernández who lives in the tropical lowlands of the state of Veracruz.  He creates rubber balls using the traditional process that has been used for millennia.

He gathers the latex sap from the rubber trees that grow in the forest.  He takes the sap and spreads it on the leaves of a bromeliad plant and allows the latex to dry until solid but still pliable.  He then rolls the material by hand, layer by layer, until he has created a ball.

Another showcase deals with recent discoveries at the Olmec site of El Manatí, also in the state of Veracruz.  There archaeologists have discovered a bog in which the ancient Olmecs placed objects as offerings to the gods.  Among them were 14 rubber balls.  They are more than 3000 years old and are the oldest rubber balls in existence.

A replica of one of the balls found at El Manatí

The material is extremely fragile, and the balls survived because of the combination of fine soil, high humidity, acidity and low oxygen levels in the bog.  Now that they have been excavated, archaeologists face the challenge of preserving them.  One of the real balls is now on display at a special exhibit at the Museum of the "Templo Mayor" (the archaeological site in the heart of Mexico City where the foundations of the main temple of the Aztecs was uncovered).  So, I guess a trip to the "Museo del Templo Mayor" is in my future!