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Maya ballplayer figurine, fired clay, Late Classic, A.D. 600-700, about 3 inches tall.

Photographed with the permission of the Museo Popol Vuh, Universidad Francisco

Marroquin, Guatemala City. Photographed with a KAIDAN Magellan 1000 Object Rig.

The blue color of this figurine is a rare pigment known as " Mayan Blue." Use the search engine to locate books on thousand-year old Maya painting methods from the Art and Archaeology Book Service.

This figurine is hollow, since solid clay would fracture in the process of heating in the kiln and subsequent cooling. At the back of the figure you can see holes; at the bottom is a mouthpiece to blow on. Most of these figures are whistles or ocarinas .

Figures of this class are best known from the sacred burial island of Jaina, Campeche, Mexico. Almost every museum in the world, and most ever art book on Maya archaeology, pictures Jaina style figurines. This particular figure, however, is from Guatemala.

This individual wears a special outfit used in the favorite sport of the Classic Maya, the sacred rubber ballgame.

Our Book Service has tons of books on the native games of pre-Hispanic cultures.

Also, our institute offers colorful slide shows on this exciting sport.

This game was played using rubber from the rubber trees, which is a local species in the tropical rain forest. Rubber was also used in religious rituals, to make dolls, and to burn (sort of like incense). Hopefully native Maya rubber smelled somewhat better than old tires today. Of course their rubber was natural, not chemical, and not vulcanized.