An arena for a southern sport
The Wupatki ball court is an oval-shaped arena constructed by Ancestral Puebloan people of the Sinagua culture in the 12th century. The structure measures 102 feet long by 78 feet wide (about 31 by 24 meters) and was originally enclosed by masonry walls standing 6 feet high. Builders used flat, red blocks of the local Moenkopi sandstone, holding them together with a clay-based mortar. The court was excavated and partially reconstructed by archaeologists in 1965.
This structure is the northernmost known example of a Mesoamerican ball court. Hundreds of similar courts exist, but they are common in southern Arizona and Mexico. The presence of this court at Wupatki suggests a connection to cultures far to the south, like the Hohokam of southern Arizona, who may have adopted the game from peoples in Mexico. This cultural transfer is supported by other artifacts found at Wupatki, including copper bells, seashells from the Gulf of California, and macaw feathers, all indicating a trade network.
Reconstructing the game
While the exact rules of the game played at Wupatki are unknown, they were likely similar to the games played farther south. The Mesoamerican ballgame was a sport with deep ritual associations played since at least 1650 BCE. In most versions, players used their hips to strike a solid rubber ball, attempting to keep it in play. The ball could weigh as much as 9 pounds (4.1 kg).
The game often had cosmic symbolism, with the court representing the world and the ball's movement mirroring the passage of the sun, moon, and stars. In some Mesoamerican cultures, the game was associated with human sacrifice, where captives or even players might be ritually killed. There is no archaeological evidence to suggest this practice occurred at Wupatki. The game here was likely a forum for social exchange, ritual, and settling disputes between villages. The construction of a large, labor-intensive court suggests the game was part of community life.