The grand Mesoamerican Ball Game that was practiced by the Mayas and other great pre-Hispanic civilizations comes to life at Xcaret Park as one of the top attractions that can be enjoyed when night falls. The Mayan Ball Game at Xcaret also known as “Pok-ta-pok” is one of the highlights of the Xcaret Night Show Mexico Spectacular; an ancestral ritual long time played to honor the gods in a bloody dispute for life.   

The Mayan Ball game at Xcaret attracts thousands of spectators, by recreating a Mesoamerican tradition that originated more than 3,500 years ago as the sacred sport of one of the most important pre-Columbian civilizations of all times: the Mayan culture. The real Ball Game ccourts still remain intact at the different archaeological zones in Mexico, such as the Mayan Ball Game court in Chichen Itza and in other ancient cities including Uxmal, Tikal, Copan (Honduras) and Monte Alban.

The Mayan Ball Game at Xcaret is a great opportunity to experience a daring ritual where a group of participants dressed up as traditional ball game players dispute a heavy rubber ball that must be bounced and rolled up the high walls of the court, until scoring through tall stone rings, only with the hips.  

The balls were approximately 20 inches of diameter and weighed 8.5 pounds. The Mayan Ball Game were use to be played in a stone court, where no hands were allowed to touch the ball, making it an extremely challenging activity. The attendees of the Ball Games included government and religious leaders, as well as Mayan nobility whom are believed to have made bets on each teams.

The Mayan Ball Game was an extreme sport; a life and death competition as a confrontation between opposing supernatural powers. The team that loosed had an unfortunate ending: the leader was killed as a sacrifice to the gods, which was believed to keep the sun shining and every aspect of their world balanced.  During the Spanish conquest, it was forbidden and was fiercely eradicated.   

Xcaret´s Mayan Ball Game continues with a tribute to the ancient god of fire, through another challenging game that is played more or less like hockey with sticks and a ball of fire, making it an impressive thing to see as the night settles in Xcaret’s Tlachco Theater.

All Xcaret Tickets include admission to Xcaret´s Mayan Ball Game, from the Xcaret Basic entrance to the most personalized Xcaret Tour (Xcaret Plus, Xcaret Two Days).