2-728-680 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Figurine Holding A Ball(?), Xochipala style (1500-500 BC). Ballgame ceremonialism and art peaked between AD 600 and 1100 in Veracruz and elsewhere, but forms of a ballgame were played at most times and places in Mesoamerica. This charming figurine, which seems to hold a ball, illustrates that the game developed much earlier, although we know little about its meaning during this period.