The ballcourt marker, winner takes all

The ballcourt, the site where the first organized team sport took place, was a place of high tension and tough competition, to the death. It was considered to be a ritualistic and religious aspect of Mayan society as well as a place of competition.

The ballcourt marker was placed in the center of the court and embedded in the ground. It divided the two teams and provided a center for the court. The players adorned themselves with protective gear, as well as ornamental jewelry and headdresses. The games were often long and exhausting, resulting in a winner and a loser, the latter being painted in red stripes and sacrificed as part of the ritual.

The players on each team view one another as equals but the tension between the opposing teams remains evident and unmasked. The atmosphere that surrounds the scene of a ball court is one of great excitement, but also carries with it a looming sense of anxiety, for each player knows that upon entering the court, their lives are at stake. Every action that surrounds the ball game is full of intent and passion, never hesitant or trivial. The ball court marker is the apex of all passion, intent and tension that revolves around the sport since it will ultimately divide the winners, victorious in the glory of their win, from the losers, who will be sacrificed in a ritualistic ceremony.