What kinds of sports did the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas and ancient Egyptians play?
The Aztecs and Maya enjoyed a variety of sports. The most common were games of “temple ball”, which go by several different names. These were ritual games, usually played with very large inflated bladders (some believe that they were heavy, like medicine balls, others that they were light, like playground balls), which are believed (based upon wall paintings and frescoes) to have included elements of what we might recognize as being peculiar to soccer/football, and basketball, today. We aren’t really sure how the games were played, beyond the images I just alluded to, we do believe that one could win the game, or at least score, by forcing the ball through a large stone ring. How one got the ball through the ring is also somewhat debated. Some believe it was kicked, others manipulated with anything but the hands, etc. In some cases, the winning team was sacrificed; in other cases, the losing team was sacrificed; a few games seem to have been friendly affairs, but they were almost alway
