Espiritualidades mayas en los juegos de pelota de antebrazo y cadera en el siglo XXI. Pok-Ta-Pok en México; Chaaj y Chajchaay en Guatemala

Abstract

The present practice on Mesoamerican ball-games has come strengthening the mobilization of knowledge about Mayan spiritualities. The ceremonies are a central component during the ball-games in their forearm fashion: Chaaj in Guatemala; and in their hip fashion: Pok-Ta-Pok in Mexico and Chajchaay in Guatemala. These ancestral corporal heritages are in circulation as a sporting-competitive choice, but also in an exhibition format for different audiences. For each event, actually to undertake the training days, the groups count on the presence of an ajq’ij (a spiritual guide or priest) who carries on a ritual ceremony before, during and after it. These moments evoke the altars, the counting of nahuales and the proper materials for the offerings in the ceremonial fire. With the scope of a better understanding of the sacred dimension of the present Mesoamerican ball-games, it is important for us to think in the moments which are stages of the spiritualities; these communicate, spread and recreate a new milestone for the original peoples, from where they address education, arts, sports and ideologies, as traditionally fetched from the national states.