Ruins from Above

I visited the National Museum of Anthropology a while ago to see two special exhibits that are currently on display.  One of them was a series of aerial photographs of Mexican archaeological site taken by noted photographer, Santiago Arau.  In keeping with the theme of this summer's World Cup, the emphasis was on the ballcourts of those sites.  A ceremonial ball game was played by almost all of the pre-Hispanic civilizations of Mexico.

The ballcourt at Tula, the capital of the Toltec civilization from 900 to 1200.  It exhibits a shape typical of many ball courts... like an elongated letter "H".

Monte Albán, the capital of the Zapotecs (200 B.C. to A.D. 850) sits atop a mountain high above the city of Oaxaca.

The ballcourt of Monte Albán

The slanted walls on either side of the court were not spectator stands.

They were covered with smooth plaster, and the ball would be bounced off of them.

The ballcourt at Coatetelco

Here's one I had never hear of.  Coatetelco is a small town in the state of Morelos.

In the middle of the community is a small archaeological site dating from the Aztec period (1350 - 1521).  The main remaining structure is the ballcourt.

La Quemada is a site in the state of Zacatecas, farther north than most of the major archaeological sites.  Archaeologists are unsure as to which civilization built it.  Some think it might have been a northern outpost of the Toltecs.  You can see the ballcourt in the center of the site.

Tajín, in the state of Veracruz, was the capital of the Totonac culture (900 - 1200).

A closer view with the ballcourt in the center

I had never heard of Chalcatzingo in the state of Morelos either.  It dates back to 400 B.C., and shows influence of the Olmecs, the oldest civilization in Mexico.

The Mayan city of Uxmal, in the state of Yucatán, flourished from 700 to 1000 A.D.  The ballcourt is visible at the bottom of the photo.

Also in the state of Yucatán, the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá has the largest and best preserved ballcourt in Mesoamerica.