The Aztec version of the ballgame is called ōllamalitzli (sometimes spelled ullamaliztli) and are derived from the word ōlli "rubber" and the verb ōllama or "to play ball". The ball itself was called ōllamaloni and the ballcourt was called a tlachtli. | Aztec Nation

The Aztecs played a deadly ball game where a loss could mean sacrifice to their gods but this 3500yearold ritual wasnt invented by the Aztecs at all 🏀 🔮 Called ullamaliztli in the Aztec language of Nahuatl this dangerous sport used a solid rubber ball weighing up to 9 pounds that players could only hit with their hips elbows and knees Archaeologists discovered a rubber ball dating to 1600 BC at a site called El Manatí proving the game existed over 1600 years before the Aztec empire The oldest

Ball like the ancient Mayans with a game of Mesoamerican ballgame. No hands and no feet allowed in this sport — it's all about the hips. | Great Big Story